of  tljP 

InitJf rsttn  nf  Norttj  (Earolina 


Qlolkrtton  at  Nttrtlj  ffiarnlintana 


Cfl9lTO 


ae/ec-'rirc    |4-'- 


0 


This  book  must  not 
be  token  from  the 
Library  building. 


&E6-4r-4S56 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/reminiscencesmemwhee 


b 


w,..^         JOHN     H.    WHEELER. 

■?■ 

;  :6orn,  Hertford  Co.,  No.  Ca.  Aug.  2d.  1802.     Died,  Washington,  D.  C  Dec.  7th.  1882. 
*A.  M.  Univ.  of  No.  Ca.  1826;     State  Treasurer,  1845.     U.  S.  Envoy  to  Nicaragua,  1853. 
Author  Hist,  of  No.  Ca.  and  of  Reminiscences  of  Eminent  North  CaroHnians. 


ITOTVPE,    E.    BIERSTADl,    N. 


REMINISCENCES  AND  MEMOIRS 


OF 


NORTH    CAROLINA 


AND 


EMINENT  NDRTH   CARDLINIANS, 


BY 


John  H,  Wheeler, 


AUTHOR  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA,  AND  MEMBER  OF  THE  HISTORICAL 

SOCIETIES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA,  VIRGINIA,  GEORGIA, 

AND  PENNSYLVANIA. 


"  T/'s  well  that  a  State  should  often  be  reminded  of  her  great  citizens." 


COLUMBUS,  OHIO: 

COLUMBUS     PRINTING     WORKS, 
1884, 


v\ 


a 


cr'\i^ 


TO 

HON.   KEMP  P.   BATTLE,  LL.  D., 

President  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 

AS  some  evidence  of 

personal  regard  of  the   author,  and  devotion  to  the  fame 

AND    honor    of    their    NATIVE    STATE, 
THIS  WORK  IS  DEDICATED. 

It  is  well  known  to  you  that  your  venerated  father  encouraged 
the  preparation  and  publication  of  this  work.  His  letters  to  the 
author  prove  this.  But  he  died  before  it  was  completed.  Lest 
the  same  inevitable  event  should  occur  to  the  author  now  beyond 
the  allotted  period  of  human  life,  these  Reminiscences  and  Mem- 
ories, the  labor  and  research  of  a  life,  are  now  given  as  a  grateful 
legacy  to  his  kind  and  generous  countrymen,  who  will  admire  the 
~  generous  traits  exhibited,  and  imitate  the  noble  examples  of 
their  forefathers. 


\ 


PRBFACE. 


Washington  City,  No.  28,  Grant  Place,  \ 

June  10,  1878.      J 

ToHoji.  William  H.  Battle,  L.L.D.,  Chapel  Hill: 

Mv  Esteemed  Sir — Your  recent  letter  as  to 
"The  Address  on  the  Early  Times  and  Men  of 
Albemarle,"  has  been  received.  For  the  kind 
opinion,  that  "the  people  of  the  State  and  es- 
pecially those  of  the  Albemarle  County,  owe  a 
debt  of  gratitude  for  this  and  other  contributions 
to  their  history,"  I  sincerely  thank  you. 

Your  letter  further  adds,  that  you  ' '  have  seen 
in  the  Raleigh  Obscivet,  a  handsome  tribute  to 
the  value  and  usefulness  of  my  History  of  North 
Carolina,  expressing  a  wish  for  an  early  publica- 
tion of  a  second  edition ,  uniting  yourself  in  a 
similar  request. 

Like  expressions  have  been  received  from 
many  respectable  sources. 

Recently,  The  News  of  Raleigh,  The  Demo- 
crat oi  Charlotte,  and  other  papers  call  for  the 
publication  of  the  ' '  Reminiscences  of  Eminent 
North  Carolinians,"  and  appeal  to  her  sons  for 
contributions  "to  the  Grand  Old  History  of 
North  Carolina." 

It  is  hoped  and  believed  this  call  will  be  heard 
and  heeded. 

While  Virginia  on  one  side  and  South  Caro- 
lina on  the  other,  have  presented  to  the  world 
the  glowing  record  of  the  patriotism,  valor  and 
virtues  of  their  sons,  North  Carolina  equally  rich 


or  richer  in  such  reminiscences ;  and  with  traits 
of  virtue,  and  honor,  and  sacrifices  to  patriotism, 
deserving  of  record,  allows  this  record  to  be  ob- 
scured by  time,  and  to 

"Waste  its  fragrance  on  the  desert  air." 

It  has  been  truly  said  that  no  State  of  our 
Republic,  has,  from  the  earliest  period  of  its 
existence,  shown  a  more  determined  spirit  of  in- 
dependence, and  a  more  constant  and  firm  resist- 
ance ' '  to  every  form  of  oppression  of  the  rights 
of  man"  than  North  Carolina.  This  is  evinced 
on  every  page  of  her  history,  and  exhibited  on 
the  battle  field,  and  in  the  exploits  of  individual 
prowess.  This  patriotic  spirit  has  been  accom- 
panied by  noble  traits  of  individual  character ; 
as  integrity  of  purpose,  a  straightforwardness  of 
intention,  and  by  simplicity  and  modesty  in 
demeanor. 

It  was  on  the  shores  of  North  Carolina  that  the 
English  first  landed  on  this  continent.  It  has 
been  the  refuge  of  the  down-trodden,  the  op- 
pressed and  persecuted  of  every  nation,  and  here 
they  found  that  freedom  denied  to  them  in  the 
old  world — with  gentle  manners  and  resolute 
hearts,  their  whole  history  exhibits  a  firm  devo- 
tion to  liberty,  a  keen  perception  of  right  and  a 
ready  and  determined  resistance  to  wrong.  For 
this  and  this  only,  was  life  desirable  to  them,  and 
for  this  they  were  willing  to  die. 

The  gallant  patron,  who  first  sent  a  colony  to 


(6) 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


our  shores  was  the  victim  of  tyranny  and  op- 
pression. Her  first  Governor  was  sacrificed  in 
defence  of  popular  rights.  Such  seed  could  but 
produce  goodly  fruits.  The  character  of  this 
people  was  graphically  described  by  one  of  the 
early  Colonial  Governors,  as  "being  insolent 
and  rebellious  *  *  *  impatient  of  all  tyr- 
anny and  ready  to  resist  oppression  in  every 
form." 

An  early  historian  has  recorded  our  people, 
as  being  "gentle  in  their  manners,  advocates  of 
freedom  ;  jealous  of  their  rulers,  impatient,  rest- 
less, and  turbulent  when  ruled  by  any  other 
Sfovernment  than  their  own  ;  and  under  that  and 
that  only  were  they  satisfied. " 

It  was  in  the  natural  course  of  events  and  "the 
inexorable  logic  of  circumstances'^  that  the  sturdy 
men  of  the  age  were  ever  ready  to  defend  the 
cause  of  right ;  and  in  defense  of  liberty  to  pour 
out  their  life  blood,  as  at  Alamance  ;  on  the  Cape 
Fear, to  beard  the  minions  of  power,  and  cause  their 
oppressor  to  leave  the  State  and  seek  refuge 
elsewhere,  and  that  the  men  of  Mecklenburgh 
in  advance  of  every  other  State,  should  thunder  to 
the  world  the  eternal  principles  of  Independence 
and  Liberty. 

The  acts  and  characteristics  of  these  illustrious 
men,  and  of  their  descendants,  we  wish  to 
preserve. 

We  enter  upon  this  "labor  of  love "  with 
earnestness  and  pleasure.  '  "Let  it  not  be  thought" 
says  a  learned  writer,  on  a  similar  subject,  "  that 
we  are  working  for  ourselves  alone,  nor  for  those 
now  living.  Let  us  remember  that  thousands 
yet  unborn  will  respect  and  bless  the  patient  and 
pious  hands,  that  have  rescued  from  oblivion 
these  precious  memorials." 

The  Memories  of  the  last  fifty  years  or  more, 
cover  an  interesting  period  of  our  history. 

We  shall  leave  the  history  of  the  earlier  events 
to  some  faithful  historian,  and  be  it  our  task  to 
take  up  the  biographies  of  the  leading  men  who 
have  done  "  the  State  some  service"  with  remi- 
niscences of  their  times  and  give  the  biography 


and  genealogy  of  each,  as  far  as  attainable.  Bi- 
ography presents  a  more  minute  and  accurate 
view  of  the  lights  and  shadows  of  character, 
than  general  history.  One  is  general,  and  the 
individual  is  a  mere  accessory ;  the  other  is  mi- 
nute, and  directed  to  a  single  object.  We  often 
have  a  clearer  idea  of  any  event,  when  the  mo- 
tives and  the  character  of  the  chief  actors  are 
minutely  described.  We  have  in  the  "Life  of 
Washington,"  by  Marshal,  the  best  history  of 
the  American  Revolution.  As  to  our  genealogy, 
this  is  the  first  attempt  to  present  the  record  of 
families  in  our  State. 

This  untried  path  involved  much  research  and 
labor.  It  is  hoped  it  will  be  acceptable,  and 
prove  useful.  We  are  far  behind  the  age,  on 
this  subject.  In  England,  Burke's  great  work 
(The  Genealogical  and  Heraldric  Dictionary  of 
the  British  Empire)  is  a  hand-book  in  every  well 
appointed  library. 

In  New  England,  "  Whitmore's  American 
Genealogy"  is  valuable;  the  Genealogical  So- 
ciety of  Massachusetts  is  in  full  vigor,  sustaining 
a  Quarterly  Magazine.  Every  locality  and  fam- 
ily in  that  section  have  preserved  and  published 
such  materials  ;  these  are  commemorated  by 
annual  domestic  gatherings  ;  thus  strengthening 
the  ties  of  affection  and  refreshing  the  memories 
of  the  past.  In  many  cases  genealogy  is  valu- 
able in  preserving  property  to  the  true  owners  of 
estates,  and  the  ties  of  kindred  that  otherwise 
would  be  forever  buried,  and  broken. 

Some,  with  phlegmatic  indifference  may  ridicule 
this  attempt ;  exhibiting  a  supreme  contempt  for 
such  vanity,  as  they  call  it ;  but  surely  no  one 
with  a  discreet  mind  and  a  sound  heart  can  be  in- 
sensible to  the  laudable  feeling  of  having  de- 
scended from  an  honest  and  virtuous  ancestry, 
and  having  industrious  and  intelligent  connec- 
tions of  unsullied  reputation.  Such  a  thought 
instils  a  hatred  of  laziness  and  vice,  and  stimu- 
lates activity  and  virtue. 

Such  is  a  grateful  oblation  to  departed  worth. 
Not  only  is  this  a  duty   discharged  to  the  dead. 


PREFACE. 


(7) 


but  a  moral  benefit  may  result  to  the  living.  It 
acts  as  an  incentive  to  others,  while  they  admire 
his  services  and  brilliant  career,  to  emulate  his 
patriotic  example. 

"Oh,  who  shall  lightly  say  that  Fame 
Is  nothing  but  an  empty  name, 
While  in  that  name  there  is  a  charm 
The  nerves  to  brace,  the  heart  to  warm. 
When,  thinking  on  the  mighty  dead, 
The  youth  shall  rouse  from  slothful  bed. 
And  vow  with  uplifted  hand  and  heart 
Like  him  to  act  a  noble  part." 

Let  US  all  cherish  th»  recollection  of  talents, 
services,  and  virtues,  of  departed  worth,  and 
such  faults  as  are  inseparable  from  our  nature,  be 
buried  in  the  grave  with  the  relics  of  fallen 
humanity. 

Some  pains  have  been  taken  with  the  table  of 
contents  and  the  preparation  of  the  Index. 

Mr.  Stevens,  in  his  "Catalogue  of  his  English 
Library,"  says,  correctly:  "If  you  are  troubled 
with  a  pride  of  accuracy,  and  would  have  it 
completely  taken  out  of  you,  attempt  to  make 
an  Index  or  Catalogue." 

Dr.  Allibone  prints  in  his  valuable  Dictionary 
of  Authors  (I.,  85),  extracts  from  a  number  of 
the  AToiithly Review,  which  is  well  worthy  of  quota- 
tion here  :  '  'The  compilation  of  an  index  is  one  of 
those  labors  for  which  the  public  are  rarely  so 
forward  to  express  their  gratitude,  as  they  ought 
to  be.  The  value  of  a  thing  is  best  known  by 
the  want  of  it.  We  have  often  experienced 
great  inconvenience  for  want  of  a  good  index  to 


many  books.  There  is  far  more  scope  for  the 
exercise  of  judgment  and  ability  in  compiling  an 
index  than  commonly  supposed.  Mr.  Oldys 
expresses  a  similar  sentiment  in  his  Notes  and 
Queries  (XL,  309):  "The  labour  and  patience; 
the  judgment  and  penetration,  required  to  make 
a  good  index,  is  only  known  to  those  who  have 
gone  through  the  most  painful  and  least  praised 
part  of  a  publication. 

Lord  Campbell  proposed  in  the  English  Par- 
liament (Wheatley  on  "  What  is  an  Index?"  p.  27) 
that  any  author  who  published  a  book  without 
an  Index,  should  be  deprived  of  the  benefits  of 
the  copyright  act. "  Mr.  Binney  of  Philadelphia 
held  the  same  views  and  Carlyle  denounces  the 
putting  forth  of  books  without  a  good  Index, 
with  great  severity. 

The  History  of  Tennessee,  by  Dr.  Ramsay, 
full  of  research  and  philosophy,  fails  in  this  re- 
spect. A  book  with  no  index  is  like  a  ship  on 
the  ocean  without  compass,  or  rudder. 

In  the  following  pages  doubtless  many  worthy 
characters  may  have  escaped  notice — for  the  field 
is  "  so  large  and  full  of  goodly  prospects. "  Nor 
would  we  if  we  could,  exhaust  this  fair  field  ;  but 
like  Boaz,  leave  some  rich  sheaves  for  other  and 
more  skillful  reapers  in  this  bountiful  harvest. 

To  you,  my  dear  sir,  who  have  so  kindly  and 
repeatedly  encouraged  these  labors,      I  respect- 
fully commend  them  and  subscribe  myself 
Very  sincerely  yours, 

Jno.  H.  Wheeler. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS, 


Dedication. — Preface. — North  Carolina  in  the  Colonial  Period. — Memoir  of  the  Author. 

CHAPTER  I.  — ALAMANCE  COUNTY. 

Regulation  Troubles.  Oppressions  and  frauds  of  the  officers  of  the  Crown  ;  causes  and  consequences. 
Sketch  of  Judge  Ruffin,  compared  to  Thomas  Jefferson.     Colonel  Thomas  M.  Holt. 

CHAPTER  n.— ANSON  COUNTY. 

Sympathy  with  the  Regulators,  as  to  unlawful  taxation— 1768  ;  copy  of  the  oath  taken  ;  resolutions 
that  the  Sheriffs  and  Magistrates  should  be  elected  by  the  people,  Letter  to  Governor  Martin.  Character 
of  James  Cotten,  a  tory.  Sketch  of  Judge  Spencer;  his  singular  death.  Sketch  of  Judge  Thomas  S.  Ashe, 
now  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

CHAPTER  HL— BEAUFORT  COUNTY. 

Character  of  the  nobleman  for  whom  it  is  named ;  commissioned  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  North  Carolina.  Freemasonry  in  North  Carolina ;  it  saves  the  life  of  an  officer  in  battle.  Jeffer- 
son's opinion  of  Washington.  Sketch  of  the  Blounts  of  Beaufort.  Hon.  C.  C.Cambreling,  long  a  Member 
of  Congress  from  New  York,  a  native  of  Beaufort.  Sketch  of  J.  J.  Guthrie,  drowned  off  Cape  Hatteras. 
Hatteras  described  by  Joseph  W.  Holden,  and  in  the  National  Gazette  of  Philadelphia,  in  1792,  Sketch 
of  Edward  Stanley;  a  letter  of  Judge  Badger,  his  relative,  as  to  his  course.  Sketch  of  Richard  S.  Donnell; 
of  Judge  Rodman,  who  agrees  with  Hooker  in  his  opinion  of  the  law.  James  Cook,  C.  S  N.  Adventurous 
life  of  Charles  F.  Taylor,  a  native  of  this  section ;  participates  in  the  war  in  Nicaragua ;  its  stirring  events, 
facts  never  before  published ;  the  policy  of  Marcey  an  error ;  sad  fate  of  Walker ;  tragic  death  of  Herndon, 
with  whom  another  North  Carolinian  (John  V.  Dobbin)  was  drowned.  Central  America  described-  The 
Minister  of  the  United  States  is  recieved.  Revolution.  Walker  captures  Virgin  Bay,  Grenada,  and  puts  the 
Government  to  flight.  Sketch  of  Walker  and  his  adventurous  life.  Scenes  at  the  Capital ;  the  U.  S.  Min- 
ister in  jeopardy.  The  General  Commander-in-Chief  and  the  Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs  executed  by  the 
invading  forces.    Letters  between  the  General-in-Chief  and  the  American  Minister;  the  last  letter  of  Walker. 


(lo)  WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 

CHAPTER  IV.— BERTIE  COUNTY. 

Sketch  of  VVhitmil  Hill,  a  Member  of  the  Provincial  and  Continental  Congresses ;  of  David  Stone, 
\/       Judge  of  Superior  Courts,  Governor  of  the  State  and  U.  S,  Senator.!    Genealogy  of  the  family.     Sketches 
of  George    Outlaw ;  of  Willie  Blount,  Governor  of  Tennessee ;    of  David  Outlaw ;    of  P.  H.  Winston ;  of 
James  W.  Clark.     Genealogy  of  the  Clark  family. 

CHAPTER  v.-  BLADEN  COUNTY. 

Battleof  Elizabethtown,  1791;  Cross  Creek.  Character  and  services  of  James  and  Denny  Porterfield. 
Sketch  of  John  Owen,  Governor  of  the  State;  of  James  J.  McKay  ;  of  Thomas  D.  McDonald. 

CHAPTER  VI.— BRUNSWICK  COUNTY 

Early  history  and  character  of  its  people,  opposed  to  oppression,  drove  the  Royal  Governor,  [Mar- 
tin] from  the  Country,  July  to,  1775,  seized  the  Stamp  Master  and  destroyed  the  stamps  sent  to  him  from 
England:  copy  of  the  pledge  given  by  the  Stamp  Master  [William  Houston].  Indignation  of  the  people, 
and  letter  of  Ashe,  Lloyd  and  Lillinglon,  offering  to  protect  the  Governor's  person  Sketch  of  General 
Robert  Howe,  his  character  as  described  by  Governor  Martin,  who  denounced  him  in  a  royal  proclamation  ; 
appointed  Colonel  of  the  2d  Regiment  of  North  Carolina  troops  in  the  Continental  establishment ;  marches 
to  Virginia  and  drives  the  Royal  Governor,  Lord  Dunmore,  from  that  Province.  Sketch  of  Cornelius  Har- 
nett, his  life  and  services ;  his  character  described  by  Governor  Burrington,  the  Royal  Governor  ;  denounced 
by  Governor  Martin  for  the  destruction  of  Fort  Johnston.  General  John  A.  Lillington's  Revolutionary 
services.  The  Moore  family  of  Brunswick,  Maurice  Moore,  Roger  Moore  and  Nathaniel  Moore,  the  early 
settlers  of  the  Cape  Fear  region.  Sketch  of  Judge  Maurice  Moore  ;  of  General  James  Moore ;  of  Judge 
Alfred  Moore,  his  legal  character  described.     Life  and  services  of  Benjamin  Smith. 

CHAPTER  VII.— BUNCOMBE  COUNTY. 

Character  and  services  of  Colonel  Edward  Buncombe,  after  whom  this  County  is  named.  Sketch  of 
David  L.  Swain,  his  life,  services  and  death ;  Sketches  of  Professors  Mitchell  and  Phillips  of  the  LTniversity 
of  North  Carolina;  of  Samuel  F.  Phillips.  Sketch  of  Zebulon  B.  Vance  ;  extracts  from  a  work  on  the  Vance 
family,  printed  at  Cork,  Ireland,  showing  the  relationship  of  General  Andrew  Jackson  to  the  Vances ;  letter 
\j  to  General  Kilpatrick  from  Governor  Z.  B.  Vance.  Sketch  of  Robert  B.  Vance  ;  of  James  L.  Henry,  late 
one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Court;  of  Augustus  S.  Merrimon,  late  Judge  and  U.  S.  Senator;  of 
Thomas  L.  Clingman,  late  U.  S.  Senator,  his  life  and  services ;  duel  with  William  L.  Yancey ;  of  John  L. 
Bailey,  late  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court ;  of  Robert  M.  Furman ;  of  Thomas  D.  Johnston. 

CHAPTER  VIII.— BURKE  COUNTY. 
Life,   character   and   services  of    Waightstill  Avery.     Genealogy  of   the  Averys.     The  McDowell 
,    family  ;  its  genealogy  and  services  in  the  Revolution.     The  Carson  family.     Life  and  services  of  John  Car- 
son, the  founder  of  the  family.     Sketches  of  Samuel  P.  Carson  ;  of  Israel  Pickens ;  of  David  Newland  ;  of 
Todd  R.  Caldwell ;  of  James  William  Wilson. 

CHAPTER  IX.— CABARRUS,  CALDWELL  AND  CAMDEN  COUNTIES. 

Life,  character  and  services  of  Reverend  John  Robinson,  D.  D.,  and  of  Reverend  Hezekiah  J. 
Balch  D,D.;  copy  of  the  tomb-stone  of  the  latter.     The  Phifer  family,  and  their  genealogy.     The  Barringer 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  (ii) 

family,  and  their  genealogy.  Sketch  of  Nathaniel  Alexander,  a  member  of  Congress  and  Governor  of  the 
State.  Sketches  of  Ur.  Charles  Harris ;  Robert  S.  Young ;  of  Daniel  Coleman,  of  Cabarrus  County ;  of 
Samuel  F.  Patterson;  of  James  C.  Harper;  of  Clinton  A.  Cilley  and  of  George  Nathaniel  Folk  of  Cald- 
well County. 

CHAPTER  X.— CARTERET   COUNTY. 

First  land  sighted  by  the  English,  1584  ;  the  lost  Colony  of  Governor  White.  Indian  wars  with  the 
Cores  and  Tuscaroras  ;  John  Lawson,  the  first  historian,  murdered  by  them.  Fort  Hyde.  Battle  at  Beau- 
fort.    Sketch  of  the  life  and  services  of  Captian  Otway  Burns. 

CHAPTER  XL— CASWELL  COUNTY. 

Life,  character  and  services  of  Richard  Caswell,  the  first  Governor  of  the  State  under  the  Constitu- 
tion. Genealogy  of  the  family.  Sketches  of  Bartlett  Yancey  ;  of  Romulus  M.  Saunders  ;  of  Robert  and 
Marmaduke  Williams;  of  Calvin  Graves;  of  Bedford  Brown;  of  Jacob  Thompson,  Secretary  of  Interior  in 
W  1857,  and  Member  of  Congress  from  Mississippi;  all  natives  of  Caswell  County.  John  Kerr,  his  sufferings 
at  the  hands  of  political  opponents,  and  his  release.  The  mysterious  murder  of  John  W.  Stevens ;  his  char- 
acter. 

CHAPTER  XII.— CHATHAM  COUNTY. 

The  life  and  bloody  career,  in  the  Revolution,  of  David  Fanning.     Sketch  of  Charles  Manly,  Gover- 
V    nor  in  1848  ;  of  Abram  Rencher ;  of  John  Manning. 

CHAPTER  XHL- CHOWAN  COUNTY. 

Governor  Eden,  (for  whom  the  County-town  is  named);  sketch  of  him  and  his  alleged  intimacy  with 
the  noted  pirate,  Edward  Teach  commonly  called  "  Black  Beard"  ;  the  bloody  deeds  of  this  marauder  ;  his 
wicked  life  and  bloody  end.  The  principles  and  character  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  Chowan.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Committee  of  Safety  in  1775;  the  names  of  the  members.  The  Vestry  of  St.  Paul's 
Church,  and  the  patriotic  resolves  of  the  ladies  of  Edenton.  Life,  services  and  character  of  Samuel  John- 
ston ;  the  opinion  of  the  Royal  Governor  (Martin)  of  him,  who  removed  him  from  the  office  of  Deputy  Nav- 
al Officer,  and  Mr.  Johnston's  reply  to  the  Governor  ;  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  in  1775,  and  of 
the  Continental  Congress  in  1780  ;  elected  Governor  in  1787  ;  U.  S.  Senator  in  1789  ;  in  1800  Judge  of  the 
Superior  Court.  A  devoted  advocate  of  freemasonry.  Genealogy  of  the  Johnston  family.  The  title  of  the 
Marquis  of  Annandale  supposed  to  belong  to  them.  Sketch  of  Joseph  Hewes,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  ;  of  Hugh  Williamson,  a  member  of  the  Colonial  and  Continental  Congresses  ;  and  of  the  U. 
S.  ;  author  of  a  history  of  North  Carolina ;  of  Stephen  Cabarrus,  long  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons ; 
/  of  Charles  Johnson ;  of  Thomas  Benbury.  Of  James  Iredell,  appointed  Judge  of  Supreme  Court  of  the 
U.  S.  by  General  Washington  ;  of  his  son,  James  Iredell  Jr.,  Speaker  of  the  House  in  1817  ;  Judge  of  the 
Superior  Court  1819;  Governor  of  the  State  1821;  U.  S.  Senator  in  1827,  succeeding  Mr.  Macon.  In  the 
war  of  181 2,  was  Captain,  with  Gavin  Hogg  as  one  of  his  Lieutenants.  Sketch  of  Gavin  Hogg-  Life  and 
services  of  Agustus  Moore,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Court ;  sketch  of  his  son,  William  A.  Moore; 
of  Governor  William  Allen,  of  Ohio,  member  of  Congress  in  1833  ;  Senator  in  1837-49,  and  Governor  of 
Ohio  in  1874,  a  native  of  Edenton.  An  amusing  incident  connected  with  the  names  of  General  Scott,  Dr. 
Warren,  Major  Gilliam  and  others. 


(i2)  WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 

CHAPTER  XIV.— CRAVEN  COUNTY. 

Its  early  history  ;  the  Palatines;  De  Graaffenreidt ;  Governor  Dobbs  ;  Tryon's  palace  ;  his  clock, 
John  Hawks,  architect.  "The  cause  of  Boston,  the  cause  of  all!  "  Committee  of  Safety  in  1775  of  Chow- 
an County.  Names  of  its  members.  Sketch  of  Francois  Xavier  Martin,  a  historian  of  the  State ;  of  the 
Blount  family;  of  Abner  Nash,  his  character  as  given  by  Governor  Martin;  a  member  of  Congress,  1776; 
first  Speaker  of  the  Assembly;  Governor  in  1779;  member  of  Congress  1781.  Life,  service  and  death  of 
Richard  Dobbs  Spaight.  Duels  that  have  been  fought  in  North  Carolina.  Sketch  of  John  Stanley ;  of 
WiUiam  Gaston;  of  John  R.  Donnel ;  of  John  Sitgreaves ;  of  John  N.  Bryan;  of  Edward  Graham;  of 
Francis  L.  Hawks ;  of  George  E  Badger  ;  of  Matthias  E.  Manley  ;  of  Charles  R.  Thomas ;  of  Judge  Sey 
mour  ;  of  William  J.  Clarke,  and  his  talented  wife,  Mary  Bayard  Clarke,  and  his' son  William  E.  Clarke. 

CHAPTER  XV.— CUMBERLAND  COUNTY. 

The  Scotch  heroine,  Flora  MacDonald,  once  lived  in  this  County.  Sketch  of  her  life  and  character ; 
of  Farquard  Campbell,  Governor  Martin's  opinion  of  him;  of  William  Barry  Grove;  of  John  Louis  Taylor, 
late  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  North  Carolina.  Judicial  System  of  the  State  as  it  existed  from 
1798  to  1804.  Sketch  of  Henry  Potter,  Judge  U.  S.  District  Court;  of  John  D.  Toomer;  of  Louis 
D.Henery:of  Robert  Strange  ;  of  James  C.  Dobbin;  of  Warren  Winslow  ;  of  Duncan  K.  MacRae  ;  of  Mrs. 
Miller;  of  Henry  W.  Hilliard  of  Georgia,  a  native  of  Cumberland  ;  of  W.  C.  Troy. 

CHAPTER  XVI.— CURRITUCK  COUNTY. 

Sketch  of  Henry  M.  Shaw  ;  of  Emerson  Etheridge,  of  Tenn,,  native  of  Currituck  ;  of  Thomas  J.  Jarvis, 
Governor  of  North  Carolina,  1882. 

CHAPTER  XVII.-  DAVIDSON,  DUPLIN,  DAVIE,  and  EDGECOMBE  COUNTIES. 

Sketch  of  James  M.  Leach  of  Davidson ;  of  James  Gillaspie ;  of  Thomas  and  O.  Kenan  ;  of  Charles 
Hooks  of  Duplin  Co.  Sketch  of  Henry  Irwin,  a  Revolutionary  hero  ;  of  Jonas  Johnston  ;  of  John  Hay- 
wood; genealogy  of  the  Haywood  family.  Sketch  of  Henry  T.  Clark,  Governor  of  North  Carolina. 
The  Battle  Family,  and  their  genealogy,  including  Judge  Wm.  H.  Battle,  and  his  son,  Kemp  P.  Battle. 
Sketch  of  Duncan  L.  Clark,  of  U.  S.  Army;  of  Wm.  D.Pender;  of  R.  R.  Bridgers;  of  Charles  Price 
of  Davie;  of  John  B.  Hussey  of  Davie. 

CHAPTER  XVIII.— FORSYTHE   COUNTY. 

Sketch  of  Col,  Benj.  Forsythe;  of  Joseph  Winston  ;  of  Israel  G.  Lash.     The  History  of  the  Moravians. 

CHAPTER    XIX.— FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 

Lynch  Law,  origin  of  the  term.  Services  and  Sufferings  of  General  Thomas  Person ;  Sketch  of  Hon. 
J.  J.  Davis. 

CHAPTER  XX.— GASTON,  GATES,  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES- 

Sketch  of  Rev.  Humphrey  Hunter;  Major  Wm.  Chronicle  ;  of  Rev  R  H.  Morrison  of  Gaston  County; 
of  William  Paul  Roberts,  of  Gates  ;  of  John    Penn    of  Granville,  one  of  the  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  (13) 

Independence ;  of  James  and  John  Williams  ;  of  Robert  Burton.     The  Henderson  Family — their  genealogy. 
Sketch  of  Robert  B.  Gilliam ;  of  A.  W,  Venable ;  of  M.  Hunt ,  of  Robert  Potter. 

CHAPTER  XXI.— GREENE  AND  GUILFORD  COUNTIES. 

Sketch  of  Gen.  Jesse  Speight;  of  Joseph  Dixon.  Battle  of  Guilford  Court  House,  March  15,  1781,  be- 
tween General  Greene  and  Lord  Cornwallis.  Sketch  of  Cornwallis;  of  Col.  Tarleton;  of  Col.  Wilson 
Webster.     Cornwallis's  letter  to  his  father  as  to  the  fall  of  Webster. 

Sketch  of  Dr.  David  Caldwell;  of  Alexander  Martin;  of  Newton  Cannon,  Governor  of  Tennessee,  a 
native  of  Guilford  ;  of  Governor  Moorehead  ;  of  George  C.  Mendenhall ;  of  Judge  John  M.  Dick,  and 
his  son,  Judge  Robt.  P.  Dick;  of  John  A.  Gilmer;  of  John  H.  Dilliard ;  of  Rev.  Calvin  H.  Wiley;  of 
James  J.  Scales ;  of  John  H.  Staples. 

CHAPTER  XXn.— HALIFAX  COUNTY. 

The  Jones  Family  -  its  genealogy ;  John  Paul  Jones  adopts  this  name.  Sketch  of  Wm.  R.  Davie,  a 
General  of  the  Revolution;  of  Hutchins  G.  Burton;  of  Andrew  Joyner;  of  John  W.  Eppes;  of  William 
Polk  of  the  Cromwell  Family  ;  of  John  B.  Ashe  ;  of  Willis  Alston  ;  of  John  Haywood  ;  of  John  H.  Eaton ; 
of  J.  J.  Daniel;  of  John  R.  J.  Daniel ;  of  Junius  Daniel;  of  John  Branch  ;  of  Lawrence  O'B.  Branch  ;  of 
James  Grant;  of  B.  F.  Moore. 

CHAPTERS  XXXIII  AND  XXXIV.— HERTFORD  AND  HYDE  COUNTIES. 

The  Murfree  Family.  Sketch  of  General  Thos.  Wynns  ;  of  the  Wheeler  Family  ;  of  Rev.  Matthias  Brickie; 
of  Kenneth  Rayner ;  of  Godwin  C.  Moore;  of  Solon  Borland;  of  Wm.  H.  H.  Smith;  of  Jesse  J.  Yeates ; 
of  Richard  J.  Gadin.  The  Chowan  Female  Institute.  Sketch  of  David  Miller  Carter  ;  of  Hugh  Lawton 
White  of  Tenn.;  of  the  Osborne  Family — Adlai  Osborne,  Spruce  McCoy  Osborne,  Edward  Jay  Osborne, 
and  Judge  James  W.  Osborne;  of  David  F.  Caldwell;  of  Joseph  P.  Caldwell;  of  Professor  Caldwell;  of 
D.  M.  Furches;  of  Robert  F.  Armfield. 

CHAPTER  XXXV  AND  XXXVL— IREDELL,  JOHNSTON,  JONES  AND  LENOIR   COUNTIES. 

Revolutionary  proceedings  in  Johnston  County,  1768.  Sketch  of  Wm.  A.  Smith  ;  of  Nathan  Bryan  of 
Jones  County  ;  of  Hardy  B.  Croom  ;  of  Wm.  D.  Mosely. 

CHAPTER  XXXVIL— LINCOLN  COUNTY. 

Sketch  of  Gen.  Joseph  Graham ;  Family  Genealogy  of  the  Brevards.  Huguenots  ;  of  General  William 
Davidson ;  of  the  Forneys ;  of  Michael,  Robert  F.  and  John  T.  Hoke ;  of  James  Graham  ;  of  Dr.  Wm. 
McLean ;  of  Dr.  C.  L.  Hunter ;  of  Gen.  Stephen  D.  Ramseur ;  or  Gen.  Jas.  P.  Henderson  ;  of  Judge  Da- 
vid W.  Schenck  ;  of  Robert  H.  Burton. 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII  AND  XXXIX.— MACON  AND  MARTIN. 

Sketch  of  James  Lowrie  Robinson  (Speaker) ;  of  Silas  McDonald  of  Macon  ;  of  Asa  Biggs;  of  Jos.  J. 
Martin. 


(14)  WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 

CHAPTER  XL.— MECKLENBURG   COUNTY. 

The  Polk  Family, — its  genealogy  ;  The  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independence  ;  it  is  denounced  by 
the  Royal  Governor,  Josiah  Martin.  Sketches  of  the  Members  of  the  Convention;  of  Abram  Alexander; 
of  Hezekiah  James  Balch  ;  of  John  Davidson — with  genealogy  ;  of  Wm  Graham  ;  of  Robert  Irwin  ;  of  Wm. 
Kennon  ;  of  David  Reese  ;  of  Adam  Craighead  ;  of  Gen.  Thomas  Polk, — letter  of  Gen  Greene  to  Gen- 
eral Polk.  "  Devil  Charley."  Sketch  of  Bishop  Polk  of  Andrew  Jackson.  Bishops  furnished  by  North 
Carolina  to  other  States.  Susan  Spratt  nee  Barnett,  a  Revolutionary  relic.  Sketch  of  Mrs.  Susan  Hancock  ; 
of  Judge  Sam.  Lowrie ;  of  Joseph  Wilson;  of  Wm.  J.  Alexander;  of  Greene  W.  Caldwell;  of  D.  H.  Hill; 
The  Osborne  family,  and  a  graphic  sketch  of  Judge  James  W.  Osborne,  from  the  pen  of  D.  H.  Hill ;  Judge 
R.  P.  Warring. 

CHAPTER  XLL- MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER  COUNTIES. 

Sketch  of  A.  McNeil;  of  Archibald  McBryde  ;  of  Governor  Benjamin  Williams;  of  Dr.  George  Glass- 
cock, of  Moore  County.  The  Ashe  Family, — its  genealogy.  John  Baptista  Ashe's  controversy  with  the 
Eoyal  Governor,  and  is  imprisoned  by  him.  Letter  of  Burrington,  showing  his  own  character  and  purely. 
Battle  of  Briar  Creek.  Sketch  of  the  Hill  family;  of  Wm.  Hooper;  of  Timothy  Bloodworth ;  of  Edward 
Jones;  of  Johnson  Blakely  ;  of  James  Ennes  ;  of  the  Davis  family;  of  the  Waddell  family;  of  Owen 
Holmes  ;  of  John  Cowan  ;  of  Gov.  Dudley  ;  of  Bishop  Atkinson  ;  of  Rev.  Adam  Empie  ;  of  Bishop  Green  ; 
of  Wm.  B.  Meares;  of  Wm.  H.  Marsteller  ;  of  General  Abbot. 

CHAPTER  XLIL— NORTHAMPTON    AND  ORANGE  COUNTIES. 

Sketch  of  General  Allan  Jones  ;  of  General  Matt.  W.  Ransom ;  of  Edmund  Fanning ;  of  Governor 
Burke,  seized  by  Tories  and  carried  to  Wilmington.  The  Mebanes.  Sketch  of  General  Francis  Nash  ;  of 
Judge  Frederick  Nash;  of  Judge  Murphy;  of  Judge  Norwood;  of  Dr.  Wm.  Montgomery;  of  Willie  P. 
Mangum  ;  of  Thomas  H.  Benton;  of  Gen.  Geo.  B.  Anderson;  Memoirs  of  Chapel  Hill;  Sketch  of  Dr. 
Charles  F.  Deems;   Hon.  Paul  C.  Cameron;    Prof.  Hubbard;  ofWm.  Bingham;  of  John  W.  Graham. 

CHAPTER  XLIII.— PASQUOTANK,   PERQUIMANS  AND  PERSON  COUNTIES.. 

Sketch  of  John  L.  Bailey  ;  of  Wm  B.  Shepard  ;  of  George  W.  Brooks ;  of  Gen.  James  G.  Martin  ;  of 
John  Pool;  of  Pasquotank;  of  John  Harvey;  of  J.  W.  Albertson  ;  of  William  H.  Bagley,  of  Perquimans; 
of  Hustavus  A.  Williamson;  of  General  Henry  Atkinson,  U.  S.  Army  ;  of  Richard  Atkinson  ;  of  Judge  E. 
G.  Reade ;  of  John  W.  Cunningham,  of  Person  County. 

CHAPTER  XLIV— PITT  AND  RANDOLPH  COUNTIES. 
Sketch  of  Dr.  Robert  Williams;  of  General  Bryan  Grimes,  of  Pitt;  of  Jonathen  Worth,  of  Pitt;  Colonel 
Andrew  Balfour,  his  gallant  services  and  tragic  end  ;  Herman  Husbands,  a  leader  of  the  Regulators;  Hon. 
John  Long,  Member  of  U.  S.  Congress. 

CHAPTER  XLV  —RICHMOND  AND  ROCKINGHAM  COUNTIES. 

Sketch  of  A.  Dockery  ;  of  A.  H.  Dockery;  of  Governor ;  Joseph  R.  Hawley  ;  of  Walter  Leake  Steele,  of 
Richmond  ;  of  Thomas  Settle  Sen. — genealogy  of  the  Settles, — of  his  son  Thomas,  now  Judge  in  Florida  ; 
of  David  Settle  Reid ;  of  John  H.  Dilliard ;  of  Hamilton  Henderson  Chalmers,  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Supreme  Court  of  Mississippi. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  (15) 

CHAPTER  XLVL— ROWAN    COUNTY. 

Documents  never  before  published  as  to  early  times  in  Rowan.  Population  in  1754;  first  settlers — their 
names;  Committee  of  Safety,  1774-76.  Sketch  of  Hugh  Montgomery — his  decendants.  Heroic  conduct  of 
Mrs  Steele.  Sketch  of  General  John  Steele;  of  John  V.  Steele,  Governor  of  New  Hampshire;  of  Wm. 
Kennon  ;  of  Griffith  Rutherford— his  gallant  services  in  the  Indian  and  Revolutionary  Wars.  Sketch  of  the 
Locke  family  ;  of  Spruce  McCoy ;  of  James  Martin  ;  of  George  Mumford  ;  of  the  Pearsons ;  of  Judge  John 
Stokes;  of  Charles  Fisher,  and  his  son,  Colonel  Charles  F.  Fisher,  killed  at  Manasses,  Va.,  and  his  daughter, 
Miss  C.  Fisher,  distinguished  as  an  authoress;  of  Governor  John  W.  Ellis;  of  Nath.  Boyden;  of  Burton 
Craige;  of  Hamilton  C.  Jones;  of  of  Francis  E.  Shober;  of  John  L.  Henderson. 

CHAPTER  XLVH.— RUTHERFORD,  SAMPSON,  STOKES  AND  SURRY  COUNTIES. 

Sketch  of  Judge  John  Paxton;  of  Felix  Walker,  author  of  the  world-wide  expression  '  'talking  for  buncombe;' ' 
of  Colonel  Wm.  Graham;  of  Gen.  John  G.  Bynum,  and  his  brother.  Judge  Wm.  P.  Bynum;  of  Judge  John 
Baxter,  of  Rutherford ;  of  Gov.  Holmes  ;  of  Gen.  Theo.  H.  Holmes ;  of  Wm.  R.  King,  Vice  President  of 
U.S.;  of  Col.  Benj.  Forsythe  of  Stokes  County  ;  of  James  Martin,  his  Military  services  in  the  Revolution,  as  de- 
posed to,  by  himself;  of  John  Martin,  of  Stokes ;  of  Benjamin  Cleaveland,  of  Surry  ;  Names  of  the  Committee 
of  Safety,  of  Surry  County;  Sketch  of  William  Lenoir;  of  the  Williams  family;  of  Jesse  Frankhn;  ofMeshach 
Franklin  ;  of  Judge  Jesse  Franklin  Graves. 

CHAPTER  XLVIIL— TYRRELL  AND  WAKE    COUNTIES. 

Edward  Buncombe,  his  Military  services  and  heroic  death.  The  Pettigrews,  James  and  his  son  Ebenezer, 
and  his  gallant  grandson  J.  Johnston  Pettigrew ;  Sketch  of  Dr.  Edward  Ransom ;  of  Joseph  Gales,  first  Editor 
of  the  Raleigh  Register;  The  Press  of  North  Carolina.  Sketch  of  Joseph  Gales  of  Washington,  D.  C;  of 
Weston  R.  Gales,  of  Raleigh  ;  of  Seaton  Gales;  of  Judge  Sewall ;  of  Judge  Duncan  Cameron;  of  Edmund 
B.  Freeman;  of  Dr.  Richard  H.  Lewis.  Sketch  of  WilHam  Hill,  Sec.  of  State;  of  Dr.  William  G.  Hill;  of 
Theophilus  Hill ;  of  Mrs.  Zimmerman,  Poetess  :  of  Andrew  Johnson,  President  of  United  States;  of  General 
Joseph  Lane,  and  of  the  Lane  family;  of  Governor  W.  W.  Holden  ;  of  Bishop  Ravenscroft ;  of  Bishop  Ives; 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  S.  Macon;  of  Bishop  Beckwith;  of  Octavius  Coke;  of  Randolph  A.  Shotwell;  of  Don- 
ald W.  Bain. 

CHAPTER  XLIX.— WARREN  COUNTY. 

Military  services  of  General  Jethro  Sumner  in  the  Revolution.  The  Hawkins  family,  with  its  genealogy; 
Sketch  of  Dr.  James  G.  Brehon  ;  of  Nathaniel  Macon  ;  of  Gov.  James  Turner  ;  of  Daniel  Turner ;  of  Whar- 
ton J.  Green;  of  Kemp  Plummer  ;  of  Judge  Hall;  of  Judge  Edward  Hall;  of  Judge  Blake  Baker;  of  Gov. 
William  Miller;  of  Weldon  N,  Edwards;  of  the  Bragg  family  ;  State  Capitol  burned,  June,  1831. 

CHAPTER  XLIX.— WATAUGA,    WAYNE,  AND  WILSON  COUNTIES. 

Sketch  of  Daniel  Boone;  of  John  Sevier.  The  State  of  Frankland,  and  its  rise,  progress,  and  fall.  Sketch 
of  Ezekiel  Slocumb  ;  of  Col.  Thomas  Ruffin  ;  of  Gov.  C.  H.  Brogden  ;  of  Gov.  Montford  Stokes,  and  his  de- 
scendants ;  of  Henry  G.  Williams,  of  Wilson  ;  Isaac  F.  Dortch ;  of  Richard  W.  Singletary. 


|^ja» 


MEMOIR  OF  THE  AUTHOR, 


Of  Hertford  County,  North  Carolina. 

BORN  AUGUST  2,  1806,  DIED  DECEMBER  7,  1882, 
"i       ..■>'      By  HOX.  JOSEPH  S.  FOWLER,  Ex-Senator  From  Tennessee. 


"  Excrji  monumcntum  cere  percnnius, 
Rcgalique  situ  pijrainidum  a/tii/s  ; 
Quod  non  inibcr  edax.  noii  Aquilo  impotens 
Possit  dirucre^  aut  ianumcrabilis 
Annorum  scries,  et  fuga  tempo  rum. ^'' 

—Hon.  Oak.,  XXX. 


c-X\>. 


f^^iiiOM  Moore's  "Historical  Sketches  of 
i|^'|;-   Hertford  Count}-,"  we  learn  the  fol- 

H'^rii-'  lowing: 

li  t  Anions;   the   early   citizens  of  the 

e/l  villageof  Murfreesboro,  in  this  county, 

*\ 

f   wa^■  -Tohn  Wheeler.     He  was  of  an  ancient 

1    family,  long  seated  around  New  York.     In 

the  Litter  end  of  tlie  17th  century,  under  a 

grant  of  land  from  Charles  II.,  Joseph  Wheeler 

emigi';tted  from  England,  and  settled  in  New- 

:i]-k,  ¥i.x  Jersey.     Like  William  Fenn,  he  was 

f  a  gallant  na\'al  oflficer.     Sir  Francis 

an  English  admiral,  was  his  father, 

;;rant  of  land  from  the  Crown  was  in 

or  faithful  services.     He  and  his  young 

i  followed  soon  after  the  conquest  of 

jKetherlands  Ijy  the  Duke  of  York,  son 

is  I.,  afterwards  James  II. 

n  was  born,  in  1718,  their  son  Ephraira 

,  to  whom,  and  his  wife  Mary,  the  first 

"  John  Wheeler  was  born  in  the  year 

.)hn  had  bestowed  upon  him  the  best 

,,  es  of  education — he  was  educated  as  a 


physician.  When  the  Revolutionary  war  came 
on,  he  entered  the  army  under  General  Mont- 
gomery, and  accompanied  him  in  the  perilous 
and  ill-fated  campaign  to  Quebec,  and  was  in 
the  battle  (December  31,  1775,)  in  which  tha^ 
gallant  officer  fell.  In  Toner's  "Renuniscence^ 
of  the  Medical  Men  of  the  Revolution"  be  is 
prominently'  mentioned.  Aai'on  Burr  served 
also  in  this  cam[iaign.  Dr.  Wheeler  accom- 
panied General  Gi'eene  in  his  southern  cam- 
paign, and  was  with  him  in  the  hard  fought 
and  glorious  victory  at  Eutaw  Springs,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1781,  and  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
Pleased  with  the  genial  climate  of  the  Sonth, 
he  settled  near  Murfreesboro  and  brought  his 
family  with  him.  His  wife  Elizabeth  Long- 
worth,  was  the  neice  of  Aaron  Ogden,  after- 
wards the  Governor  of  New  Jei'sey,  and  Sen-  ' 
atorin  Congress.  Ho  lived  near  Mu  freeslioro 
for  years,  in  the  practice  of  his  prol  -^sicn,  iu 
which  he  had  great  skill  and  much  success. 

His  death  occurred  on  October  14, 1814,  and 
he  lies  buried  in  Northampton  County,  near 


u 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Murfreesboro.  He  left  several  works  in  man-  Professor  Wheeler  was  born  in  1S30;  eclu- 
ucript  on  medical  science,  which  evinced  the  cated  in  part  at  the  University  of  Nort'n  Car- 
depth  of  his  acquaintance  and  his  devotion  olina,  and  when  only  a  boy  volunteered  ^as  a 
to  his  profession.  His  son  John  was  born  in  private  in  Captain  William  J.  Clarke'  ''lorn- 
1771.  In  his  early  youth  he  was  engaged  with  pany  in  the  Mexican  war.  He  wao  hr  tvelSy 
liis  cousin,  David  Longworth,  in  business  as  battle  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  City  of  Mexicol^ 
publishers  and  booksellers  in  New  York,  Here  At  the  fiercely  contested  affair  at  the  N<u-iunal 
he  attracted,  by  his  attention  to  business,  the  Piierde,  one  of  the  lieutenants  was  killed,  and- 
notice  of  Zedekiah  Stone,  who  was  then  in  young  as  he  was,  he  was  appointed  by  the 
New  York,  and  by  v/hom  he  was  induced  to  President  as  the  successor,  on  the  report  of  his 
remove  to  Bertie  County,  North  Carolina,  commanding  officer,  now  on  file,  that  "he  had 
He  was  there  married  to  Elizabeth  Jordan,  seen  young  Wheeler  under  heavy  fire,  anl  he 
January  6th,  1796,  and  after  the  death  of  his  had  proved  to  the  command  that  lit  was  '.ade"' 
iriend,  Mr.  Stone,  Murfreesboro  became  his  of  the  stuff  of  which  lieroes  are  m,i\-  On 
home.  At  this  place  he  was  engaged  in  mer-  his  return  from  Mexico  he  couhV 
cantile  and  shipping  affairs  until  the  day  of  as  an  officer  in  the  army,  but  iie  cleLOiied  on 
his  death.  From  his  enterpii'ise,  industry,  the  ground  of  want  of  qualification,  Le  there- 
sagacity,  and  integrity  he  attained  great  sue-  fore  resigned  his  commission.  The  President 
cess,  and  his  memory,  to  this  day,  is  cherished  determined  to  retain  him  in  the  service,  and 
in  that  section  as  "the  honest  merchant."  He  he  appointed  him  a  cadet  at  West  Point, 
was  a  man  of  unspotted  integrity,  so  strong  where  he  graduated  among  the  first  of  his 
that  venality  and 'indirection  cowered  before  class.  After  serving  for  several  years  in  the 
him.  After  a  long  life  of  industry,  usefulness  Corps  of  Engineers  in  Louisiana,  Wisconsin 
and  piety  (for  he  was  a  consistent  member  of  and  elsewhere,  he  was  appointed  to  succeed 
the  Baptist  Church  for  more  than  forty  years)  the  late  Professor  Mahan  in  the  position  he 
l.e    died,  lamented  and   beloved,  August  7th,  now  occupies. 

1832.      His   family    surviving  him,  consistecl  Dr.  Samuel  Jordan  Wheeler,  brother  of  the 

of  two  sons  by  his  first  marriage,  John   H.  above,  was  born  in  1810;  was  educated  at  the 

Wheeler,  late  Public  Treasurer  of  the  State,  Hertford     Academy,    and     graduated    from 

and    Dr.  S.  Jordan  Wheeler,  late  of  Bertie  Union  College,  Schenectady;  he  studied  medi- 

County.     By  a  second  wife  (Miss  Woods)  he  cine  with  Dr.  Nathan  Ch:ipman   in    '"-''--i"' 

left  one  daughter,  Julia,  the  peerless   wife  of  phia,   and  practiced    for   3'ear8   wi 

Dr.  Godwin  C.  Moore;  and  by  a  third  wife,  He  has  been  an  earnest  co-laborer  ii 

among  others,  Colonel  Junius  B.  Wheeler,  now  of  education  and  religion,  as  the   C 

Professor  of  Civil  and   Military  Engineering  stitute  and  the  Church  at   Murfree 

and  the  Art  of  War  in  the  United  States  Mil-  witness;     he    was    professor    in  a 

itary   Academy  at   West  Point.      He  is  the  Mississippi.  He  recently  died  in  Ber 

author  of  several  military  works  on   civil  and  loved  and  respected  for  his  purity  o 

siiilitary  engineering,  and  on  the  art  of  war,  He  married  Lucinda,  daughter  of  L 
which  have  been  adopted  as  text  books  by  the 
War  Department.     He  has  thus  written   his 

name  in  the  useful  literature  of  the  nation  and  The  conspicuous  services  rendere 

discharged   "that   debt,"   which  Lord    Coke  of  North  Carolina,  and  her  emine 

says,  "every  man  owes  to  his  profession."  by  this  accomplished  man,  will   f 


John  Hill  Wheeler. 


JOHN  HILL  WHEELER. 


m 


serve  his  niemoiy  from  oblivion.  Born  in  the 
dawn  of  the  present  centnrj,  he  has  been  the 
witness  of  the  most  remarkable  events  in  the 
historj'  of  the  republic.  In  the  county  of 
Hertford  he  tirst  saw  the  light,  August  6, 
1806. 

He  was  prepared  for  college  at  Hertford 
Acadenij  by  Dr.  John  Otis  Freeman,  an  emi- 
nent divine.  He  was  then  placed  at  the 
Columbia;)  University,  "Washington,  J).  C, 
and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1826.  In  the 
year  1328  he  took  his  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 
He  studied  his  profession,  the  law,  under  the 
directi-n  of  Chief  Justice,  Taylor,  of  North 
Caroiir.u.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
befoi'c  hv.  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  in  the  year 
1827.  -Then  State  Legislatures  were  honored 
bodies,  and  secured  some  of  the  best  talent  in 
the  States. 

Th's  Legislature  contained  many  eminent 
and  able  men,  among  them  were  Judges 
Gaston,  Nash  and  Bailey,  George  E.  Spri- 
uell,  John  M.  Morehead,  James  Iredell,  and 
many  more.  To  win  position  in  such  a  body 
was  the  promise  of  a  fruitful  manhood,  in  a 
youth  just  twenty -one  years  of  age.  For  an 
earnest  and  aspiring  mind,  it  proved  a  valua- 
ble school.  Success  was  not  to  be  hoped  for 
without  severe  study  and  thorough  preparation. 
To  su'.sido  into  reverential  indifference  was 
not  the  characteristic  of  his  mind.  Independ- 
ent in  his  feelings,  whilst  respecting  the  ability 
of  his  colleagues,  he  claimed  equal  rights  in 
the  Ijody.  Conscientious  in  the  execution  of 
the  great  trust  committed  to  him  by  a  gen- 
erous and  proud  constitnenc}',  he  could  not 
see  their  dignity  overshadowed.  He  sum- 
monpil  Lill  his  powers  to  the  work,  and  won  for 
himself  a  conspicuous  and  honorable  position. 
So  well  did  he  perform  the  task  assigned  him, 
that  his  approving  constituents  returned  him 
to  the  biitly.  In  his  twenty-iiftli  year,  they 
nomitiated    him    for     Congress,   but   after   a 


severely  contested  and  gallant  canvass,  he  vras 
defeated  by  the  Hon.  William  B.  Shepard. 

In  the  year  1831,  he  was  appointed  Secre- 
tary to  the  Board  of  Commissioners,  under  t!ie 
treaty  with  France,  to  adjudicate  the  claims  of 
American  citizens  for  spoliations  under  the 
Berlin  and  Milan  decrees. 

In  1836,  he  was  placed  by  General  Jackson 
in  the  position  of  Superintendent  of  the 
Branch  Mint  at  Charlotte,  but  in  1841  shared 
the  political  fortune  of  his  friends  and  party. 

In  1842,  he  was  elected  b}'  the  Legislature  to 
be  Treasui'er  of  the  State,  in  opposition  to 
Major  Charles  L.  Ilinton.  After  his  term  had 
expired,  he  retired  to  his  rural  home  on  the 
banks  of  the  Catawba,  and,  aided  by  the  sug- 
gestion of  his  friend.  Governor  Swain,  he  be- 
gan the  patriotic  labor  of  writing  "Wheeler's 
History  of  North  Carolina,"  on  which  he  was 
employed  for  about  ten  years.  How  well  this 
duty  was  performed,  will  appear  from  an  ex- 
tract of  a  letter  of  General  Swain,  written  not 
long  before  his  death,  now  in  our  possession,  in 
which  he  says: 

"I  have  been  much  urged  to  write  a  comple- 
tion of  Hawks'  History  of  North  Carolina. 
The  only  response  I  have  ever  made  is  that  I  am 
too  old,  and  too  poor  to  venture  on  such  an  un- 
dertaking. Were  it  otherwise,  in  m}'  opinion 
another  edition  of  Wheeler's  History  would  be 
more  useful  and  acceptable  than  anj  work  I 
could  write."  *•■ 

In  this  work.  Colonel  Wheeler  sought  to  col- 
lect the  interesting  facts  that  illustrated  the 
history  of  the  State  and  give  them  an  endui'ing 
place.  He  proposed  to  preserve,  for  all  time,  a 
faithful  record  of  the  illustrious  deeds  of  a 
noble  and  patriotic  people,  who  have  character- 
ized their  presence  in  the  new  world  bj^  an 
intense  love  of  liberty  and  the  most  striking 
individuality.  They  were,  from  their  presence 
in  the  wilderness,  a  self  governing  community. 

No  autiiority  was  sacred  that  did  not  eiiii- 
nate  from  themselves.  Loyal  to  the  will  of 
the  people,  they  resented  indignantly  the  im- 


iv  WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 

position  of  any  external  authority.     The^'  re-  terniined  men,  to  join  the  liberals,  and  the  posi- 

jeeted  the  magnificent  plan  of  government  pro-  tion  held  by  (lolonel  AVheeler  became  one  of 

vided  by  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury',  though   he  much  peril  and  responsibility.     It  soon  became 

summoned  the  brilliant  talents  of  the  illustri-  manifest  that  neither  part}' could  be  relied  on 

ouspliilosopher,  John  Locke, foritspreparatron.  for  any  permanent  and  salutary  government. 

They  adopted  a  plan  drawn  from  their  own  The  following  of  Walker,  though  small,  was 
experience  and  their  wants,  under  the  cireum-  brave,  determined  and  intelligent;  their  leader 
stances,  which  surrounded  them.  They  were  ver^'  soon  resolved,  if  he  had  not  from  the  be- 
the  first  to  repel  the  aggressions  of  the  British  ginning,  to  give  the  country  an  Anglo-Amer- 
parliament  and  crown.  They  well  knew  the  ican  go\-ernment.  He  thus  expected  to  make 
rights  of  freeborn  Englishmen  and  the  princi-  Central  America  the  seat  of  a  new  and  pro- 
pies  of  their  constitution,  and  were  determined  gressive  civilization,  which  would  convert  its 
that  no  invasion  of  them  should  be  tolerated,  fertile  soil  and  generous  climate  into  the   uses 

Colonel  Wheeler  gave  his  work  to  the  public  of  the  commercial  world.  For  the  interesting 
in  the  year  1851.  It  was  a  complete  success,  and  incidents  of  this  daring  and  romantic  advent- 
is  highly  esteemed  as  a  faithful  record  of  a  ure,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  sketches  of  the 
most  interesting  and  remarkable  people.  incidents  and  characters  connected  with  the 

In  the  year  1844,  he  was  warmly  urged  upon  revolution.  A  thrilling  episode  of  his  sojourn  in 

by  his  party  as  a  candidate  for  governor,  but  that  distracted  country,  so  characteristic  of  the 

did  not  receive  the  nomination.  man  himself,  is  given  at  pages  22  to  30  of  the 

In  the  year  1852,  he  was  elected  to  the  State  following  Reminiscences. 

Legislature,  which  was  fiercely  agitated  by  the  As  soon  as  General  Walker  had  established 

contest  for  a  United  States  Senator.  his  authority,  and  his  was  the  de  facto  govern- 

The  Democratic  caucusput  forth  their  favor-  ment,theAmerican  minister  promptly  acknowl- 
ite  man.  the  Honorable -lames  C.  Dobbin,  than  edged  it.  This  act  was  not  approved  by  the 
whom  a  purer,  or  nobler  man  never  lived.  Not-  Secretary  of  State,  the  Honorable  William  L. 
withstanding  his  great  popularity  with  his  Alarcy,  and  he  requested  his  recall.  As  Colonel 
party,  and  his  admitted  ability,  the  friends  Wheeler  had  a  warm  friend  in  the  President, 
of  the  Honorable  Romulus  M.Saunders  re-  andashisearnest  and  lougti-ied  fi'iend,theIIon. 
fused  to  support  the  caucus  nominee,  and  James  C.  Dobbin,  was  Secretary  of  the  Navj', 
voted  for  Honorable  Burton  Craige.  The  ob-  he  was  in  no  danger  of  being  recalled  without 
stiuate  contest  thus  ujade  deprived  the  state  a  hearing.  His  i^ejily  to  Mr.  Marcy's  stric- 
of  its  representation  in  the  Senate  for  two  tures  was  triumphant,  and  the  President  re- 
years.     In  this  contest  Colonel  Wheeler  stood  fused  to  recall  him. 

by  his  party  and  his  warm  personal  friend,  Mr.  C(.)lonel  Wheeler  not  only  sympathized  with 

Dobbin,  and  did  all  in  liis  power  to  secui-e  his  the  oliject  of  this  movement,  but  admired  the 

election.  character  of  General  Walker.     He  was  a  quiet, 

In  the  year  185-3,  Colonel  Wheeler  was  ap-  unassuming   gentleman,    educated    under  the 

pointed,  by  President  Pierce,  Minister  to  Nica-  best    instruct(n's   of    the    United    States    and 

ragua.  Central  America.     During  his  residence  Europe.     In  person,  he  was  below  the  average 

there  the  countr}'- was  torn  by  opposing  political  American,  b^-  no   means  imposing  in  his  pres- 

factions,  that  sought  their  ends  by  the  sword,  ence.     A  ready,  eloquent,  ami  graceful  writer, 

During  the  revolution  General  William  Walker  he  would  have  been  one  of  the  first  journalists 

made  his  appearance  with  a  company  of  de-  of  his  age.    The  blood  of  the  Norsemen  coursed 


JOHN   HILL  WHKELEE.  v 

throngli  liis  veins,  and  lie  was  alive  with  an  sound  judgment,  a  cautious  foresight,  a  st eady 

enthusiasm  of  the  old  Vikings  for  adventure,  jairpose,  and  a  captivating  nmnner.     He  knew 

He    neither    estimated    the    dangers    of    the  how  to  husband  his  resmi-ces  for  the  Imnr  of 

enemy,  or  the  climate;  his  courage  was  of  tlie  trial.     General  Walker  moved  often  under  the 

purest  steel.     An  ardent  Anglo-American,  he  influence  of  a  whimsical  impulse,  careless  of 

had  on\y  contempt  for  the  Spaniards  and  those  the  demands  of  an  insatiable  to-morrow.     He 

mongrel  races,  who  occupied  with  indolence  sought   the  enemy  at  too  great  a  sacrifice  of 

and  semi-barbarism  one  of  the  finest  and  most  men  who  could  not  be  restored;   he  took  but 

productive  i-egions  on  the  continent.     He  con-  little  account  of  the  profound    causes  which 

ceived  the  purpose  of  planting   there  another  preserve  and  destroy  armies.     His  liigli  cpiali- 

race  of  men  who  would  open  the  land  to  a  re-  ties  and  noble   ambition  will  cause  feelings  of 

finement  and  civilization  that  would  make  it  regret  for  his  unhappy  end,  arid  the  failure  of 

the  pathway  of  nations  to  the   easterii  world,  his  ambitious   and  magnificent    purpose.     Xot 

Colonel  Wheeler  readily  saw  in  the  advent  of  the  love  of  gain,  nor  the   vulgar  display,  led 

this  cultivated   and   revolutionary  mind,  and  this   refined   student  to    the  unequal    contest. 

his  brave  and  daring  followers,  the  promise  of  It  was  the  pride  of  his  noble  race  and  its  ca- 

hope  for   the  country  so  long  cursed  with  de-  pacity  to    rejoice  a  country  blessed    by  nature 

generac}'  and  mindless   inaction.     He  became  with  every  bounty,  and   cursed  only  by  an  in- 

the  invited   guest  and   welcome  friend  of  the  dolent,    vicious,   and    monotonous  race.     Too 

United  States  minister,  who  knew   the  men  soon  for  the  demands  of  mankind,  a  more  op- 

and    the    situation    far   better    than    Genei-al  portune    period    will,   in    time,  complete    the 

Walker.     Had    he  listened   more  earnestly  to  work  in  which   he  bravely  fell,  and   vindicate 

the    wise  counsel   and   cautious  prudence    of  his  generous  design. 

(Colonel  Wheeler,  he  would,  in  all  probability,  To  the  honor  of  Colonel  Whoeler  be  it  re- 
have  realized  the  bright  dreams  of  his  ardent  corded  that  he  used  liis  influence  to  promote  a 
fancy.  Ilehadmanyof  the  cpialities  of  asuc-  revolution  so  fraught  with  unnumbered  bless- 
cessful  leader — sinceritj',  courage,  self-denial  ings  to  civilized  man.  Xor  did  he  compromise 
and  intellectual  superiority.  He  was  not  a  the  great  republic,  that  had  contided  her  good 
statesman,  and  failed  in  making  provisions  es-  faith  to  his  care,  though  he  cou'd  not  look  with 
sential  to  the  maintainance  of  arrnies.  Taking  composure  ujion  the  contest,  of  an  enlightened 
no  account  of  the  strength  of  the  foe,  or  the  civilization  with  a  stupid  indifterence  to  the 
i'atality  of  the  climate,  he  wasted  his  forces  demands  of  an  intelligent  and  progressive  age. 
without  the  possibility  of  a  supply.  That  one  entire  continent,  and  a  large  portion 
The  United  States  minister,  with  far  keener  of  another,  should  l)e  consigned  to  stolid  repose 
apprehension,  saw  the  dangers  that  threatened  without  an  heroic  eft'ort  to  unfohl  tb.eir  al- 
and advised  the  means  to  insure  the  success  of  most  boundless  possibilities,  was  to  him 
the  promising  enterprise.  To  him  it  was  the  neither  statesmanship  nor  humanity.  He 
introduction  of  a  new  civilization  by  a  race  knew  it  was  the  destiny  of  his  race  to  eradi- 
whose  destiny  was  to  found  new  nations.  His  cate  l)arliarism,  and  teach  the  inhabitants  of 
whole  heart  was  with  the  movement,  and  his  the  wilderness  the  arts  of  production,  corn- 
conduct  was  only  limited  by  his  duty  to  pre-  merce,  moral  responsibility,  social  refinement, 
serve  the  faith  and  honor  of  the  republic  and  intelligent  freedom.  Before  its  all-con- 
which  he  represented.  To  a  courage  not  less  quering  enterprise  nature  had  put  ott'  its  sav- 
prompt   than    General    Walker's,  he   added   a  age  habits  for  new   creations  of   beauty  and 


r 


VI 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


utility.  Profoundly  versed  in  its  history,  he 
was  iiKM'ed  witli  admiration  for  its  all-crea- 
tive energj'.  He  did  not  douht  that  its  pi'es- 
ence  would  endow,  with  a  new  life,  that  entire 
isthmus,  which  could  not  fail,  in  a  few  years, 
to  meet  the  advance  of  the  UnitLd  States  into 
Mexico.  With  prophetic  vision  he  heheld  its 
gloomj'  forests  giving  phice  to  the  peaceful 
ahodes  of  cultivated  men.  Deprecating  the 
erratic  impulses  of  the  j'oung  leader  of  tliis 
promising  mission,  lie  nevertheless  hailed  it  as 
the  harl)inger  of  a  glorious  future  for  Central 
America  and  the  commercial  world.  Not  even 
the  demands  of  a  coldly  selfisli  diplomacy 
could  repress  his  generous  approval,  and  he 
gave  the  benign  presence  of  a  creative  enter- 
prise his  counsel,  his  sympath}^  and  his  suh- 
stantial  support. 

In  the  year  1857,  Colonel  Wheeler  resigned 
]us  mission,  and  returned  to  his  abode  in 
Washington  City.  So  long  as  he  lived  he 
claimed  his  legal  residence  to  be  in  North 
Carolina,.  On  his  door  plate  was  that  name 
coupled  with  his  own,  and  over  the  breast  of 
his  encoflined  form  was  engraved  that  name 
so  dear  to  him.  In  all  his  thoughts,and  in  all 
his  journeyings,  his  heart  yearned  towards 
North  Carolina,  and  within  her  borders  he 
would  have  preferred  interment.  The  amia- 
l)le  and  charming  English  poet,  Waller,  in  his 
old  age,  purchased  a  small  property  at  his 
birthplace,  saying  he  would  like  to  die,  like  the 
stag,  wliere  he  was  roused.  This  poetic  idea 
has  immortality  in  the  lines  of  Goldsmitii: 

■'  As  the  poor  stag,  whom  hound  and  horns  pursue, 
Pants  for  the  place  where  at  first  lie  Hew, 
I  still  luwl  hoped  my  vexations  past, 
Here  to  return  and  die  at  home  at  last." 

By  this  time  the  long  agony  over  tlie  slav- 
ery question  was  culminating.  Our  republic 
was  rapidly  drifting  towards  a  fierce  and  de- 
structive war.  Colonel  Wheeler  had  ever 
Ijeen  identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
had  followed  its  faith  and  practices  with  earn- 


estrjess  through  all  its  meanderings.  Tlie 
change  from  Pierce  to  Buchanan  brought  no 
change  in  the  purposes  or  disposition  of  the 
party.  Under  the  former,  the  repeal  of  the 
Missouri  compromise,  and  the  organization  of 
the  territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  had 
dissolved  the  Whig  party  and  introduced  the 
Republican  party  into  the  field  of  action.  The 
conflict  between  individuals  had  passed  away 
with  the  magnificent  personages  that  charac- 
terized that  period.  Principles  laying  at  the 
foundation  of  free  institutions,  and  deeply 
imbedded  in  the  conscience,  came  into  the 
field.  The  Republican  party  planted  itself 
upon  the  doctrine  of  freedom  for  the  territor- 
ies. The  Democraticparty  proclaimed  the  in- 
violability of  slavery  iri  the  States  and  Terri- 
tories. The  former  was  a  new  and  revolu- 
tionary force,  the  latter  stood  firmly  by  the 
ancient  constitutional  rights  of  slavery.  The 
former  was  organized  to  break  up  and  displace 
it,  the  latter  resisted  displacement.  Trained 
in  the  school  of  Jackson,  Colonel  Wheeler's 
judgment  was  against  war,  and  adhered  to 
the  Union;  but  this  school  had  disappeared 
and  a  new  Democracy  had  arisen,  and  guided 
by  his  sympathies  he  followed  his  party,  drift- 
ing rapidly  upon  dangerous  reefs  and  quick- 
sands. One  of  his  sons,  C.  Sully  Wheeler,  was 
in  the  Federal  Navy;  the  other,  Woodbury 
Wheeler,  had  joined  the  Confederate  Army. 
Each  remained  faithful  to  the  cause  he  had 
espoused,  to  the  end.  To  those  laboring  un- 
der the  weight  of  half  a  century  that  had  seen 
the  republic  in  the  glory  of  its  united  power, 
it  seemed  now  in  the  agon}'  of  inevitable  death. 
The  expiring  hours  of  Democratic  rule  was 
spent  shuddering  before  the  fearful  respon- 
sibility of  the  solemn  oath  "to  support  and  de- 
fend the  Constitution."  The  incoming  admin- 
istration, though  sustained  hy  an  unconquer- 
able enthusiasm  in  its  ranks,  was  sknv  to  an- 
nounce any  policy.  Many  unionists  in  the 
south,  believing  all  to  lie  lost,  hastened  into  the 


JOHN   HILL    WHEELER. 


vn 


ranks  of  the  disunionists.  All  the  companions  of 
Colonel  "Wheeler's  life,  all  that  was  dear  to  him 
from  childhood  were  enveloped  in  the  fortunes 
of  the  Confederacy.  His  lonsf  and  strong  po- 
litical bias  and  the  intensity  of  his  friendship 
drew  his  sympathy  and  his  hopes  with  them, 
and  he  came  back  to  North  Carolina  to  be 
with  her  in  the  struggle.  Too  far  advanced  in 
life  to  become  an  actor  in  the  contest,  in  1863, 
pursuant  to  a  resolution  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  the  State,  he  went  to  Europe  to  collect 
material  for  a  new  edition  of  his  history.  Anx- 
ious to  gather  all  that  related  to  the  subject 
which  could  render  it  a  more  perfect  chronicle 
of  his  beloved  people,  he  sought  the  treasures 
of  the  British  Archives  and  buried  himself  in 
that  wonderful  collection,  far  from  the  desolat- 
ing and  sanguinary  events  of  the  war.  He 
collected  much  valuable  and  intei'esting  mat- 
ter, which  he  incorporated  in  the  new  edition 
of  his  history  which  he  left  ready  for  the  press. 

Colonel  Wheeler  was  a  sincere  believer  in 
the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, of  May  20th,  1775.  His  studies  in  the 
Archives  left  no  doubt  upon  this  interesting 
problem  in  his  mind.  The  meeting  and  reso- 
lution of  the  same  body  of  men  of  May  31st, 
1775,  are  undisputed.  They  did  not  go  to  the 
point  of  declaring  a  separation  from  the 
British  government,  but  they  went  far  beyond 
the  expressions  of  any  other  colony.  The 
reader  of  Wheeler's  History  will  mark  with 
what  delight  he  records  the  resistance  of 
these  forest-born  republicans  to  the  aggres- 
sions of  the  royal  government.  The  gallant 
struggles  and  heroic  sacrifices  of  his  revolu- 
tionary ancestors  are  set  forth  with  care  and 
eloquence 

He  was  thoroughly  versed  in  the  opinions 
of  democratic  statesmen,  and  sincerely  devoted 
to  the  Jefferson  school.  He  maintained  the 
sovereignty  of  the  states  in  all  local  matters, 
whilst  he  held  to  the  inviolability  of  the 
Federal  authority  in  national  affairs.     Each 


was  sacred  in  the  realms  assigned  them  by  the 
Constitution.  It  is  difficult  to  preserve  the 
complicated  adjustment  of  the  relations  of  the 
states  to  the  general  government.  In  the 
South,  he  saw  a  strong  tendency  to  magnify 
the  powers  of  the  states.  In  the  North,  the 
Federal  authority  was  rapidly  assuming  new 
and  alarming  importance.  The  effect  of  the 
war  was  to  give  far  greater  importance  to  the 
nation,  and  to  silence  everywhere  the  princi- 
ple of  state  sovereignty.  Colonel  Wheeler 
regarded  the  influence  of  the  centi'al  power  as 
dangerous  to  individual  liberty',  and  constanti}'. 
tending  to  imperialisnT.  He  beheld  with  re- 
gret the  citizen  disappearing  in  the-  grandeur 
and  power  of  the  nation.  Reared  among  men- 
proud  of  their  honor  and  influence,  he  dreaded 
the  decline  of  personal  excellence..  Its  loss- 
was  the  grave  of  liberty,  and  birth  of  imperial- 
power. 

The  integrity  of  the  state  and  nation  de- 
pended upon  the  sanctity  of  the  ballot,  an-d 
this  upon  the  responsibility  and  intelligence 
of  the  individual  citizen.  The  presence  of 
powerful  monied  corporations,  and  a  grand 
central  government,  would  destroy  in  time 
its  responsibility.  The  voter,  being  entirely 
overshadowed,  would  soon  begin  to  look  as 
lightly  upon  his  personal  worth,,  as  he  did 
upon  his  influence  in  the  republic.  He  relied 
chiefly  on  character  to  preserve  the  republic 
through  the  ballot.  Neither  education  nor. 
wealth  could  betrusted  with  the  liberties  of  the 
people,  in  the  absence  of  inflexible  purpose, 
and  the  habit  of  self  government.  The  only 
safeguard  for  the  encroachments  of  power 
was  in  the  disposition  and  capacity  of  the- 
citizen  to  resist  thom  at  the  thresliold.  When, 
the  public  ceases  to  be  a  severe  censor  of  the 
conduct  of  officials,  the  end  of  our  delicately 
adjusted  republic  will  not  he  remote.  His 
apprehensions  of  a  gradual  change,  and  a 
complete  undermining  of  the  nature  of  our 
institutions,  was  the  result  of  close  observa^ 


viii  WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 

tioii  for  mure  tlian  half  a  cciitiiiy,  of  the  The  social  qualities  of  Colonel  AYlieeler 
most  eventful  period  of  the  history  of  the  were  of  the  highest  order.  His  warm  heart, 
government,  actuated  hy  an  intense  solicitude  his  classic  wit,  and  mirth-creating  humor, 
for  the  safetj-  of  the  republic  of  the  fathers.  made  him  the  favorite  of  all  circles  in  which 
Colonel  Wiieeler  was  a  sincere  believer  in  intelligence,  refinement,  and  graceful  address 
the  salutary  influence  of  labor  directed  by  were  desired.  Living  in  tliat  age  of  the  re- 
method.  Ardent  labor,  regubited  liy  reason,  is  public  which  gave  the  noblest  development 
the  price  of  excellence.  He  that  would  win  of  individual  excellence,  he  had  ample  oppor- 
the  batter,  can  not  dispense  with  the  former.  tunity  of  mingling  in  its  most  delightful  as- 
Time  was  a  sacred  trust  that  no  one  could  sociations.  Bountifully  supplied  with  instruc- 
neglect  without  evil.  Thoroughly  realizing  five  and  interesting  anecdote,  his  conversation 
its  demands,  with  earnest  purpose  and  willing  nevei-  lost  its  interest  and  inspiration.  He 
hands  he  consecrated  all  to  the  noblest  drew  from  ancient  and  modern  literature  their 
ends  of  life.  Knowing  that  the  brightest  richest  gems,  and  with  consummate  taste  he 
genius,  and  the  most  brilliant  powers,  pleased  and  instructed  his  ever  attentive 
could  avail  but  little  if  this  trust  was  not  ex-  auditors.  The  fountains  of  Greek,  Roman, 
ecuted  with  sj-stem,  he  introduced  the  most  English  and  French  history  were  open  to  his 
convenient  order  int(^  all  his  labors,  so  that  he  never  flagging  memory.  It  was  in  the  richer 
could  call  up  the  gleanings  of  years  in  a  developments  of  American  life  that  he  en- 
moment,  joyed  the  greatest  pleasure.  Above  all  periods 
A  s^'stematic  and  laborious  scholar,  he  en-  of  human  history,  he  esteemed  the  characters 
riched  his  understanding  from  the  treasures  of  our  revolutionary  era.  It  bad  furnished 
of  man}- tongues.  The  English  furnished  him  the  grandest  expression  of  freed(jni  and  in- 
the  I'ichest  stores,  and  he  had  drunk  deeply  at  tegrity,  as  it  had  of  civil  and  political  institu- 
ber  purest  fountains.  Into  his  tenacious  and  tions.  With  pious  veneration  he  had  collected 
fruitful  memor3^  were  joined  the  wealth  of  and  preserved  every  heroic  act  and  noble 
the  })rose  an<l  poetry  of  that  A\'ouderful  people,  utterance,  unwilling  to  allow  the  corroding 
whose  intelligence,  i-noro  than  their  arms,  has  ringers  of  time  to  erase  from  coming  genera- 
filled  the  world.     He  was  familiar  with  all  the  tions  the  humblest  name. 

great  dramatists.     Tlie  great  poenis  of  Shakes-         Not  less  fortunate  in  his  political  associa- 

peare,  he  ccnild    repeat   with   a   power  i-arely  tions,  he  knew   personally  all   the  presidents 

equalled  \)y  the  first  actors  of  his  time.  and  cabinet  officers,  from  Jefferson  to  Arthur. 

His  friendships  were  ardent  and  sincere,  and  He  had  been  the  confidential  friend  of  Jack- 

his  devotit)!!  to  his  friends  knew  no  bounds;  son,   Fierce  and  Johnson,  and  was  by   them 

influence,   purse,    life    itself,  if  in    the  right,  called    to   counsel    and  advice.      He  did  not 

wore  at  their  service.     Attachments  so  strong  look  to   high  otfidal   station,    for   the   richest 

and  pure,  insured  a  loving  and  faithful   bus-  manifestation  of  intellectual  and  moral  worth, 

band,  an  indulgent  and  devoted  father,  and  a  He  had  too  often  seen  the  most  commanding 

kind  and  generous  neighbor.     In  all  the   rola-  positions  occupied    b^'   presuming  inferiority, 

tions  of  life  he  rilled  the  measure  of  a   noble  through  the  labors  and  merits  of  the  modest 

manhood;  tender  and  charitable  to  the  afflict-  and  deserving.     By  the  fruits  of  their  lives, 

ed,  cheerful  and  courteous  to  the  prosperous,  he  esteemed  the  actors  of  the  age  in   which 

he  ever  sought  to  mitigate  the  asperities  of  life,  they  lived  and  worked.     This  volume  of  re.ui-  ^ 

thoserude  blasts  that  visit  toooften  every  home,  iniscences  discloses  bis  estimation  of  characters  " 


JOHN  niLL  WHEELER. 


IX 


who  figured  in  the  moral  and  political  life  of 
the  state  and  nation,  far  better  than  any  sketch 
of  his  life.  It  also  presents  with  equal  force 
his  moral,  social  and  political  preferences  and 
appreciations. 

He  had  been  from  his  first  political  essay, 
trained  in  the  Democratic  party,  and  his  ac- 
tive affinities  drew  from  the  ranks  of  that 
party  his  warmest  associations.  His  demo- 
cracy^ was  founded  upon  the  lofty  plane  of 
integrity  and  worth.  There,  all  who  could 
come  were  equals,  and  entitled  to  the  rights 
and  honors  of  the  .state.  Xeither  accident  of 
birth  or  wealth  could  push  from  their  seats 
the  true,  the  industrious,  and  the  brave.  Hum- 
ble worth,  bending  beneath  the  weight  of  sur- 
rows  and  privations,  had  an  open  highway  to 
his  respect.  He  rejoiced  to  see  the  virtuous 
youth,  bursting  the  barriers  of  pride  and  cast, 
and  appealing  to  the  just  judgment  of  society 
for  the  recognition  of  its  worth.  For  misfor- 
tune he  hail  all  sympathy;  for  unostentatious 
merit,  reverence;  for  courage,  tbat  presses  for- 
ward in  the  achievement  of  great  and  useful 
measures,  admiration. 

Trained  from  childhood  to  industry  and 
action,  he  knew  the  value  of  useful  labor.  X(j 
speculative  theorist,  he  sought  substantial  re- 
sults through  methods  approved  of  by  experi- 
ence. With  reluctance  he  marked  any  departure 
from  the  way  selected  by  the  sages,  and  lined 
with  countless  blessings.  The  continuity  of  his- 
tory described  the  inarch  of  human  intelligence 
and  could  not  be  broken  with  any  assurance 
of  safety.  Nor  was  he  blindl3-  bound  to  an 
irrational  and  monotinous  past.  He  well 
knew  that  every  day  and  ever}-  hour  makes 
demands  upon  the  exercise  of  reason  and  in- 
vention, that  can  onlj'  be  appeased  by  advance- 
ment in  time  and  space.  A  witness  of  all  the 
greatest  discoveries  in  the  useful  arts,  he  well 
understood  their  influence  upon  the  refine- 
ment of  the  people.  Society  was  undergoing 
perpetual  change  in  all  its  varied  aspects.  The 


most  venerable  and  sacred  institutions,  in 
time,  give  place  to  new  ones,  better  adapted 
to  represent  its  advancement,  and  perpetuate 
its  usefulness. 

In  all  the  noble  actions  of  the  great  and 
good  of  the  republic,  he  had  an  inheritance  of 
imperishable  glory.  With  pious  care  he  has 
garnared  all,  and  has  labored  to  transmit 
them  to  posterity,  as  an  inspiration  to  emulate 
the  heroic  and  worthy  lives  of  au  illustrious 
ancestry.  The  conduct  of  the  great  and  good 
is  the  most  valuable  legacy  that  a  nation  can 
have.  The  memories  and  the  glorious  deeds 
of  the  eminent  personages  whom  North  Caro- 
lina has  contributed  to  humanit}',  have  been 
sacredly  collected  and  eloquently'  described  by 
this  faithful  lii.storian.  They  have  not  been 
left  to  perish  '•  unhonored  and  unsung."  The 
memory  of  the  busy,  patriotic  and  eloquent 
man,  who  has  rescued  from  oblivion,  so  many 
illustrious  names,  \\i\\  he  recalled  with  grate- 
ful thanks,  from  the  shores  on  which  break  the 
waves  of  the  Atlantic,  tu  tlie  peaks  of  the 
Unaka  mountains  that  mark  the  western  limits 
of  the  state.  Whenever  the  sons  or  daughters 
of  the  old  commonwealth  have  escheloned 
into  the  west,  his  labors  will  be  carried  and 
read.  They  will  be  to  all  a  reservoir  of  bril- 
liant names,  and  a  chronicle  of  illustrious 
deeds. 

This  worthy  and  learned  man  attained  a 
ripe  age,  in  the  full  enjoj'ment  of  his  intel- 
lectual powers,  tailoring  cheerfuUj'  to  the  end. 

Though  during  his  closing  years  he  sufl:'ered 
much,  his  genial  and  sunny  disposition  did 
not  desert  him.  He  continued  to  receive  his 
friends  with  that  generous  welcome,  which 
will  be  fondly  remembered  after  he  has  past 
the  "sunless  river's  flow." 

He  was  married  first  to  Mary,  only  daughter 
of  Rev.  Mr.  0.  B.  Brown,  of  Washington  City, 
one  of  the  most  accomplished  and  literary 
ladies  of  her  day,  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter,    married    to    George    N.    Beale,   a 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCEXCES. 


ln'otlier  of  General  E.  F.  Beale,  late  United 
States  Envoy  to  Austria,  and,  second,  to  Ellen, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Sulh-,  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  artists  of  Philadelphia,  l)j'  whom 
he  had  two  sons,  Charles  Sully  and  Woodbury, 
a  successful  lawyer  in  Washington  City. 

On  Thursday,  December  7th,  1882,  at  12:30 
o'clock,  a.  m.,  the  kmg  sutferings  of  Colonel 
Wheeler  were  ended;  and  at  2  p.  m.,  on  Sun- 
day the  10th,  he  was  buried  in  Oak  Hill  Ceme- 
tery, Georgetown,  D.  C. 

Eminent  citizens  of  North  Carolina  then  in 
Washington,  met  in  the  National  Capitol,  and 
adopted  the  following  resolutions: 

"Besolved,  That  we,  North  Carolinians,  pre- 
sent in  Washington,  have  assembled  to  pay  a 
tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  our  de- 
parted friend,  Mr.  John  H.  Wheeler,  whose 
private  worth  and  public  services  have  en- 
deared him  to  our  whole  people. 

"Resolred,  That  by  his  life-work,  though  to 
him  a  labor  of  love,  as  the  historian  of  the 
state,  and  the  collection  of  vast  stores  of  his- 
torical material,  he  imposed  a  debt  of  grati- 
tude upton  every  North  Carolinian,  and  upon 
the  republic  of  letters,  which  will  be  remem- 
bered for  generations." 


Eulogiuras,  attesting  the  high  place  the  de- 
ceased had  won  in  the  hearts  of  bis  people, 
were  pronounced  by  the  Hons.  Z.  B.  Vance, 
Samuel  F.  Phillips,  Jesse  J.  Yeates,  A.  M. 
Scales,  M.  W.  Ransom,  and  T.  L.  Clingman. 

The  following  letter  of  condolence  was  ad- 
dressed to  Major  Woodbury  Wheeler,  son  of 
the  deceased: 

"  Senate  Chamber. 
".Major  Woodbury  Wheeler. 

"Dear  Sir:  We  have  this  moment  heard 
with  deep  pain,  of  the  death  of  your  father. 
His  death  attects  us  with  great  soriovv;  his 
loss  will  be  mourned  hy  all  the  people  of  the 
State,  which  he  loved  and  served  so  well. 
Truly  a  good  and  great  man  has  left  us. 

"We  beg  leave  to  exp>ress  to  j'ou  and  his 
family  our  sincerest  sympathy.  In  j-our  sad 
bereavement  you  have  the  consolation  arising 
from  the  memory  of  his  illustrious  life  marked 
by  conspicuous  virtues. 

"Yours  sincerely, 

"Z.  B.  Vance.  M.  W.  Ransom. 

"L.  C.  Latham.  A.  M.  Scales. 

"Rob't  V.  Vance.  R.  F.  Armfield. 

"W.R.  Cox.  C.  DowD." 


ERRATA. 

Page  XII,  1st  column,  nth  line,  read  frontier,  not  fronting, 
lb.  lb.,  13th  line,  read  Lords,  not  Lord. 

lb.,      2d  column,  6th  line,  read  east,  7iot  west. 

lb.  lb.,  9th  line,  read  feeble,  7iot  public. 

Page  XV,  ist  column,  15th  line,  read  writer's,  jzo;' writers. 
Page  XVI,  1st  column,  38th  line,  place  comma  after  aggregate. 
Page  XVII,  ist  column,  24th  line,  read  antedates,  not  antidates. 

lb.  lb.,         33d  line,  read  churchman,  «(?/ church  man. 

Page  XVIII,  ist  column,  last  line,    omit  "  &c." 
Page  XX,  1st  column,  35th  line,  read  the,  not  he. 

lb.  lb.,  36th  line,  read  what,  not  which. 

P.^ge  XXI,     lb.,  9th  line,  read  experts,  7iot  exparts. 

lb.  lb.,  i2th  line,  read  Sounds,  7iot  sound. 

Page  XXII,  lb.,  36th  and  37th  lines,  omit  the  interpolated  sentence  in  brackets. 

Page  XXIII, lb.,  39th  line,  read  of,  not  ef. 

Page  XXV,    lb.,  21st  line,  read  by,  w^?/ viz. 

lb.,        2d  column,  last  line,  omit  comma  after  local. 
Page  XXVI,    lb.,  read  Tryon,  mc/ Tyron. 

Page  XXVII,  ist  column,  4th  line,  read  for,  not  to. 

lb.,  2d  column,  4th  and  5th  lines,  read  in  favor  of  the  church,  not  to. 

Page  XXVIII,  ist  column,  2d  paragraph  should  have  quotation  marks  to  it. 
Page  XXIX,  1st  column,  31st  line,  read  imparted,  not  imported. 

lb.  lb.,  32d  line,  omit  comma  after  "  tone." 

Page  XXXI,  2d  column,  last  line  should  follow  third  line  of  next  column. 

lb.  lb.,  2 ist  line,  place  "  Academy  "  in  brackets. 

Page  XXXII,  lb.,  22d  line,  read  extract,  not  extracts. 

lb.  lb.,  29th  and  37th  lines,  read  disbarring,  w/ debarring. 

lb.  lb.,  31st  line,  read  it  was  ordered. 

Page  XXXIII,  1st  column,  36th  line,  read  detinue,  «(?/ detinee. 
Page  XXXIV,  ist  column,  2?d  line,  read  instigation,  not  investigation. 
Page  XXXVI,  2d  column,  i6th  line,  place  a  period  after  "  complaint,"  and  next  word  begins   with  a 

capital  letter. 
The  chapters  from  XXII. ,  have  been  erroneously  advanced  10  in  number. 
Page  115,  2d  column,  17th  line  from  bottom,  the  name  "  Mooring  "  should  be  Moreing. 
Page  192,  2d  column,  3d  line,  read  Lizzie,  «o/John  iM. 

lb.         lb.,  4th  line,  read  Corvina,  not  Louisa. 

lb.         lb.,  between  lines  8  and  9  insert  John  L. 

Page  196,  1st  column,  32d  line,  read  researches,  not  results. 
Page  201,  ist  column,  17th  line,  read  Humphrey,  not  Hampton. 
Page  202,  ist  column,  ist  line,  read  1781,  not  1871. 
Page  204,  ist  column,  38th  line,  read  "  Colonel  Lillington." 
Page  216,  1st  column,  17th  line,  read  Amis,  not  Ams. 

lb.         lb.,  22d  line,  read  to,  wti/ at. 

lb.      2d  column,  32d  line,  "  but  had  no." 
Page  217,  ist  column,  i6th  line,  omit  much  of. 

lb.,      2d  column,  14th  line,  omit  early  in  and. 
Page  220,  ist  column,  17th  line,  read  the,  not  he. 
Page  221,  2d  column,  22d  line,  read  Catling,  7iot  Gatlin. 
Page  226,  ist  column,  3d  line,  read  member. 

lb.         lb.,  4th  line,  read  "States" 

Page  229,  1st  column,  14th  line  from  bottom,  "  McPelah  "  should  be  Machpelah. 
Page  230,  2d  column,  6th  line,  read  "  Carolina." 
Page  232,  2d  column,  24th  line,  read  incessant,  not  incessent. 
Page  238,  1st  column,  7th  line,  read  Pierre,  «(?/ Pierce. 
Page  240,  1st  column,  4th  line,  insert  on  before  one. 
Page  252,  2d  column,  23d  line,  read  Cjesar,  not  Casar. 
Page  253,  ist  column,  12th  line,  read  1776,  not  1767. 
Page  255,  1st  column,  loth  line,  read  Lieut.  George,  not  Colonel  Lock. 
Page  228,  1st  column,  32d  line,  same  error. 

Page  255-,  ist  column,  nth  line,  read  Joseph,  wt;/  George  Graham. 
Page  287,  2d  column,  30th  line,  read  those  that,  not  these  that. 
Page  288,  1st  column,  23d  line,  read  correct,  not  court. 
Page  289,  1st  column,  9th  line,  read  have,  not  here. 

Page  297 — 301,  inclusive — the  running  head  "  Mecklenburg  county"  should  be  Moore  and  New  Han- 
over counties. 
Page  300,  2d  column,  to  the  end  of  18th  line  add  servient  conrt. 
Page  301,  ist  column,  2d  line,  read  Gen.  not  Gov. 


In  thk  Colonial  Pkriod. 


BY  DANIEL  R,  GOODLOE, 


An  article  by  John  Fisk,  which  appeared  in 
the  February  (1883)  number  of  Harper  s  Illaga- 
zhtc,  entitled  "Maryland  and  the  far  South  in 
the  Colonial  period,"  contains  statements  in 
regard  to  North  Carolina  which  have  given 
grave  offense  to  every  citizen  and  native  of  the 
State.  The  writer  assumes  to  portray  the  con- 
dition of  the  people  and  the  character  of  their 
institutions,  civilization  and  government,  during 
the  whole  period  of  their  colonial  existence, 
while  he  has  presented  only  an  exaggerated  and 
distorted  picture  of  disorders  which  prevailed 
among  the  first  handful  of  settlers  on  the  North- 
eastern border,  before  there  was  a  defined 
boundary,  and  when  that  portion  of  the  terri- 
tory, or  a  considerable  part  of  it  was  claimed 
by  Virginia. 

The  writer  may,  also,  have  had  in  view  the 
resistance  made  by  the  people  called  Regula- 
tors, in  the  middle  and  upper  counties,  at  a  later 
period,  to  the  robbery  and  extortion  of  the 
county  officers.  But  the  more  charitable  sup- 
position is,  that  he  has  never  read  a  history  of 
the  Province. 

The  original  grant  made  by  Charles  II.  to  the 
Lords  Proprietors,  bears  date  March  20,   1663. 


This  instrument  conveyed  to  the  noblemen  and 
gentlemen,  named  all  the  territory  lying  between 
the  parallels  of  thirty-one  and  thirty-six  degrees 
of  North  latitude,  and  extending  from  the  At- 
lantic Ocean  westward  to  the  South  Sea.  Wm. 
Byrd,  Esq.,  the  intelligent  Virginia  gentleman, 
who  was  one  of  the  commissioners  employed  to 
run  theboundary  line  between  the  two  provinces, 
states,  in  his  "  Westover  papers, "  that  "  Sir 
William  Berkeley,  who  was  one  of  the  grantees, 
and  at  that  time  Governor  of  Virginia,  finding 
a  territory  of  thirty-one  miles  in  breadth  be- 
tween the  inhabited  part  of  Virginia  and  the 
above  mentioned  boundary  of  Carolina,  (thirty- 
six  degrees)  advised  Lord  Clarendon  of  it,  and 
his  Lordship  had  influence  enough  with  the 
King  to  obtain  a  second  patent  to  include  this 
territory,  dated  June  30,  1665." 

It  appears  from  this  statement  of  Mr.  Byrd, 
that  North  Carolina  owes  this  addition  of  half 
a  degree  to  the  width  of  her  territory,  to  the 
treachery  of  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  to  his 
trust.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  Governor  to  se- 
cure, if  practicable,  the  unclaimed  territory  for 
Virginia,  but  it  was  in  the  interest  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam Berkeley  to  have  it  added  to  the  Carolina 


xu 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


Colony.  However,  the  people  of  North  Caro- 
lina have  no  reason  to  complain  of  Sir  William 
on  this  account. 

In  reference  to  this  acquisition  Dr.  Hawks, 
the  historian  of  North  Carolina,  remarks  :  '  'But 
though  this  second  charter  defined  the  line  that 
was  to  divide  Virginia  and  Carolina,  and  stated 
on  what  part  of  the  globe  it  was  to  be  drawn, 
viz :  36°  30'  North  latitude  ;  yet  astronomical 
observations  had  not  fixed  its  precise  locality, 
and  consequently  the  people  on  the  fronting  of 
both  provinces  entered  land  and  took  out  patents 
by  guess,  either  from  the  King,  or  the  Lord- Pro- 
prietors. The  grants  of  the  latter,  however, 
were  more  desirable,  because,  both  as  to  terms  of 
entry,  and  yearly  taxes,  they  were  less  burden- 
some than  the  price  and  levies  imposed  by 
the  laws  of  Virginia,  This  statement  will  ex- 
plain the  fact  that  some  of  the  earliest  grants  of 
land,  now  confessedly  in  Carolina,  but  lying 
near  the  border  are  signed  by  Sir  William 
Berkeley." 

This  new  boundary  line  of  36°  30'  remained 
undefined  for  two-thirds  of  a  century — that  is  to 
say,  until  the  year  1728;  and  in  all  that  period 
there  was  a  margin  of  territory  several  miles  in 
width,  in  which  no  one  knew,  definitely,  whether 
the  inhabitants  owed  allegiance  to  Carolina  or 
Virginia.  The  disputed  territory  lay  within  and 
on  the  southern  border  of  the  Dismal  Swamp. 
Practically,  for  nearly  fifty  years,  the  territory 
west  of  the  Swamp  was  not  in  dispute,  as  the 
settlements  on  the  Carolina  side  lay  to  the  east 
of  the  Chowan  River.  To  the  west  of  that 
great  stream  the  Indians  still  held  sway.  It  was 
not  until  after  the  Massacre'  in  171 1,  when  one 
hundred  and  thirty  persons  were  murdered  in 
their  homes  in  one  day,  that  these  savages  were 
made  to  give  place  to  the  advancing  tide  of  civ- 
ilization. The  largest  of  the  tribes,  and  the 
most  war-like,  the  Tuscaroras,  after  that  event, 
were  required  to  vacate  their  territory,  when 
they  emigrated  North  and  rejoined  the  Iroquois 
or  Five    Nations,    from    whom  they  were  de- 


scended.    The  smaller  and  less  criminal  tribes 
were  permitted  to  remain  on  reservations. 

During  the  first  sixty  years  of  the  colonial 
history,  the  population  was  chiefly  confined  to 
the  territory  north  of  Albemarle  Sound, 
west  of  the  Chowan  River.  The  settle- 
ments between  the  two  sounds,  Albemarle  and 
Pamlico,  and  that  about  New  Berne,  were  still 
public,  but  were  represented  in  the  Albemarle 
Assembly.  This  body  was  composed  of  twenty- 
seven  members,  of  whom  the  four  counties 
north  of  the  sound  sent  five,  each.  The  three 
counties  south  of  Albemarle  had  two  members 
each,  and  New  Berne  town  one.  There  was 
little  intercourse  with  the  Cape  Fear  Colony, 
which  had  a  separate  Assembly  of  its  own,  as 
well  as  a  Governor.  It  was  a  short-lived  enter- 
prise. The  colonists  came  from  Barbadoes,  in 
1665,  under  the  leadership  of  a  gentleman 
named  Yeaman.  He  was  succeeded  by  a  Mr. 
West,  as  Governor,  who  was  also  made  Gover- 
nor of  the  Charleston  settlement,  a  few  years 
later,  and  persuaded  the  Cape  Fear  people  to 
follow  him.  During  the  year  1690,  the  last  of 
these  Cape  Fear  settlers  abandoned  their  homes 
and  went  to  Charleston.  The  writer,  whose 
statements  are  complained  of,  assumes  that 
these  Barbadian  colonists  became  a  permanent 
part  of  the  population  of  North  Carolina. 

In  1729  seven  of  the  eight  Lords  Proprietors 
surrendered  their  rights  in  and  authority  over 
the  colony,  to  the  crown,  for  a  valuable  consid- 
eration, of  course  ;  Earl  Granville  retained  his 
claim  of  right  to  the  soil,  and  a  large  strip  of 
country  (about  half  the  State)  on  the  northern 
border  was  set  off  to  him  as  his  private  property, 
while  he  surrendered  his  right  to  share  in  the 
Government  of  the  people. 

Francis  Xavier  Martin,  one  of  the  most  judi- 
cious historians  of  the  Province,  estimated  the 
white  population  at  the  date  of  this  transfer  of 
authority  from  the  Lords  Proprietors  to  the 
Crown  (1729)  at  about  13,000.  He  gives  no 
opinion  as  to  the  number   of  the   blacks;  but 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


xm 


there  is  reason  to  believe  that  they  were  fewer 
in  proportion  to  the  whites  than  were  to  be 
found  in  either  Virginia  or  South  Carohna. 

A  reference  to  the  map  will  show  the  reader 
that  the  original  boundary  of  36°  passes  up  the 
Albemarle  Sound;  and  the  acquisition  made  by 
the  new  patent  of  1665  embraces,  therefore,  the 
whole  territory  north  of  the  Sound.  In  other 
words,  it  embraced  three-fourths  of  the  popula- 
tion of  North  Carolina  in  1729.  This  date  of 
the  purchase  by  the  Crown  from  the  Proprietors 
is,  also,  coeval  with  the  separation  of  North 
from  South  Carolina,  and  the  incorporation  of 
the  whole  territory  of  the  former  under  one  Gov- 
ernor and  Assembly. 

Besides  the  small  scattered  settlements  south 
of  Albemarle  Sound,  the  relative  importance  of 
which  is  indicated  by  their  proportion  of  repre- 
sentation in  the  Assembly,  as  above  stated,  the 
population  had  begun  to  spread  out  beyond, 
that  is  to  say,  west  of  the  Chowan  River ;  and 
in  the  year  1722,  the  County  or  Precinct  of  Ber- 
tie was  organized  ;  but  up  to  that  date,  if  not 
later,  the  people  on  that  side  of  the  river  voted 
as  of  Chowan  Precinct. 

The  immigration  of  Swiss  and  Palatines  under 
Baron  De  Graffenreidt  and  Mr.  Mitchell  came  to 
North  Carolina  in  the  years  1709-10.  No  defi- 
nite statements  as  to  their  numbers,  have  come 
down  to  us,  but  it  is  believed  that  the  two  classes 
of  immigrants  combined,  did  not  exceed  two 
thousand.  Some  loose  guesses  make  them 
larger.  They  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
Berne,  which  town  received  its  name  from  the 
Swiss.  Some  of  these  foreigners  were  murdered 
by  the  Indians  the  next  year,  after  their  arrival, 
when  the  great  Massacre  of  the  whites  occurred. 
De  Graffenreidt  narrowly  escaped  being  burned 
at  the  stake  by  the  Indians,  in  company  with 
Lawson,  the  Surveyor  General,  who  had  invaded 
their  territory  with  his  compass  and  chain.  It 
is  probable  that  the  massacre  was  the  main  hin- 
drance to  further  immigration  from  Switzerland 
and  the  Palatinate  ;    but    De  Graffenreidt  failed 


to  give  them  titles  to  the  lands  he  sold  them, 
which  must  have  greatly  added  to  their  dis- 
couragements. 

The  foregoing  preliminary  statement  as  to  the 
nature  and  extent  of  the  ground  occupied  by 
the  early  settlers  of  the  Province  has  been 
thought  necessary  to  a  thorough  understanding 
of  the  character  of  the  aspersions  of  the  writer 
referred  to,  and  of  the  answers  that  will  be 
made  to  them.  But  in  the  first  place  it  will  be 
proper  to  present  them  in  the  language  of  their 
author.  They  form  a  compact  mass  of  misrep- 
resentation. I  understand  the  writer  to  be  a 
Massachusetts  man.  "Prof  John  Fisk"  of 
Harvard.      He  says  : 

"At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  the  popula- 
tion of  North  Carolina  numbered  about  200,000, 
of  which  somewhat  more  than  one-fourth  were 
negro  slaves.  The  white  population  was  mainly 
English,  but  the  foreign  element  was  larger  than 
in  the  case  of  any  other  of  the  colonies  which 
we  have  thus  far  considered.  There  were  Hu- 
guenots from  France,  German  Protestant  from 
the  Palatinate,  Moravians,  Swiss,  and  Scotch, 
and  what  we  have  to  note  especially  is  that  this 
foreign  population  was,  in  the  main,  far  more 
respectable  and  orderly  than  the  English  major- 
ity. The  English  settlers  came  mostly  from 
Virginia,  though  in  the  south-eastern  corner  of 
the  colony  there  was  a  considerrble  settlement 
of  Englishmen  from  Barbadoes. 

"Now,  the  English  settlers  who  thus  came 
southward  from  Virginia  were  very  different  in 
character  from  the  sober  Puritans,  who  went 
northward  into  Maryland.  North  Carolina  was 
to  Virginia  something  like  Rhode  Island  was  to 
Massachusetts — a  receptacle  for  all  the  factious 
and  turbulent  elements  of  Society  ;  but  in  this 
case  the  general  character  of  the  emigration  was 
iiwneasiireably  lower.  The  shiftless  people  who 
could  not  make  a  place  for  themselves  in  Vir- 
ginia society,  including  many  of  the  "poor 
whites, "  flocked  in  large  numbers  into  North 
Carolina,     They  were,  in  the  main,  very  lawless 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


in  temper,  holding  it  to  be  the  chief  end  of  man 
to  resist  all  constituted  authority,  and  above  all 
things  to  pay  no  taxes.  The  history  of  North 
Carolina  was  accordingly  much  more  riotous 
and  disorderly  than  the  history  of  any  of  the 
other  colonies.  "There  were  neither  laws  nor 
lawyers,"  says  Bancroft,  with  slight  exaggera- 
tion. The  courts,  such  as  they  were,  sat  often 
in  taverns,  where  the  Judge  might  sharpen  his 
wits  with  bad  whiskey,  ivhilc  their  decisions  iverc 
not  recorded,  but  were  simply  shouted  by  the 
crier  from  the  inn  door,  or  at  the  nearest  market 
place. 

'  'There  were  a  few  amateur  surgeons  and  apoth- 
ecaries to  be  found  in  the  villages,  but  no  regu- 
lar physicians.  Nor  does  the  soul  appear  to  be 
better  cared  for  than  the  body,  for  it  was  not 
until  1703  that  the  first  clergyman  was  settled 
in  the  colony.  The  Church  of  England  was  es- 
tablished by  Government,  without  the  approval 
of  the  people,  who  were  opposed  on  principle 
to  church  rates,  as  to  all  kinds  of  taxes  whatso- 
ever. Owing  to  this  dislike  of  taxation,  most 
of  the  people  were  Dissenters,  but  no  Dissent- 
ing Churches  flourished  in  the  colony.  There 
was  complete  toleration  even  for  Quakers,  be- 
cause nobody  cared  a  groat  for  theology,  or  for 
religion.  The  few  ministers  who  contrived  to 
support  life  in  North  Carolina,  were  listened  to 
in  a  mood  like  that  in  which  Mrs.  Pardigle's 
discourses  were  received  by  the  brickmakers, 
while  the  audience  freely  smoked  their  pipes 
within  the  walls  of  the  sanctuary  during  divine 
service. 

"Agriculture  was  conducted  more  wastefuUy 
and  with  less  intelligence  than  in  any  of  the 
other  colonies.  In  the  northern  counties  to- 
bacco was  almost  exclusively  cultivated,  but  it 
was  of  very  inferior  quality,  compared  with  the 
tobacco  of  Virginia. 

"  All  business  or  traffic  about  the  coast  was 
carried  on  under  perilous  conditions:  for  pirates 
were  always  hovering  about,  secure  in  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  people,  like  the  brigands  of  southern 


Italy  in  recent  times.  It  was  partly  due  to  this, 
no  doubt,  as  well  as  partly  to  the  want  of  good 
harborage,  that  a  very  large  part  of  the  com- 
merce of  North  Carolina  was  diverted  north- 
ward to  Norfolk,  or  southward  to  Charleston. 

'  'The  treatment  of  the  slaves  is  said  to  have  been 
usually  mild,  as  in  Virginia,  but  their  lives  were 
practically,  at  the  mercy  of  their  masters.  The 
white  servants  fared  better,  and  the  general  state 
of  society  was  so  low  that  when  their  time  of  ser- 
vice was  ended,  they  had  here  a  good  chance  of 
rising  to  a  position  of  equality  with  their 
masters. 

"The  country  swarmed  with  ruffians  of  all 
sorts,  who  fled  thither  from  South  Carolina  and 
Virginia.  Life  and  property  were  very  insecure, 
and  lynch  law  was  not  infrequently  administered. 
The  small  planters  led,  for  the  most  part,  a  lazy 
life,  drinking  hard,  and  amusing  themselves 
with  scrimmages,  in  which  noses  were  broken 
with  blows  of  the  fist,  and  eyes  gouged  out  by 
a  dexterous  use  of  the  long  thumb  nails.  The 
only  other  social  amusement  seems  to  have  been 
gambling.  But,  except  at  elections  and  other 
meetings  for  political  purposes,  people  saw 
very  little  of  each  other. 

"There  were  no  roads  worthy  of  the  name, 
and  every  family  was  almost  entirely  isolated 
from  its  neighbors.  Until  fist  before  the  war  for 
Independence,  there  zvas  not  a  single  school,  good  or 
bad,  in  the  whole  colony.  It  need  not  be  added  that 
the  people  were  densely  ignorant. 

"The  colony  was  a  century  old  before  it  could 
boast  of  a  printing  press;  and  if  no  newspapers 
were  published,  it  was  doubtless  for  the  suffi- 
cient reason  that  there  were  very  few  who  would 
have  been  able  to  read  them.  A  mail  from 
Virginia  came  some  eight  or  ten  t'mes  in  a  year, 
but  it  only  reached  a  few  towns  on  the  coast, 
and  down  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution  the  in- 
terior of  the  country  had  no  mails  at  all.  Under 
such  circumstances  it  is  not  strange  that  North 
Carolina  was  in  a  great  measure  cut  off  from  the 
currents  of  thought   and  feeling  by  which  the 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


XV 


other  colonies  were  swayed  in  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

"In  the  Warfor  Independence,  North  Carolina 
produced  no  great  leaders.  She  was  not  repre- 
sented at  the  Stamp  Act  Congress  of  1765,  and 
she  was  the  last  of  the  States,  except  Rhode  Is- 
land, to  adopt  the  Federal  Constitution." 

The  reader  cannot  have  failed  to  note  in  these 
statements,  supposing  the  writer  to  be  well  in- 
formed, a  spirit  in  sympathy  with  the  arbitrary 
rule  of  the  Lords  Proprietors  and  the  Crown  of 
England,  and  with  their  persistent  efforts  to 
compel  an  unwilling  people  to  pay  taxes  for  the 
support  of  the  Church  of  which  they  were  not 
members.  The  whole  tenor  of  the  writers  criti- 
cism would  justify  this  inference  ;  and  that  his 
sympathies  are  also  with  the  corrupt  county 
officials  whose  illegal  exactions  provoked  and 
justified  the  efforts  of  the  Regulators  to  resist 
them.  But  it  is  charitable  to  assume  that  he 
has  only  a  vague  idea  of  these  events,  derived 
from  second-hand  sources.  For  he  could  not 
read  the  history  of  the  Province,  without  being 
convinced  that  the  causes  and  grounds  of  resist- 
ance to  the  constituted  authorities  were,  in  the 
first  instance,  the  efforts  of  the  Lords  Proprietors 
to  impose  the  absurd  "Fundamental  Constitu- 
tions" of  Locke,  upon  the  people,  followed  by 
the  persistent,  and  never  quite  successful  at- 
tempt to  establish  the  Church,  with  a  system  of 
Church  rates.  Mr.  Bancroft  has  brought  out 
these  facts  with  more  distinctness  than  the  his- 
torians of  the  State  ;  and  even  Dr.  Hawks  has 
only  paraphrased  the  lucid  statement  of  the  great 
historian. 

The  second  great  source  of  disturbance,  the 
robbery  of  the  people  in  the  name  of  law,  by 
the  county  officers,  at  a  later  period,  is  equally 
well  attested,  and  no  one  acquainted  with  the 
history  of  those  times,  will  venture  to  vindicate 
or  palliate  their  conduct.  These  events  will  re- 
ceive further  notice  in  their  order,  as  well  as 
other  arbitrary  and  unjust  measures  of  the 
British  rulers  of  the  Province. 


Another  thing  observable  in  this  pretentious 
criticism  is  a  proneness  to  jump  to  general  con- 
clusions from  single  instances.  The  writer  has 
seen  th-^  statement  that  at  an  out-of-doors  relig- 
ious meeting,  in  the  Albemarle  region,  in  one 
of  the  first  years  of  the  last  century,  some  rough 
fellow  smoked  his  pipe  while  the  services  were 
going  on;  and  this  fact  is  sufficient  to  warrant 
the  statement  that  such  was  the  universal  cus- 
tom throughout  the  colonial  period,  in  all  parts 
of  the  Province.  He  has  read  that  a  noted  pi- 
rate infested  the  Sounds  before  there  was  so 
much  as  a  village  upon  their  borders,  and  that 
the  pirate  obtained  supplies  of  provisions  from 
the  first  squatters  on  the  coast  whom  he  would 
have  exterminated  if  they  had  refused  compli- 
ance with  his  demands ;  and,  without  mention- 
ing that  the  pirate  was  at  length  captured  and 
put  to  death,  the  swift  conclusion  is  drawn,  that 
piracy  was  the  order  of  the  day,  all  along  the 
coast,  with  the  connivance  of  the  people,  for 
the  century  and  more  of  colonial  vassalage;  and 
that  the  effect  was  to  render  legitimate  com- 
merce a  hazardous  and  dangerous  occupation, 
lo  this  cause  the  writer  would  have  the  world 
believe  is  due  the  alleged  fact  that  the  people  of 
the  colony  carried  their  produce  to  Norfolk 
through  the  Dismal  Swamp  ;  although  there 
was  neither  road  nor  canal.  Or  else  to  Charles- 
ton through  a  wilderness  two  to  three  hundred 
miles  in  width,  without  roads  or  navigable  wa- 
ters ;  whereas,  at  the  period  when  the  pirates 
infested  the  coast,  the  commerce  of  the  colony 
was  chiefly  in  the  hands  of  New  Englanders, 
who  came  with  their  vessels  through  the 
Sounds. 

A  traveler  has  at  some  time  witnessed  a  fight, 
somewhere  in  the  Province,  accompanied  by  the 
brutal  practice  of  "gouging,"  in  which  the 
lower  class  of  whites  sometimes  engage,  and 
this  is  sufficient  to  justify  the  critic  in  the  sweep- 
ing statement  that  "  scrimmages  "  of  this  sort 
constituted  the  favorite  amusement  of  the  small 
planters — "their  only  other  entertainments  be- 


XVI 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


ing  drinking  and  gambling."  It  would  be  as 
fair  to  charge  the  whole  body  of  respectable 
people  in  a  Northern  city,  at  the  present  day, 
with  participation  in  all  the  vice  and  crime  which 
are  daily  and  nightly  enacted  in  the  dens  of  in- 
famy that  are  to  be  found  in  every  street. 

These  are  only  specimens  of  the  illogical  in- 
ferences of  this  writer,  with  whom  the  rule 
seems  to  be,  that  every  isolated  fact  warrants  a 
generalization. 

In  view  of  reiterated  charges  against  the  peo- 
ple of  lawlessness,  idleness,  "shiftlessness, " 
and  general  inability  to  make  their  way  in  the 
world,  it  is  worth  while  to  notice  the  first  state- 
ment quoted  from  the  writer,  to  the  effect  that  at 
the  period  of  the  Revolution,  North  Carolina 
contained  about  200,000  inhabitants  ;  and  if  this 
statement  were  true,  it  would  afford  evidence  of 
an  extraordinarily  rapid  increase  of  population 
during  the  next  fourteen  years,  and  especially 
so,  as  seven  of  those  years  were  spent  in  civil 
and  foreign  wars,  accompanied  by  the  expatria- 
tion of  thousands  of  the  conquered,  and  the 
escape  of  not  a  few  of  the  servile  class.  The 
census  of  1790,  which  was  taken  just  fourteen 
years  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  or 
fifteen  years  after  the  commencement  of  hostili- 
ties, showed  the  population  of  the  State  to  be 
393,000,  or  nearly  lOO  per  cent,  more  than  the 
supposed  number  of  200,000.  In  consideration 
of  the  destructive  war  through  which  the  people 
had  passed  during  those  eventful  years,  we  are 
bound  to  conclude  that  the  population  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war  was  nearer  three  hundred 
than  two  hundred  thousand.  In  1729,  it  will 
be  remembered,  the  total  white  population  was 
estimated  to  be  only  13,000;  and  if  we  add  7,000 
for  the  black,  the  aggregate  forty-six  years  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War, 
would  be  but  20,000.  Here,  then,  is  evidence 
of  an  extraordinary  increase  of  these  "idle," 
"shiftless,"  "outlaws"  and  "  renegades  "  from 
Virginia. 

We  are  told  that  "the  foreign  population  was 


in  the  main  far  more  respectable  and  orderly 
than  the  English  majority."  By  the  foreign 
population,  the  writer  means  those  of  non- 
English  origin.  There  can  be  no  question  about 
the  moral  worth  and  respectability  of  the  Mora- 
vians and  German  Lutherans,  of  the  Swiss  and 
Palatine.  They  all  made  orderly,  good  citizens, 
but  they  were  not  more  conspicuous  for  these 
virtues  than  were  the  Quakers,  who,'  in  early 
times,  exercised  a  controlling  influence  in  the 
Albemarle  settlement.  Nor  were  the  "for- 
eigners" more  distinguished  for  sobriety  and 
love  of  learning  than  the  Presbyterians  who 
came  to  the  Colony  from  Pennsylvania  and  Vir- 
ginia, or  directly  from  Scotland  and  England. 
Neither  is  it  true  that  any  of  these  classes  were 
more  respectable  than  the  native  Virginians  and 
other  Americans,  mostly  of  English  ancestry, 
who  came  in  from  time  to  time,  during  the 
whole  colonial  period,  and  constituted  a  large 
majority  of  the  population  of  the  Province  ;  and 
it  is  a  baseless  calumny  to  say  otherwise.  They 
constituted  a  majority,  and  a  controlling  major- 
ity of  the  people.  They  were  part  and  parcel 
of  the  best  element  in  Virginia  society — em- 
bracing not  many  of  the  oldest,  or  more  aristo- 
cratic families,  but  the  solid,  respectable,  and 
well-to-do  classes  of  planters  and  farmers — the 
classes  that  produced  such  men  as  Jefferson, 
Patrick  Henry,  Henry  Clay,  and  others  who 
became  eminent  for  talents  and  virtue ;  and  they 
imparted  these  characteristics  to  their  children. 
Many  of  the  poorer  classes  came  with  these 
planters  and  farmers.  Some  were,  no  doubt, 
vicious  characters,  who  added  nothing  to  the 
strength  and  respectability  of  the  Province. 
But  what  country  under  the  sun  is  free  from 
such  a  class  ? 

"North  Carohna"  we  are  again  told,  "was 
to  Virginia  something  like  Rhode  Island  was  to 
Massachusetts — a  receptacle  for  all  the  factious 
and  turbulent  elements  of  society. "  There  was, 
it  must  be  owned,  a  resemblance  in  the  two  sit- 
uations.    Massachusetts  expelled  Roger   Wil- 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


Hams  and  his  Baptist  followers,  with  Quakers 
and  Presbyterians,  as  heretics ;  and  most  good 
people  of  the  present  day  are  apt  to  believe  that 
when  the  exiles  shook  the  dust  from  their  feet, 
they  left  not  their  equals  in  moral  worth  behind 
them.  And  it  was  in  like  manner  that  Virginia 
intolerance  drove  many  of  her  best  inhabitants 
into  the  wilderness  of  Carolina,  as  will  now  be 
shown. 

Durant's  Neck  in  Perquimans  county,  was 
the  first  permanent  settlement  made  in  the  Prov- 
ince, and  it  was  made  by  Quakers  who  fled  from 
Virginia  and  Massachusetts  persecution.  "The 
oldest  land  title  that  we  know  of  in  North  Caro- 
lina,"  says  Dr.  Hawks,  "and  that  which  we 
think  was  actually  the  first,  is  still  on  record. 
It  is  the  grant  made  by  Cistacanoe,  king  of  the 
Yeopim  Indians,  in  1662,  to  Durant,  for  a 
neck  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  Little  and  Per- 
quimans rivers,  which  still  bears  the  name  of  the 
grantee.  In  1633,  Berkeley  confirmed  this 
grant  by  a  patent  under  his  own  signature." 

This  patent  by  the  Indian  Chief  to  the  Qua- 
ker, antidates  the  first  patent  given  by  the  king 
to  the  Lords  Proprietors.  It  became  the  nu- 
cleus of  a  large  Quaker  settlement,  which  re- 
mains to  the  present  day.  It  is  said  that  a  com- 
pany was  formed  some  years  previous  to  this 
purchase  by  Durant,  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
up  lands  and  making  settlements  in  the  un- 
claimed territory ;  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
plan  may,  to  some  extent,  have  been  carried 
into  effect — or  this  purchase  by  the  Quakers 
may  have  been  a  part  of  it.  The  cautious  terms 
in  which  the  Quakers  gave  in  their  adhesion  to 
the  "Fundamental  Constitutions, "  show  that 
they  were  neither  illiterate  nor  reckless  vaga- 
bonds. Their  signature  and  assent  are  qualified 
as  follows : 

"  Francis  Tomes,  Christopher  Nicholson,  and 
William  Wyatt  did  before  me,  this  31st  July," 
&c. ,  &c. ,  ' '  and  so  far  as  any  authority  by  the 
Lords  constituted,  is  consonant  to  God's  glory, 
and  to  the   advancement  of  his  blessed   truth. 


with  heart  and  hands  we  subscribe,  to  the  best 
of  our  capacities  and  understandings." 

In  regard  to  these  earliest  settlers  of  North 
Carolina,  Mr.  Bancroft  states  that  the  adjoining 
county  in  Virginia,  Nansemond,  had  long 
abounded  in  non-conformists  ;  and  it  is  certain, 
he  says,  that  the  first  settlements  in  Albemarle 
were  the  result  of  the  spontaneous  overflowing 
from  this  source.  A  few  vagrant  families,  he 
thinks,  may  have  been  planted  in  Carolina  be- 
fore the  Restoration.  Such  settlements  would 
have  been  made  voluntarily,  as  under  Cromwell 
the  Church  would  not  have  been  permitted  to 
persecute  Dissenters.  But  on  the  restoration 
of  Charles,  m.en  who  were  impatient  of  inter- 
ference with  their  religion,  "who  dreaded  the 
enforcement  of  religious  conformity,  and  who 
distrusted  the  spirit  of  the  new  Government  in 
Virginia,  plunged  more  deeply  into  the  forests. 
It  is  known  that  in  1662,  the  Chief  of  the  Yeo- 
pim Indians  granted  to  George  Durant  the  neck 
of  land  which  still  bears  his'name];  and,  in  the 
following  year,  George  Cathmaid  could  claim 
from  Sir  Wm.  Berkeley^a  large  grant  of  land 
upon  the  Sound,  as  a  reward  for  having  estab- 
lished sixty-seven  persons  in  Carolina.  This 
may  have  been  the  oldest  considerable  settle- 
ment; there  is  reason  to  believe  that  volunteer 
emigrants  preceded  them." 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  Sir  William 
Berkeley  was  Governor  of  Virginia  and  one  of 
the  Lords  Proprietors  of  Carolina  at  this  time. 
He  was  also  a  Church  man,  intolerant  of  dissent 
— in  Virginia ;  but  his  pecuniary  interests  im- 
pelled him  to  be  very  liberal  and  tolerant  of 
Quakers,  Presbyterian,  and  other  sectarians  who 
would  agree  to  remove  to  their  territory.  His 
proprietary  colleagues  cordially  concurred  with 
him  in  this  left-handed  spirit  of  toleration,  by 
which  they  hoped  to  be  enriched  ;  and  in  con- 
formity with  it,  the  Carolina  colonists  were 
allowed  to  indulge  in  whatever  eccentricities  of 
faith  and  worship  their  tastes  or  their  con- 
sciences might  suggest. 


XVUl 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCEMCES. 


Indeed,  it  was  very  plain  to  the  common 
sense  of  the  Proprietaries,  that  zeal  for  the 
Church  north  of  36°  30',  if  enforced  by  rigorous 
persecution,  was  as  conducive  to  the  peopling 
their  Carolina  territory,  as  the  liberty  of  con- 
science which  was  granted  south  of  that  line. 
These  seemingly  hostile  principles,  or  moral 
forces  were  thus  made  to  work  harmoniously  for 
the  advantage  of  their  Lordships,  while  narrow- 
minded  bigots,  by  enforcing  conformity  on  both 
sides  of  the  line,  would  have  spoiled  every- 
thing. 

Howison,  the  historian  of  Virginia,  describes 
Sir  William,  who  was  appointed  Governor  of 
Virginiain  1642,  by  Charles  I,  as  an  accomplish- 
ed gentleman  whose  winning  manners  captivated 
all  hearts,  but,  "His  loyalty  was  so  excessive 
that  it  blinded  his  eyes  to  the  faults  of  a  crowned 
head,  and  steeled  his  heart  against  the  prayers 
of  oppressed  subjects.  *  *  He  loved  the 
monarchical  constitution  of  England  with  sim- 
ple fervor ;  he  venerated  her  customs,  her 
Church,  her  Bishops,  her  Liturgy  ;  everything 
peculiar  to  her  as  a  kingdom ;  and  believing 
them  to  be  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  he  en- 
forced conformity  with  uncompromising  stern- 
ness. *  *  Had  Sir  William  Berkeley  descend- 
ed to  his  grave  at  the  time  when  Charles  H  gained 
the  English  throne,  we  might  with  safety  have 
trusted  to  those  historians  who  have  drawn  him 
as  adorned  with  all  that  could  grace  and  elevate 
his  species.  But  he  lived  long  enough  to  prove 
that  loyalty  when  misguided,  will  make  a  tyrant; 
that  religious  zeal,  when  devoted  to  an  estab- 
lished Church,  will  beget  the  most  revolting 
bigotry  :  and  that  an  ardent  disposition,  when 
driven  on  by  desire  for  revenge,  will  give  birth 
to  the  worst  forms  of  cruelty  and  malice." 

Yet  this  excessive  zeal  for  religion  and  "re- 
volting bigotry, "  had  a  practical  side  to  them 
which  the  historian  overlooked.  For  they  tend- 
ed rapidly  to  people  Sir  William's  Carolina  plan- 
tation with  sober  and  industrious  Quakers  and 
Presbyterians  &c. ,  who  bought  land  or  paid  rent 


at  prices  fixed  by  the  Proprietaries.  The  Vir- 
ginia Assembly,  under  such  a  champion  of  or- 
thodoxy, passed  laws  of  the  most  stringent 
character  for  the  enforcement  of  uniformity. 
Tithes  were  imposed  and  exacted  inexorably: 
the  persons  of  the  Clergy  were  invested  with 
a  sanctity  savoring  strongly  of  superstition : 
papists  were  excluded  from  the  privilege  of  hold- 
ing office,  and  their  priests  were  banished  the 
Province  ;  the  oath  of  supremacy  to  the  king  as 
head  of  the  Church,  was  imposed,  dissenting 
ministers  were  forbidden  to  preach ;  and  the 
Governor  and  Council  were  empowered  to  com- 
pel "non-conformists  to  depart  the  colony  with 
all  convenience."  It  is  not  surprising  that  the 
Carolina  Colony,  where  toleration  was  establish- 
ed by  the  Proprietaries,  flourished,  when  the 
Governor  and  Assembly  of  Virginia  were  so  ac- 
tive in  stimulating  emigration.  But  it  is  obvious 
that  these  intolerant  laws  of  Virginia,  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  were  not  calculated  nor  in- 
tended to  drive  out  the  lawless  and  vicious 
classes.  On  the  contrary,  wherever  Religion  is 
established  by  law,  whether  the  creed  be  Protes- 
tant or  Catholic,  the  vicious  and  criminal  classes 
are  rarely  arraigned  for  denying  the  authority 
of  the  Church,  however  much  they  may  disre- 
gard its  injunctions,  and  stand  in  need  of  its 
discipline.  It  is  the  sober,  earnest  men  who 
suffer  the  pains  and  penalties  of  heresy,  whether 
those  penalties  be  the  rack,  the  fagot  or  banish- 
ment. 

But  the  persecuted  Dissenters  were  not  the 
only  classes  that  preferred  the  free  air  of  North 
Carolina  to  the  intolerance  of  Berkeley.  Thous- 
ands of  Churchmen,  real  and  nominal,  joined 
them  ;  and  without  being  eminently  religious, 
they  soon  became  sufficiently  numerous  to  form 
a  strong  party  in  favor  of  a  Church  establish- 
ment. 

Mr.  Bancroft  thinks  that  the  first  Governor 
of  the  Albemarle  Colony,  Drummond,  appoint- 
ed by  'S>e:r'ke\eY,aftd  haiigedby  himwithout  aifial, 
for  alleged  participation    in  Bacon's  Rebellion, 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


was  a  Presbyterian.  If  this  opinion  be  correct, 
it  serves  to  illustrate  more  fully  how  tolerant  of 
heresy  the  bigoted  Govenor  of  Virginia  could 
be,  when  it  tended  to  advance  his  pecuniary  in- 
terests. 

Two  or  three  of  the  Lords  Proprietors  were 
cabinet  ministers  of  Charles  II,  and  they  could 
not  only  procure  a  grant  of  territor}'  half  as 
large  as  Europe,  but  they  could  stipulate  the 
terms  of  the  grant,  and  the  sort  of  government 
its  future  inhabitants  were  to  live  under.  For 
the  reasons  already  explained,  the  Second  Chart- 
er, dictated  by  themselves,  authorized  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  utmost  toleration,  without 
so  much  as  naming  the  Church,  and  this  liberty 
was  confirmed  to  the  people.  They  were  grant- 
ed "an  Assembly, "  says  Mr.  Bancroft,  "and 
an  easy  tenure  of  lands,  and  he  (Berkeley)  left 
the  infant  people  to  take  care  of  themselves  ;  to 
enjoy  liberty  of  conscience  and  conduct,  in  the 
entire  freedom  of  innocent  retirement ;  to  for- 
get the  world  till  rent  day  drew  near,  and  quit- 
rents  might  be  demanded.  Such  was  the  origin 
of  fixed  settlements  in  North  Carolina.  The 
child  of  ecclesiastical  oppression  was  swathed  in 
independence." 

It  is  appropriate  in  this  place  to  notice  the  ci- 
tation of  Mr.  Bancroft  by  the  critic,  as  an  au- 
thority for  one  of  his  aspersions,  He  says : 
"There  were  neither  laws  nor  lawyers,  says 
Bancroft,  with  but  slight  exaggeration,"  and  he 
represents  the  historian  as  applying  this  remark 
to  North  Carolina  throughout  its  whole  Colonial 
existence.  The  truth  is,  that  Mr.  Bancroft  has 
nowhere  made  such  a  remark,  for  the  two-fold 
reason  that  he  is  too  well  informed,  and  has  too 
much  regard  for  truth  to  make  it.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  has  done  more  to  vindicate  the  charac- 
ter of  North  Carolina  than  any  of  its  special  his- 
torians. And  since  he  is  a  deservedly  high  au- 
thority throughout  the  nation  and  the  world, 
it  is  worth  while  to  show  what  he  has  said  on  the 
subject.  The  statement  from  which  the  above 
garbled  quotations  are  made  are  but  the  conclu- 


sion of  an  elaborate  account  of  the  settlement 
of  the  Colony  which  every  citizen  and  native 
of  the  State  reads  with  pride  and  pleasure. 
After  mentioning  the  arrival  of  emigrants  from 
New  England  and  from  Bermuda,  he  says  that 
the  Colony  lived  contentedly  with  Stevens  as 
Chief  Magistrate,  "  under  a  very  wise  and  sim- 
ple form  of  government.  A  few  words  express 
its  outlines:  a  Co'jncil  of  twelve,  six  named 
by  the  Proprietaries  and  six  chosen  by  the  As- 
sembly ;  an  Assembly,  composed  of  the  Gover- 
nor, the  Council  and  delegates  from  the  free- 
holders of  the  incipient  settlements,  formed  a 
government  worthy  of  popular  confidence.  No 
interference  from  abroad  was  anticipated ;  for 
freedom  of  religion  and  security  against  taxation, 
except  by  the  Colonial  Legislature,  were  solemn- 
ly conceded.  The  Colonists  were  satisfied  ;  the 
more  so,  as  their  lands  were  confirmed  to  them 
by  a  solemn  grant  on  the  terms  which  they  them- 
selves had  proposed." 

Mr..  Bancroft  proceeds  to  state  that  the  first " 
Legislature,  in  1669,  enacted  laws  adapted  to 
the  wants  of  the  people,  "and  which  therefore 
endured,"  he  says,  "  long  after  the  designs  of 
Locke  were  abandoned."  Again  he  states  that 
"  the  attempt  to  enforce  the  Fundamental  Con- 
stitution of  Locke,  a  year  or  two  later,  was  im- 
possible and  did  but  favor  anarchy  by  invalidat- 
ing the  existing  system,  which  it  could  not  re- 
place. The  Proprietaries,  contrary  to  stipula- 
tions with  the  Colonists,  superseded  the  existing 
government ;  and  the  Colonists  resolutely  re- 
jected the  substitute." 

The  historian  then  gives  a  brief  account  of 
the  visits  of  the  celebrated  Quaker  preachers^ 
William  Edmundson  and  George  Fox,  to  the 
settlements  at  Durant'sNeck  ;  of  the  favor  with 
which  they  were  received  by  the  people,  and  by 
the  Governor,  and  adds  :  "If  the  introduction 
of  the  Constitution  of  Locke  had  before  been 
difficult,  it  was  now  become  impossible, " 

The  death  of  Stevens,  says  Mr.  Bancroft,  left 
the  Colony  without  a  Governor ;    and  by  per- 


XX 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


mission  of  the  Proprietaries,  the  Assembly- 
elected  Cartwright,  their  Speaker,  to  act  as  Gov- 
ernor. "But  the  difficulty  of  introducing  the 
model  (Locke's  Constitution)  did  not  diminish  ; 
and  having  failed  to  preserve  order,  Cartwright 
resolved  to  lay  the  state  of  the  country  before 
the  Proprietaries,  and  embarked  for  England." 
At  the  same  timethe  AssemblysentEastchurch, 
their  new  Speaker,  to  explain  their  grievances. 
Mr.  Bancroft  resumes: 

"  The  suppression  of  a  fierce  insurrection  of 
the  people  of  Virginia  had  been  followed  by  the 
vindictive  fury  of  ruthless  punishments  and  run- 
aways, rogues  and  rebels,  that  is  to  say,  fiic^ith'es 
from  arbitral]'  tribunals,  non-conforuiists,  and 
fiiends  of  popular  liberty,  fled  daily  to  Carolina 
as  their  common  subterfuge  and  lurking  place. 
Did  letters  from  the  government  of  Virginia  de- 
mand the  surrender  of  leaders  in  the  rebellion, 
Carolina  refused  to  betray  the  fugitives  who 
sought  shelter  in  her  forests." 

Such  is  the  account  given  by  Mr.  Bancroft  of 
the  refugees  from  Virginia  oppression  ;  and  he 
rejects  the  idea  of  our  historian  Martin,  that 
these  fugitives  were  runaway  negroes.  Equally 
does  he  reject  the  Tory  estimate  placed  upon 
them  by  the  Virginia  Governor,  Smallwood, 
and  other  writers  of  that  school,  that  they  were 
lawless  vagabonds  and  "runagates  " — a  phrase 
which  our  own  Hawks  applies  to  these  non-con- 
formist refugees  from  priestly  tyranny.  These 
and  similar  passages  in  Bancroft  occur  in  his 
first  and  second  volumes,  which  were  published 
long  before  Hawks'  history  of  the  State.  The 
latter  author,  in  some  places  rallies  to  he  de- 
fence of  the  State  and  the  South,  against  which 
he  deems  to  be  northern  injustice  ;  but  in  deal- 
ing with  this  subject  of  our  early  history,  he 
would  have  done  well  to  follow  the  lead  of  the 
great  northern  historian,  instead  of  that  of  the 
English  and  Virginia  Tories.  But  no  careful 
reader  of  Dr.  Hawks  can  fail  to  see  that  his  pat- 
riotic feelings,  as  a  North  Carolinian  were  in 
this    regard  overborne  by  his  reverence  for  the 


Church  of  England,  and  its  then  feeble  offshoots 
in  the  Colonies.  This  feeling  blinded  him  to 
the  virtues  of  Quakers  and  other  dissenters,  who 
resisted  the  attempts  to  form  an  establishment, 
and  compel  the  payment  of  tithes  or  Church 
rates.  It  is  true  that  he  has  presented  a  mass 
of  facts  which  should  convince  every  wise  and 
dispassionate  son  of  the  Church,  that  the  at- 
tempt to  establish  it  in  the  Colony,  and  by  such 
agencies,  in  spite  of  the  determined  opposition 
of  a  majority  of  the  people,  did  it  lasting  injury, 
as  well  as  equal  injury  to  the  cause  of  religion. 
He  has  shown,  as  he  could  not  fail  to  do,  with- 
out grossly  perverting  history,  that  the  Church 
suffered,  as  well  from  the  unjust  attitude  which 
its  friends  assumed,  of  attempting  to  force  it  up- 
on the  people,  as  from  the  character  of  the 
clergymen  who  were  sent  over  from  England. 
Of  the  seven  who  came  on  this  mission  during 
the  Proprietary  government,  three  turned  out  to 
be  disreputable  in  character — drunken,  dissolute 
and  knavish.  The  others  were  intelligent  and 
good  men,  whose  teaching  and  example,  sup- 
ported by  the  voluntary  offerings  of  the  Church 
at  home,  would  have  been  eminently  salutary. 
But  as  the  representatives  of  an  arbitrary  plan 
of  enforcing  uniformity  of  worship,  and  with 
their  good  example  offset  by  the  bad  conduct 
of  their  associates,  their  labor  was  almost  in 
vain.  It  was  unfortunate  for  the  Church,  also, 
that  the  jealousy  of  the  British  Government 
would  not  allow  America  to  have  a  Bishop  dur- 
ing the  whole  Colonial  period,  but  turned  a  deaf 
ear  to  the  appeals  in  this  behalf,  which  were 
sent  up  by  the  Colonists.  The  consequence 
was,  that  there  were  few  native  Church  clergy- 
men in  America,  since  it  was  necessary  to  send 
them  to  England,  at  great  expense,  to  be  or- 
dained and  properly  educated.  The  clerical 
"carpet-baggers"  sent  to  the  Colonies,  were, 
with  honorable  exceptions,  of  course,  exact 
prototypes  of  the  lay  species  which  have  visited 
the  South  in  more  recent  years. 

Mr.  Bancroft  has   answered    so  many  of  the 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


misrepresentations  of  North  Carolina,  that  the 
reader  will  excuse  a  few  more  brief  references 
and  citations.  He  denounces  the  meanness  of 
the  British  Government  in  applying  their  navi- 
gation act,  passed  in  1672,  to  the  Colonies,  ac- 
companied by  a  tax  on  their  products.  Its  ap- 
plication to  North  Carolina  was  cruel.  The 
population  was  barely  four  thousand.  Its  ex- 
parts  consisted  of  a  few  fat  cattle,  a  little  corn 
and  eight  hundred  hogsheads  of  tobacco.  This 
trade  was  in  the  hands  of  New  Englanders, 
whose  small  vessels  came  into  the  sound  laden 
with  such  foreign  articles  as  supplied  the  simple 
wants  of  the  people,  and  exchanged  them  for 
the  raw  products.  But  the  act  referred  to  re- 
quired that  these  products  should  first  be  sent 
to  England,  where  a  duty  was  imposed  on  them, 
before  their  re-exportation  to  the  West  Indies, 
or  elsewhere.  The  tobacco  was  taxed  a  penny 
on  the  pound,  which  was  equivalent  to  three 
cents  at  the  present  day.  From  this  source 
these  poor  people  were  made  to  pay  twelve 
thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  to  receive  only 
British  goods,  or  foreign  articles  through  Brit- 
ish ports,  in  return .  A  revolt  was  the  conse- 
quence of  these  oppressive  measures,  incited, 
Mr.  Bancroft  says,  by  the  Virginia  refugees, 
who  came  over  after  Bacon's  rebellion,  and  by 
New  Englanders  who  were  trading  in  the  Albe- 
marle country.  The  Deputy  Governor  and 
Council  were  arrested  and  imprisoned  ;  and  Cul- 
pepper, an  Englishman  who  had  come  over  some 
years  before,  was  made  Governor.  This  rebel- 
lion, therefore,  was  on  grounds  identical  with 
those  which  moved  the  American  colonies  to 
resistance  a  century  later,  and  which  resulted  in 
their  independence.  The  people  of  New  Eng- 
land, also,  resisted  the  enforcement  of  this  Nav- 
igation Act.  The  motive  assigned  for  this  re- 
bellion was,  "that  thereby  the  country  may 
have  a  free  Parliament,  and  may  send  home  their 
grievances."  In  connection  with  these  facts 
Mr.  Bancroft  remarks  : 

"  Are  there  any  who    doubt  man's    capacity 


for  self-government,  let  them  study  the  history 
of  North  Carolina;  its  inhabitants  were  restless 
and  turbulent  in  their  imperfect  submission  to  a 
government  imposed  on  them  from  abroad  ;  the 
administration  of  the  colony  was  firm,  humane 
and  tranquil,  when  they  were  left  to  take  care 
of  themselves.  Any  government  but  one  of 
their  own  institution  was  oppressive.  *  * 
The  uneducated  population  of  that  day  formed 
conclusions  as  just  as  those  which  a  century  later 
pervaded  the  country." 

The  people  rebelled  again,  a  few  years  later 
against  the  misrule  of  Seth  Sothel,  one  of  the 
Proprietors  who  was  sent  over  as  Governor. 
This  man,  says  Mr.  Bancroft,  found  the  country 
tranquil,  on  his  arrival,  under  laws  enacted  by 
the  people,  and  under  a  Governor  of  their 
own  choice.  "The  counties  were  quiet  and 
well  regulated,  because  not  subjected  to  foreign 
sway.  The  planters  in  peaceful  independence, 
enjoyed  the  good  will  of  the  wilderness.  Sothel 
arrived,  and  the  scene  was  changed.  *  * 
Many  colonial  Governors  displayed  rapacity  and 
extortion  toward  the  people  ;  Sothel  cheated  his 
Proprietary  associates,  as  well  as  plundered  the 
colonists."  He  was  deposed  by  the  people, 
who  appealed  again  to  the  Proprietaries ;  and 
the  planters,  says  Bancroft,  immediately  became 
tranquil,  when  they  escaped  foreign  misrule. 

And  here  follows  a  remark  of  the  historian 
made  with  reference  to  the  four  or  five  thousand 
people  who  constituted  the  whole  population  in 
1668,  but  which  the  maligner  of  the  Province 
misquotes,  and  makes  applicable  to  them 
throughout  the  one  hundred  and  thirteen  years 
of  colonial  dependence.  Under  the  marginal 
date,  1688,  which  the  garbler  could  not  fail  to 
see,  and  just  at  the  close  of  the  account  of  the 
rebellion  against  Sothel,  Mr.  Bancroft  says  : 

"Careless  of  religious  sects,  or  colleges,  or 
lawyers,  or  absolute  laws,  the  early  settlers  en- 
joyed liberty  of  conscience,  and  personal  inde- 
pendence ;  freedom  of  the  forest  and  of  the 
river." 


xxu 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


By  "absolute  laws,"  he  clearly  refers  to  the 
"  Fundamental  Constitutions  "  prepared  by  Mr. 
Locke  for  the  Lords  Proprietors.  He  could 
mean  nothing  else;  for  he  had  just  completed 
an  elaborate  eulogy  of  the  people  for  their  prac- 
tical wisdom  in  enacting  laws  adapted  to  their 
own  circumstances.  This  remark  about  "abso- 
lute laws  "  follows  what  has  been  quoted  above 
from  his  pages.  He  had  also  praised  the  virtue 
and  devotion  of  the  Quakers  and  non- conformists, 
who  sought  refuge  in  the  wilderness  from  the 
persecutions  of  the  English  church  in  Virginia. 
These  men  who  had  suffered  together  under  the 
same  tyrannical  laws  and  government,  and  whose 
safety  in  their  new  common  home  depended  on 
a  cordial  union  with  each  other,  would  naturally 
subordinate  their  differences,  and  become  less 
tenacious  of  mere  names.  The  Quakers  were 
an  organized  body  of  religionists,  who,  until 
they  were  able  to  build  meeting-houses,  wor- 
shipped in  the  beautiful  groves,  or  in  their  pri- 
vate dwellings.  The  other  unorganized  non- 
conformists would  naturally  attend  these  Qua- 
ker meetings ;  and  we  are  assured,  even  by 
their  enemies,  that  the  Quakers  made  many 
converts  to  their  Society  from  the  others, 
not  excepting  the  established  Church. 

But  if  it  were  literally  true  that  in  1688,  the 
refugees  in  the  Albemarle  settlement,  from  Vir- 
ginia oppression,  had  neither  laws  nor  lawyers, 
what  must  be  thought  of  the  candor  or  the  intelli- 
gence of  a  writer  who  attempts  to  impose  upon 
the  world  the  statement  that  Mr.  Bancroft  ap- 
plies the  remark  to  North  Carolina  during  her 
whole  colonial  history  from  1663  to  1776.  (I 
suggest  to  April,  1775). 

The  facts  here  brought  out  on  the  authority  of 
Mr.  Bancroft,  refute  at  the  same  time  another 
statement  of  the  writer,  which  he  couples  with 
his  comparison  of  the  several  sorts  of  people 
who  made  up  the  emigrations  respectively  to 
Rhode  Island,  and  to  North  Carolina,  from 
Massachusetts  and  Virginia. 

In  regard  to  the  Virginia  emigrants  to  Carolina, 


he  says,  "  their  general  character  was  immeas- 
urably lower,"  than  that  of  the  Massachusetts 
emigrants  to  Rhode  Island.  There  is  no  re- 
spectable authority  for  this  statement.  The 
victims  of  Massachusetts  persecutions  were  ex- 
cellent people,  no  doubt ;  but  there  is  no  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  Puritans  of  that  colony 
were  more  select  in  regard  to  the  characters  of 
those  whom  they  expelled  from  their  borders, 
than  were  the  Churchmen  of  Virginia.  There 
has  been  nothing  in  the  subsequent  careers  of 
the  two  classes  of  emigrants,  or  in  their  posteri- 
ties, to  warrant  the  invidious  comparison  ;  and 
there  remains  but  one  judgment  to  pronounce 
upon  it,  viz :  that  whether  proceeding  from 
ignorance  or  malevolence,  it  is  no  less, a  whole- 
sale calumny,  and  this  calumny  is  repeated  in 
other  connections  and  forms,  but  the  above 
answer  must  suffice  for  them  all. 

'  'They  were,  in  the  main,  very  lawless  in 
temper,"  we  are  told,  "holding  it  to  be  the 
chief  end  of  man  to  resist  all  constituted  au- 
thority, and  above  all  things,  to  pay  no  taxes." 
Here  again  this  ready  writer  shows  his  ignorance 
of  the  history  of  the  Province.  The  absurdity 
of  the  statement  becomes  apparent  if  we  com- 
pare it  with  other  statements  made  by  him. 
He  tells  us  in  one  breath,  and  tells  truly,  that 
these  Virginia  and  American-born  emigrants 
constitute  a  large  majority  of  the  people  ;  and 
in  the  next  that  they  are  lawless,  riotous,  indo- 
lent, "shiftless, "  and  utterly  opposed  to  paying 
taxes.  Who,  then,  made  the  colonial  laws  of 
which  there  are  large  volumes  extant?  Who 
imposed  the  taxes?  Was  it  the  handful  of 
Swiss  and  Palatines,  not  above  two  thousand  in 
number,  and  not  one  of  whom,  when  they  ar- 
rived, understood  the  language  ?  Was  it  by  the 
Gaelic-speaking  Scotch  Highlanders,  who  came 
to  the  Province  after  the  middle  of  the  eight- 
eenth century — two  or  three  thousands  in  num- 
ber ?  Was  it  by  the  German  Lutherans  and 
Moravians  who  came  still  later — all  of  whom 
spoke   a   foreign   language  ?      These  emigrants 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


were  most  valuable  acquisitions  ;  and  many  of 
their  descendants  have  become  distinguished 
citizens  ;  but  during  the  twenty  or  thirty  years 
of  their  residence  here  prior  to  the  Revolution, 
they  knew  too  little  of  the  English  language  to 
take  a  leading  part  in  making  the  laws.  The 
conclusion  is  a  necessary  one,  then,  that  the 
colonial  statutes,  constituting  a  complete  body 
of  laws,  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  people, 
correctly  and  concisely  written,  in  parliamentary 
style,  were  the  product  of  the  class  which  this 
writer  would  have  the  world  believe,  was  com- 
posed, "in  the  main,"  of  worthless  renagades 
and  law-breakers  from  Virginia.  The  character 
of  these  laws  will  be  shown  in  another  place. 

"The  Colony  was  a  century  old,"  says  our 
censor,  "before  it  had  a  printing  press:  and  if 
no  newspapers  were  published,  it  was  doubtless 
for  the  sufficient  reason  that  there  were  very 
few  who  would  have  been  able  to  read  them." 

The  first  of  these  statements  contains  full 
eighty  per  cent,  of  truth,  which  is  so  much 
above  the  average  that  it  may  be  allowed  to  go 
uncontradicted.  But  at  the  same  time  it  admits 
of  extenuation.  The  Colony  was  planted  in 
1663,  and  the  first  printing  press  was  brought 
into  it  in  1749,  and  was  employed  in  printing 
the  laws,  and  a  few  years  afterward,  a  news- 
paper. 

The  further  statement  of  the  writer,  that  "A 
mail  from  Virginia  came  some  eight  or  ten  times 
a  year,  but  it  only  reached  a  few  towns  on  the 
coast,  and  down  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution 
the  interior  of  the  country  had  no  mails  at  all, " 
is  quite  true;  and  it  fully  explains  to  any  fair 
mind  how  newspapers  could  not  flourish  under 
such  circumstances,  and  without  assuming  that 
the  people  could  not  read.  Another  obstacle 
to  the  success  ef  newspapers  is  presented  in  the 
fact  that  North  Carolina  was,  and  still  is,  more 
exclusively  agricultural  than  any  other  part  of 
America;  and  contained  and  still  contains,  in 
proportion  to  aggregate  population,  fewer  peo- 
ple resident  in  towns. 


In  New  England  there  was  a  far  greater  popu- 
lation, and  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  Boston,  according  to  Rev.  Cotton  Ma- 
ther, and  other  authorities  quoted  in  the  "Me- 
morial History  "  of  that  city,  contained  not  far 
from  ten  thousand  inhabitants.  But  there  was 
the  same  deficiency  of  mail  facilities,  though 
not  in  equal  degree,  which  existed  in  North 
Carolina.  I  find  in  a  little  work  published  by  a 
Postoffice  official,  that  so  early  as  1672,  a 
monthly  mail  was  established  between  Boston 
and  New  York;  and  that  in  171 1,  Massachu- 
setts established  a  weekly  mail  between  Boston 
and  her  out-lying  territory  of  Maine.  And  yet, 
with  these  relatively  great  advantages  and  facili- 
ties— a  town  of  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  and  at 
least  one  weekly  mail — no  newspaper  was  es- 
tablished in  Boston,  nor  in  Massachusetts,  until 
the  year  1704.  This  was  eighty- four  years  after 
the  founding  of  the  Colony.  It  is  true  that 
there  was  a  printing  press  introduced  at  an  ear- 
ier  date,  which  was  employed  in  the  publica- 
tion of  pamphlets  and  books  of  theology,  and 
the  laws  of  the  colony;  but  no  newspaper  until 
the  settlement  was  eighty-four  years  old.  Isa- 
iah Thomas  a  Massachusetts  man,  in  his  valu- 
able history  of  printing,  gives  an  interesting 
account  of  this  first  American  journalistic  enter- 
prise. It  was  called  the  Boston  Nnvs-Letter. 
The  first  number  appeared  in  April,  1704.  John 
Campbell,  a  Scotchman,  and  Postmaster  of  the 
town,  was  the  proprietor,  or  "Undertaker,"  as 
he  styled  himself.  It  was  printed  on  a  half- 
sheet  of  what  was  called  "Pot"  paper,  once  a 
week  ;  but  after  the  second  number  it  appeared 
on  a  half-sheet  of  fools-cap.  Whether  this  was 
an  enlargement  on  Pot  paper,  or  a  reduction  in 
size,  is  not  stated ;  but  the  change  in  dimensions, 
whether  in  one  way  or  the  other,  was  no  doubt 
inconsiderable.  At  any  rate  the  News  Letter 
continued  to  be  printed  for  four  years  on  a  half- 
sheet  of  fools-cap,  once  a  week.  It  rarely  con- 
tained more  than  two  advertisements,  one  of 
them  by  the  proprietor,  in  which  he  enumerated 


XXIV 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


the  articles  he  was  ready  to  advertise,  at  reason- 
able rates,  among  them  "runaway  servants." 
The  ill-omened  style  of  undertaker,  assumed  by 
the  proprietor,  may  in  some  sort,  account  for  the 
unhealthy  childhood  and  youth  of  Boston's  first- 
born journal.  At  any  rate,  the  undertaker, 
after  fifteen  years  of  sad  experience,  informed 
the  public  that  he  could  not  dispose  of  three 
hundred  copies  weekly;  and  that  he  was  thirteen 
months  behind  time  in  the  publication  of  the 
foreign  news. 

This  was  the  case  in  1719,  when  Boston  must 
have  had  apopulationof  nearly  or  quite  25,000, 
for  in  1 7 10,  according  to  the  high  authority 
of  the  "Memorial  History,"  it  was  already 
18,000. 

Mr.  Thomas  states  that  the  first  press  intro- 
duced into  North  Carolina  (at  New  Berne)  was 
in  the  year  1754  and  Mr.  Bancroft  makes  the 
same  statement ;  but  Martin,  the  intelligent 
historian  of  the  Province,  who  resided  about 
thirty  years  at  New  Berne,  during  all  of  which 
time  he  was  engaged  in  printing — and  most  of 
the  time,  as  a  newspaper  publisher,  as  well  as 
public  printer  for  the  Colony,  says  that  James 
Davis  came,  by  invitation  of  the  Assembly, 
with  a  printing  press,  in  the  year  1749.  Davis 
began  the  publication  of  a  newspaper  in  1765. 
New  Berne  contained  at  that  time,  perhaps,  five 
hundred  white  inhabitants ;  and  the  fact  that 
his  paper  was  sustained  was  wonderful,  in  view 
of  Campbell's  discouragements  at  Boston. 

It  would  not  be  fair  to  assume  that  this  ina- 
bility to  support,  or  indifference  to  the  worth 
of  a  newspaper,  on  the  part  of  the  people  of 
Massachusetts,  was  due  to  their  ignorance  or 
inability  to  read,  for  we  know  that  such  was  not 
the  case.  It  is  more  just  to  say  that  new  in- 
ventions and  new  methods  of  doing  particular 
things  are  slow  in  finding  their  way  into  com- 
mon use.  Fifty  years  hence  people  may  won- 
der that  their  ancestors  of  this  our  day,  did  not, 
one  and  all,  use  the  telegraph  or  telephone,  in- 
stead of  the  slow  process  of  sending  letters  by 


mail,  by  which  days  are  consumed  in  doing  the 
work  of  a  few  minutes. 

"In  the  war  for  independence  North  Carolina 
produced  no  great  leaders,"  says  the  essayist. 
It  would  be  easy  to  retaliate  that  other  colonies 
or  States,  more  favorably  situated,  failed  to  pro- 
duce great  leaders.  New  England  furnished  a 
majority  of  the  rank  and  file,  and  probably, 
most  of  the  material  aid;  and  yet  she  failed  to 
produce  the  great  leader;  nor  did  she  produce 
but  one  great  soldier,  and  he  came  from  the 
despised  little  colony  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
from  the  persecuted  class  of  Quakers,  who  were 
driven  into  exile  by  Massachusetts  orthodoxy. 
There  were  many  good  officers  produced  by  the 
war  of  the  Revolution — men  who  were  brave, 
sagacious,  and  enterprising — but  history  fails  to 
point  to  more  than  two  who  were  equal  to  the 
greatest  emergencies,  in  which  the  disciplined 
and  well  armed  soldiers  of  Britain  were  to  be 
met  and  foiled  by  the  comparatively  raw  and 
ill  appointed  recruits  of  the  provinces.  Those 
two  men  were  Washington  and  Greene.  Per- 
haps there  was  one  other  thus  endowed ;  but  he 
turned  traitor  to  the  cause. 

North  Carolina  produced  in  the  Revolutionary 
era  anumberof  good  officers — Howe,  Davidson, 
Davie,  Caswell,  Lillington,  Moore,  Nash,  and 
many  others — the  equals  in  merit  with  those  of 
the  same  rank,  in  other  States.  And  during 
those  eventful  days,  a  North  Carolina  boy  was 
trained  by  the  discipline  of  adversity,  to  take  the 
foremost  place  in  the  Nation's  regard,as  a  great 
captain,  hero,  and  statesman.  A  New  England 
author  of  celebrity,  Parton,  has  demonstrated 
that  Andrew  Jackson  was  born  on  North  Caro- 
lina soil.  His  childhood  was  spent  in  South 
Carolina,  though  within  two  miles  of  his  birth- 
place; which  circumstance  gave  rise  to  the  im- 
pression that  he  was  a  native  of  that  State. 
While  still  a  boy,  he  returned  to  North  Caro- 
lina, where  he  spent  his  youth  and  early  man- 
hood. At  length  he  emigrated  to  Tennessee, 
which  was  then  only  a  western  county  of  his 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


native  State,  and  there  he  lived  and  died.  For 
greatness  of  soul — for  the  possession  of  those 
qualities  of  intelligence,  of  courage,  and  firm- 
ness, which  inspire  respect  and  confidence,  and 
constitute  a  nature  "born  to  command,"  An- 
drew Jackson  has  had,  certainly,  not  more  than 
one  superior  in  this  country. 

"  She  was  not  represented  at  the  Stamp  Act 
Congress  of  1765,"  says  Fisk,  and  the  purpose 
of  the  statement  is  to  convey  the  impression 
that  the  absence  of  North  Carolina  from  that 
Congress  was  due  to  a  want  of  sympathy  in  the 
common  cause.  If  this  was  not  his  purpose,  he 
could  have  had  none.  He  failed  to  add  that 
New  Hampshire,  Rhode  Island  and  Georgia 
were  also  unrepresented  in  that  Convention. 
If  he  had  had  any  acquaintance  with  the  history 
of  North  Carolina,  he  could  not  have  been  ig- 
norant of  the  fact  that  her  failure  to  be  repre- 
sented on  the  occasion  was  caused,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Martin,  viz :  "the  lower  House  not 
having  had  the  opportunity  of  choosing  mem- 
bers,"  Martin  suggests  that  a  similar  obstacle 
may  have  prevented  the  other  three  colonies 
from  being  represented.  He  states  that,  "In 
the  Province  of  North  Carolina,  the  people,  at 
all  their  public  meetings,  manifested  their  high 
approbation  of  the  proceedings  ot  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  other  Provinces  ;  and  Lieutenant 
Governor  Tyron,  judging  from  the  temper  of 
the  people  that  it  would  be  unsafe  and  danger- 
ous to  allow  them  the  opportunity  of  express- 
ing their  feelings,  by  allowing  a  session  of  the 
Legislative  body,  in  these  days  of  ferment,  on 
the  25th  of  October,  issued  his  proclamation  to 
prorogue  the  General  Assembly,  which  was  to 
have  met  on  the  30th  of  November,  till  the  12th 
of  March,  assigning  as  a  reason  for  the  step, 
that  there  appeared  to  be  no  immediate  necessity 
for  their  meeting  at  that  time." 

In  January,  1766,  the  British  Sloop  of  War 
Diligence  arrived  in  the  Cape  Fear,  having  on 
board  the  stamp  paper.  The  Governor  issued 
his  proclamation    calling  on  the  stamp  distribu- 


tors to  apply  for  it  to  the  Commander  of  the 
Sloop.  But  Colonel  John  Ashe  of  New  Han  - 
over,  and  Colonel  Waddell  of  Brunswick  em- 
bodied the  militia  of  the  two  counties,  and 
marched  at  their  head  to  Brunswick,  where  the 
Diligence  was  anchored,  and  notified  the  com- 
mander that  they  would  resist  the  landing  of  the 
stamp  paper.  A  party  was  left  to  watch  the 
movements  of  the  ship,  while  their  comrades 
seized  a  boat  belonging  to  the  ship,  and  ascend- 
ed the  river  to  Wilmington,  where  the  Governor 
resided,  for  the  time.  They  placed  the  boat  on 
a  cart  and  marched  with  it  through  the  streets, 
amid  the  plaudits  of  the  people.  The  next  day, 
Colonel  Ashe,  with  a  crowd  of  the  people,  called 
on  the  Governor,  and  demanded  to  see  the 
Stamp  Master,  James  Houston,  who  it  seems, 
had  taken  refuge  with  His  Excellency.  The 
Governor  at  first  declared  his  purpose  to  resist 
the  demand,  but  was  induced  to  yield  by  a  threat 
that  his  house  would  be  burned  over  his  head. 
Houston  then  came  out,  and  accompanied  Col- 
onel Ashe  and  the  citizens  to  the  market,  where 
he  took  a  solemn  oath  not  to  attempt  the  execu- 
tion of  his  office.  Whereupon  the  people  gave 
him  three  cheers,  and  conducted  him  back  to 
the  Governor's  quarters.  This  statement  is  con- 
densed from  Martin,  who  has  given  a  fuller  ac- 
count of  the  resistance  of  the  Colonies  to  the 
Stamp  Act,  than  even  Mr.  Bancroft,  and  other 
historians  of  the  United  States. 

The  Whigs  of  North  Carolina,  owing  to  pe- 
culiar circumstances,  had  to  confront  formidable 
bodies  of  tories  at  home,  where  there  was  less 
glory,  or  at  least,  less  reputation  to  be  achieved, 
than  in  the  struggle  with  the  foreign  foe.  These 
internecine  conflicts,  though  fierce  and  bloody, 
and  calling  forth  physical  courage  and  military 
conduct  of  a  high  order,  were  not  of  a  character 
to  place  their  leaders  in  the  line  of  promotion 
in  the  Continental  service. 

The  existence  of  Toryism  in  North  Carolina 
called  forth  all  the  more  courage  and  firmness 
on  the  part  of  her  lovers  of  liberty.     This  local. 


WHEFXER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


defection  was  the  result  of  a  combination  of 
circumstances  which  have  never  been  fully  ap- 
preciated beyond  the  limits  of  the  State. 

The  Scotch  Highlanders  who  came  to  North 
Carolina  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  would,  under  other  circumstances,  have 
been  an  excellent  class  of  immigrants.  They 
were  good  people.  But  they  had  rebelled  against 
George  II,  in  favor  of  Charles  Edward,  a  de- 
scendant of  their  ancient  kings  of  the  House 
of  Stuart.  These  adherents  of  the  Stuarts  con- 
stituted or  formed  a  part  of  the  Tory  party  of 
Great  Britain;  and  the  Highlanders  were,  there- 
fore, Tories  by  inheritance  ;  that  is  to  say,  they 
belonged  to  the  party  which  believed  in  the  di- 
vine right  of  kings.  They  had  been  defeated 
at  the  battle  of  Culloden,  and  their  last  hope  of 
a  restoration  of  the  Stuarts  was  gone.  The 
leaders  were  hanged,  and  their  followers  were 
allowed  t.:i  emigrate  to  America,  after  taking  the 
oath  of  allegiance  While  these  North  Carolina 
Highlanders,  therefore  cannot  be  supposed  to 
have  felt  an  ardent  love  for  the  British  Govern- 
ment, they  were  still  further  removed  in  senti- 
,  ment  from  that  form  of  Whigism  in  America, 
which  had  armed  itself  for  the  establishment  of 
a  Republic.  They  were  at  the  same  time  suffer- 
ing the  terrible  consequences  of  an  unsuccessful 
rebellion  against  an  established  government ; 
and  having  renewed  their  allegiance  to  it,  nothing 
was  more  natural  than  that  they  should  shun, 
and  even  resist,  a  second  rebellion.  Under 
these  circumstances  the  Royal  Governor  Mar- 
tin, authorized  Donald  McDonald,  their  recog- 
nized head,  to  raise  a  brigade.  He  did  so;  but 
was  soon  defeated  and  made  a  prisoner,  together 
with  Allan  McDonald,  the  husband  of  the  cele- 
brated Flora  Mclvor.  The  leaders  were  ex- 
changed, and  returned  to  Scotland. 

The  yeomanry  of  the  upper  counties  had  for 
years  chafed  under  the  illegal  exactions  of  the 
county  officers.  The  Clerks  of  Courts  demand- 
ed two  to  six  times  the  amount  of  the  lawful 
fees  for  registering  deeds  and  wills  ;    for  issuing 


marriage  licences  and  all  legal  processes.  The 
Sheriffs  exacted  double  and  treble  the  amount  of 
the  taxes.  The  people  protested,  but  to  no  pur- 
pose. At  length  an  indictment  was  found 
against  the  Clerk  of  the  Orange  County  Circuit 
Court.  He  was  convicted,  and  was  fined  by  the 
Judges  —  a  sixpence.  This  conduct  of  the 
Court  in  conniving  at  the  fraudulent  extortion 
of  the  Clerks,  rendered  the  people  desperate, 
and  provoked  them  to  take  up  arms  in  defence 
of  their  violated  rights.  No  fair-minded  man 
who  reads  the  history  of  these  events  will  hesi- 
tate to  say  that  these  people  were  subjected  to 
greater  injustice  than  was  imposed  by  the  Crown 
and  Parliament  on  the  American  Colonies. 
They  took  the  name  of  Regulators,  and  organ- 
ized rude  military  companies,  which  were  very 
poorly  armed  and  equipped.  They  were  poor, 
and  for  the  most  part  ignorant  ;  and  without 
arms  or  military  training,  they  were  in  no  plight 
to  cope  with  the  forces  under  Governor  Tyron. 
They  were  ingloriously  defeated  at  Alamance, 
in  May,  1771  ;  andlike  the  defeated  Highlanders 
at  Culloden,  they  were  required  —  such  as  were 
not  hanged  —  to  take  an  oath  of  allegiance. 
Governor  Tyron  was  a  man  of  the  world,  un- 
scrupulous, but  polished  in  manners.  His  wife, 
and  her  sister  Miss  Esther  Wake,  were  ladies 
of  rare  beauty  and  accomplishments.  The  gen- 
try in  all  the  eastern  counties  were  completely 
led  captive  by  the  fascinations  of  the  Provincial 
Court.  In  those  days,  the  lawyers  and  wealthier 
classes  exercised  far  more  control  over  the  peo- 
ple than  they  have  done  in  later  years.  As  il- 
lustrative of  this  statement  it  may  be  mentioned 
that  Tryon,  by  these  social  influences,  was  able 
to  carry  through  the  Assembly  a  measure  which 
was  regarded  at  the  time  as  one  of  startling  ex- 
travagance. This  was  an  appropriation  of  fif- 
teen thousand  pounds  for  the  erection  of  a  Gov- 
ernor's palace.  The  house  was  built  at  New 
Berne,  and  was,  no  doubt,  one  of  the  finest  man- 
sions in  America,  in  its  day.  It  added  consider- 
ably to  the  burden  of  taxes,  and  to  the  irritation 
of  the  people. 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


XXVll 


It  was  in  like  manner,  by  social  blandishments 
that  Tryon  was  able  to  rally  around  him  the  gen- 
try of  the  lowlands,  when  he  marched  into  the 
up-country  to  the  suppression  of  the  revolt  of 
the  Regulators.  These  gentlemen,  three  and 
four  years  later,  became  the  staunchest  of  Whigs, 
and  were  not  a  whit  behind  the  Adamses  and 
Hancock,  of  Massachusetts,  or, of  Henry  and 
Jefferson  of  Virginia,  in  their  early  and  firm 
support  of  the  rights  of  the  Colonies.  But  the 
active  part  taken  by  these  men  in  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  revolt  of  the  Regulators,  tended 
strongly  to  alienate  the  latter  from  the  cause  of 
the  country  in  177S,  and  the  years  following. 

This  antipathy  of  the  Regulators  to  the  lead- 
ing Whigs ;  the  suffering  they  had  undergone, 
as  a  result  of  unsuccessful  revolt,  together  with 
the  oath  they  had  so  recently  taken  to  be  faith- 
ful to  the  Crown,  made  it  an  easy  matter  for 
Tryon's  successor,  Josiah  Martin,  to  fix  them 
in  their  allegiance.  He  visited  their  region  of 
country,  redressed  their  grievances,  pardoned 
such  as  were  still  amenable  to  trial  or  punishment, 
and  gave  them  his  confidence  by  appointing 
their  leading  men  to  office.  Martin,  in  all  these 
respects  showed  great  good  sense  and  sagacity. 
But  he  led  a  forlorn  hope  ;  and  was  compelled  in 
April,  1775,  to  abandon  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment at  New  Berne,  and  fly  for  safety  to  Fort 
Johnston,  on  the  banks  of  the  Cape  Fear.  In 
July,  feeling  insecure  in  the  Fort,  he  took  ref- 
uge on  board  the  British  Sloop  of  War,  Cniiser, 
and  from  this  safe  retreat  he  fulminated  his 
Proclamation,  and  issued  his  orders  to  his  Tory 
adherents;  but  never  again  could  he  set  foot  on 
North  Carolina  soil,  as   Governor  of  the   State. 

The  knavish  conduct  of  the  county  officers  in 
extorting  illegal  fees  and  taxes,  which  the  Regu- 
lators resisted  to  the  best  of  their  ability,  be- 
longs to  the  class  of  occurrences  in  the  history 
of  the  Province  which  half-informed  scribblers 
have,  for  a  century  and  more,  harped  upon  as 
affording  evidence  of  the  lawless  character  of 
the  people. 


In  Virginia,  the  old  aristocratic  families,  who 
gave  tone  to  public  sentiment,  were  strongly 
biased,  by  the  force  of  habit,  education,  and 
attachment  to  the  Mother  Country,  to  the 
Church  of  England.  They  were  not  a  particu- 
larly religious  class  of  people;  nor  were  they 
deeply  learned  or  interested  in  theological  con- 
troversy. But  the  religion  of  the  Church  was 
that  of  the  Monarch,  and  of  the  aristocracy, 
and  therefore,  they  argued,  it  must  be  the  true 
church.  They  had  sufficient  influence  with  the 
people  to  establish  it,  and  maintain  it  at  the 
public  expense.  But  there  was  a  large  and 
growing  element  of  dissent,  which  was  destined 
under  the  lead  of  Jefferson,  to  overthrow  the 
establishment,  and  to  place  all  denominations  on 
an  equality  before  the  law.  A  large  proportion 
of  the  wealthy  and  well-to-do  classes  who  emi- 
grated to  North  Carolina  from  Virginia,  were 
attached  to  the  Church  ;  and, backed,  at  first,  by 
the  Lords  Proprietors,  and  afterwards  by  the 
King's  Government,  they  succeeded  in  estab- 
lishing the  Church  as  the  Religion  of  the  Prov- 
ince, accompanied  by  the  imposition  of  a  tax 
for  its  support.  The  Province  was  divided  into 
Parishes,  and  glebe  lands  were  set  apart,  out  of 
the  public  domains,  with  the  same  end  in  view. 
At  the  same  time  all  other  forms  of  religion 
were  tolerated  without  the  slightest  restraint. 
The  provision  of  law  for  the  support  of  the 
clergy,  and  for  other  church  purposes,  was 
wholly  Inadequate,  and  the  payment  of  taxes 
for  that  purpose  was  evaded  as  much  as  possible. 
The  odium  which  attached  to  the  establishment 
from  a  sense  of  the  injustice  of  compelling  Dis- 
senters to  pay  taxes  for  its  support,  was  a  fatal 
obstacle  to  its  usefulness.  The  Proprietors 
might  without  offense  to  the  people,  have  en- 
dowed the  Church  out  of  their  more  than  princely 
domains,  with  lands,  which,  in  the  course  of 
time,  would  have  made  it  wealthy  ;  but  the  im- 
position of  taxes  for  the  support  of  the  clergy 
was  a  fatal  mistake  which  deprived  it  of  the  love 
and  veneration  of  the  pesple,   which  its  unri- 


xxvm 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


valed  liturgy  is  so  well  calculated  to  inspire. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  there  were 
not  many  clergymen  in  the  Colony,  and  scarcely 
one  of  these  remained  with  their  flocks,  to  share 
in  their  fortunes,  when  the  shock  of  revolution 
and  war  came. 

The  failure  of  the  Church  to  take  root  in  the 
Colony,  owing  to  the  persistent  efforts  that  were 
made  to  force  it  upon  the  people,  was  sufficient 
reason,  with  British  Tory  writers  of  those  times 
(and  is  sufficient  reason  still,  with  an  American 
writer  who  wishes  to  calumniate  the  State)  for 
the  declaration,  "Nor  does  the  soul  appear  to 
be  better  cared  for  than  the  body,  for  it  was  not 
until  1703  that  the  first  clergyman  was  settled 
in  the  Colony. 

The  Church  of  England  was  established  by 
the  Government,  without  the  approval  of  the 
people,  who  were  opposed  on  principle  to 
Church  rates,  as  to  all  kinds  of  taxes  whatsoever. 
Owing  to  this  dislike  of  taxation,  most  of  the 
people  were  Dissenters.  But  no  Dissenting 
Churches  flourished  in  the  Colony.  There  was 
complete  toleration,  even  for  Quakers,  because 
nobody  cared  a  groat  for  theology,  or  for  relig- 
ion." This  remark,  like  the  others  quoted  from 
the  writer,  is  made  with  reference  to  North  Caro- 
lina, "in  the  Colonial  Period" — that  is  to  say, 
throughout  that  period.  It  has  been  shown  on 
preceding  pages,  that  the  earliest  settlements  in 
the  colony  were  made  by  people  who  fled  from 
religious  persecutions  in  Virginia.  It  is  never 
the  indifferent  and  careless,  the  vile  and  the  vi- 
cious, who  become  the  victims  of  religious_per- 
secution — they  would  rather  bend  the  knee;  than 
brave  the  storm.  On  the  contrary  it  is  only  the 
sincere  and  earnest  believers — those  who  are 
inspired  by  an  unconquerable  love  of  truth  and 
duty — that  prefer  exile  and  martyrdom  to  a  re- 
cantation or  abandonment  of  their  faith.  And 
such,  we  have  seen,  was  the  character  of  the 
Quaker  and  Presbyterian  emigrants  from  Vir- 
ginia to  the  Albemarle  settlements.  They  were, 
after  a  few  years,   followed   by   large  numbers 


who  were  members  or  adherents  of  the  Church. 
The  proportion  of  sincere  believers  of  this  class 
was  quite  as  large  as  the  average  in  communi- 
ties; while  the  Quakers  and  Presbyterians  were 
eminently  religious — else  they  would  not  have 
been  exiled  by  persecution.  The  first  necessity 
of  all  was  to  build  cabins  to  shelter  them  from 
the  elements,  to  clear  the  forests  for  cultivation, 
and  to  enclose  them  with  fences.  For  they 
brought  horses,  cattle  and  other  live  stock, 
which  roamed  at  large,  and  helped  themselves 
to  the  bounties  supplied  by  nature,  and  needed 
little  attention  from  their  owners.  The  colonists 
were  not  in  a  condition  to  build  stately  churches, 
nor  to  pay  salaries  to  ministers  ;  and  it  was,  and 
is,  a  principle  with  Quakers,  to  pay  no  salaries 
to  their  preachers.  This  fact  has  been  familiar 
to  every  man  of  ordinary  intelligence  for  two 
centuries.  They  met  at  private  houses  for  pur- 
poses of  worship,  or  when  the  weather  was  fa- 
vorable, in  the  stately  groves.  The  Presbyte- 
rians whose  circumstances  were  similar,  imitated 
the  Quakers  in  the  simplicity  of  their  religious 
exercises.  They  were  often  under  the  necessity 
of  putting  up,  for  the  time,  with  the  ministra- 
tions of  laymen,  or  of  a  minister  who  had  some 
secular  occupation  for  his  support. 

The  Baptists  formed  a  congregation  in  Per- 
quimans, as  early  as  1727.  Paul  Palmer  was 
the  minister.  He  began  with  thirty-two  mem- 
bers, whose  names  are  given.  Joseph  Parker 
succeeded  him.  A  Baptist  congregation  was 
founded  in  Halifax,  in  1742.  "This,  says  Mr. 
Benedict,  the  historian,  "is  the  Mother  Church 
in  all  that  part  of  the  State,  which  still  abounds 
with  Baptists."  In  1752,  the  Baptists  had  six- 
teen congregations  in  the  Province.  In  1765, 
they  had  become  numerous,  and  formed  the 
Kehukee  Association.  '  'About  this  time, "  says 
Mr.  Benedict,  "the  separate  Baptists  had  be- 
come very  numerous,  and  were  rapidly  increas- 
ing in  the  upper  regions  of  North  Carolina." 
This  schism,  however,  was  soon  afterwards 
healed,  and  the  two  branches  of  the  denomina- 
tion were  cordially  united. 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


XXIX 


Mr.  Moore  an  able  historian  of  the  State, 
mentions  a  Baptist  congregation  known  as  Shi- 
loh,  which  was  organized  in  Pasquotank  County, 
as  early  as  1729,  and  refers  to  John  Comer's 
Journal  of  that  year,  as  his  authority.  Mr. 
Moore  states,  also,  that  "six  years  later,  Joseph 
Parker,  ordained  by  this  church,  had  established, 
where  Murfreesboro  now  stands,  the  church 
still  known  as  Meherin;  that  in  1750  a  congre- 
gation was  formed  at  Sandy  Run  in  Bertie; 
and  about  the  sam.e  time,  chapels  were  in  exist- 
ence at  St.  John's,  and  St.  Luke's  or  Buckhorn, 
in  Hertford. 

•^  In  the  year  1736  there  was  an  immigration  of 
Presbyterians  into  Virginia  and  North  Carolina, 
from  the  North  of  Ireland.  Henry  E.  McCul- 
lough,  the  agent  of  Lord  Granville — himself  a 
large  land  owner — induced  a  colony  of  these 
people  to  settle  on  his  estate  in  Duplin  county, 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  Province.  From 
this  time  forward  colonies  of  Presbyterians  came 
and  settled  in  the  Province,  from  year  to  year, 
and  became  a  powerful  influence,  from  their  su- 
perior education  and  strong  characteristics. 
From  the  Virginia  border  to  that  of  South  Caro- 
lina, in  all  the  Piedmont  region,  and  as  low 
down  as  the  county  of  Granville,  their  settle- 
ments were  numerous  ;  and  in  conjunction  with 
the  Moravians  in  Surry,  the  Quakers  in  Guilford, 
and  Lutherans,  and  German  Reformed  Churches 
in  Rowan,  they  imported  a  high  moral  and  re- 
ligious tone,  to  society,  in  all  that  portion  of 
the  Province,  accompanied  by  a  love  of  learning 
and  of  liberty.  The  Presbyterians  were  strongly 
planted  in  Granville  and  Orange  ;  and  where- 
ever  they  formed  a  settlement  they  built  a 
church.  These  settlements  date  back  to  the 
year  1740. 

To  the  Rev.  Mr.  Foote,  who  composed  his 
valuable  Sketches  of  North  Carolina  from  the 
records  of  the  Presbyteries  and  congregations, 
I  am  indebted  for  many  valuable  facts.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Caruthers,  also,  in  his  Life  of  the 
Rev,    David    Caldwell,   and  his  sketches  of  the 


history  of  the  Province  and  State,  has  contrib- 
uted many  valuable  facts  and  incidents.  Mr. 
Foote,  in  this  connection,  says  : 

"While  the  tide  of  emigration  was  setting 
fast  and  strong  into  the  fertile  regions  between 
the  Yadkin  and  Catawba,  from  the  North  of  Ire- 
land, through  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  anoth- 
er tide  was  flowing  from  the  Highlands  of  Scot- 
land, and  landing  colonies  of  Presbyterian  peo- 
ple along  the  Cape  Fear  river.  Authentic  re- 
cords declare  that  the  Scotch  had  found  the 
sandy  plains  of  Carolina  many  years  previous  to 
the  exile  and  emigration  that  succeeded  the 
crushing  of  the  hopes  of  the  House  of  Stuart  in 
the  fatal  battle  of  Cullodon  in  1746.  But  in 
the  year  following  that  event,  large  companies 
of  Highlanders  seated  themselves  in  Cumber- 
land County  ;  and  in  a  few  years  the  Gaelic  lan- 
guage was  heard  familiarly  in  Moore,  Anson, 
Richmond,  Robeson,  Bladen  and  Sampson. 
Among  these  people  and  their  children,  the 
warm-hearted  preacher  and  patriot,  James  Camp- 
bell labored  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century; 
and  with  them,  that  romantic  character,  Flora 
McDonald  passed  a  portion  of  her  days."  This 
lady  worshipped  at  a  little  church  among  the 
sand-hills  of  Cumberland,  called  "Barbacue." 
It  is  still  a  place  of  public  worship,  but  whether 
in  the  same  building  or  not,  is  not  stated. 

In  the  j'ear  1750  the  Moravians,  or  United 
Brethren  purchased  100,000  acres  of  land  from 
Lord  Granville,  in  Surry  County,  in  sight  of  the 
mountains.  They  began  their  settlements  the 
next  year.  There  were  several  of  these  settle- 
ments in  the  purchase,  and  each  settlement  im- 
mediately built  a  house  of  worship.  Their  de- 
scendants still  inhabit  that  fine  district  of  coun- 
try, and  give  tone  to  society.  Like  the  Quakers, 
they  are  an  eminently  religious  people  ;  and  like 
the  Quakers,  too,  they  are  conscienciously  op- 
posed to  war  and  fighting.  It  is  a  fact  highly 
honorable  to  the  Province  and  State  of  North 
Carolina,  that  the  scruples  of  these  two  classes 
of  Religionists  have  always  been  respected  ;  and 


XXX 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


men  whose  consciences  forbid  the  bearing  of 
arms,  have  ever  been  excused  by  the  payment  of 
a  moderate  tax.  The  ill  success  of  the  Church 
of  England  has  already  been  explained.  But  it 
was  not  wholly  inefficient.  Every  Parish — and 
the  Province  was  divided  into  Parishes — had  its 
lay  Reader,  who,  in  the  absence  of  a  clergyman, 
read  the  services,  and  a  sermon,  selected  gener- 
ally from  the  works  of  some  eminent  English- 
man, such  as  Tillotson,  South  or  Barrow.  And 
thus,  every  heart  which  remained  loyal  to  the 
faith  of  our  English  ancestors,  was  nourished  and 
instructed.  But  the  desertion  of  their  posts  by 
the  clergy,  on  account  of  inadequate  salaries, 
and  the  open  revolt  of  their  parishioners,  in  1775, 
prepared  the  way  for  the  reception  of  Methodism, 
which,  at  that  time,  was  only  a  new  method  of 
propagating  the  faith  of  the  Church.  Most  fam- 
ilies which  were  not  distinctively  of  the  Presby- 
terian, Baptist,  Quaker  or  some  other  denomina- 
tion, during  and  immediately  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, became  attached  to  the  Methodists.  There 
was  no  interregnum  of  Religious  worship  and  ob- 
servance in  the  State. 

There  remain  two  more  serious  misrepresenta- 
tions to  be  noticed,  viz  :  the  denial  that  there 
were  schools  or  Courts  of  law  in  North  Caroli- 
na, during  the  era  of  Provincial  dependence. 
And  first,  as  to  schools,  the  writer  says : 

"Until  just  before  the  war  for  Independence 
there  was  not  a  single  school,  good  or  bad,  in  the 
whole  Colony.  It  need  not  be  added  that  the 
people  were  densely  ignorant." 

If  the  people  of  North  Carolina  were  as  ignor- 
ant of  letters  as  this  historical  critic  has  shown 
himself  to  be  of  his  subject,  their  condition  was 
pitiable  indeed. 

Dr.  John  Brickell,  an  intelligent  naturalist, 
resided  in  and  traveled  throughout  the  settle- 
ments in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  centu- 
ry, and  published,  in  Dublin,  in  the  year  1737, 
"The  Natural  History  of  North  Carolina  ;  with 
an  account  of  the  trade,  manners  and  customs 
of  the  Christian  and  Indian  inhabitants."  This 
intelligent  writer  says : 


'  'The  Religion  by  law  established  is  the  Prot- 
estant, as  it  is  professed  in  England  ;  and  though 
they  seldom  have  orthodox  clergyman,  (he 
means  those  of  the  Church)  among  them,  yet 
there  are  not  only  glebe  lands  laid  out  for  that 
use,  commodious  to  each  town,  but  likewise  for 
building  churches.  The  want  0/  these  Protestant 
Clcigy  is  generally  supplied  by  some  schoolmasters, 
who  read  the  Liturgy,  and  then  a  sermon  out  of 
Dr.  Tilotson,  or  some  good  practical  divine  ev- 
ery Sunday.  These  are  the  most  numerous  and  are 
dispersed  through  the ivholc  Pjovince."  This  gen- 
tleman traveled  and  made  his  observations  in 
the  Province  between  the  years  1730  and  1737, 
as  is  shown  by  the  imprint  of  the  book  ;  and  it 
appears  from  his  statement,  that  at  that  early 
day  the  ' '  schoolmaster  was  abroad  "  "  through 
the  whole  Province."  Next  in  numerical 
strength  were  the  Quakers,  the  Presbyterians, 
the  Baptists  and  the  Catholics,  and  the  author 
says  that  the  latter,  who  were  scattered  over  the 
Province,  had  a  clergyman  at  Bath-town. 

In  1704,  Mr.  Blair,  a  Church  missionary,  and 
a  good  man,  came  to  the  Colony,  and  reported 
that  the  settlers  had  built  small  churches  in  three 
precincts,  and  appointed  a  lay  Reader  in  each, 
who  were  supplied  by  him  with  sermons.  These 
lay- Readers  were  schoolmasters,  as  appears  from 
the  specific  statement  of  Dr.  Brickell ;  and  there 
is  additional  incidental  evidence  of  the  fact. 
The  lay-Readers  were  to  be  supported,  and  to 
employ  them  as  teachers  of  schools  was  the  nat- 
ural resource.  But  there  is  other  positive  evi- 
dence of  the  fact. 

Dr.  Hawks  gives  an  account  of  some  small 
subscriptions  made  by  the  wealthy  clergy  and 
nobility  for  the  propogation  and  support  of  the 
Gospel  in  America,  from  which  it  would  appear 
that  thosewell-to-do  Christians  of  the  father-land 
had  an  idea  that  a  very  little  money  would  dif- 
fuse a  great  deal  of  Gospel  truth  ;  or  that  a  very 
little  of  the  truth  would  be  sufficient  for  the 
Colonies.  But  the  King,  (William  III,)  we  are 
told,  did  better.      "On  the  report  of  Dr.  Bray, 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


XXXI 


a  missionary,  Bistiop  Compton  went  to  the  King, 
as  he  had  done  before,  and  obtained  from  him  a 
bounty  of  £20  to  every  minister  or  schoolmaster, 
that  would  go  over  to  America." 

The  Rev.  William  Gordon,  an  intelligent  Eng- 
lish clergyman,  who  came  as  a  missionary  to 
North  Carolina  in  the  year  1708,  and  who  was 
a  man  of  character  and  piety,  after  returning 
home,  wrote  a  long  letter  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel, 
in  regard  to  the  Colony.  It  bears  date  May  13, 
1709.  In  this  letter  he  incidentally  alludes  to 
the  fact  that  the  Quakers  in  Pasquotank  were 
sending  their  children  to  the  school  of  a  lay 
Reader  of  the  Church,  named  Griffin.  The 
same  clergyman  established  a  church  at  the  head 
of  Albemarle  Sound,  in  the  settlement  which 
afterward  became  the  town  of  Edenton,  andin- 
troduced  a  schoolmaster,  with  school  books.  He 
states  that  there  were  no  Quakers  in  that  pre- 
cinct, (Chowan)  and  that  the  people  were  ex- 
tremely ignorant  and  poor.  Yet  Edenton,  long 
before  the  Revolution,  became  the  centre  and 
the  abode  of  the  wealthy  and  refined.  The 
reader  of  the  life  of  Judge  Iredell,  of  the  Unit- 
ed States  Supreme  Court,  by  McRee,  is  charmed 
by  the  picture  presented  of  a  polished  society 
of  well-bred  and  educated  people  in  that  seclud- 
ed little  nook  of  the  Province  of  North  Caro- 
lina. 

At  the  session  of  the  Assembly  which  met  at 
Wilmington,  November  20,  1759,  says  Martin  : 

"An  aid  was  granted  to  the  King  for  the  sub- 
sistence of  the  troops  and  militia  now  in  pay  of 
the  Province  ;  it  was  directed  to  be  paid  out  of  the 
fiind  heretofore  appiopriated  for  the  purchase  of 
glebes  and  the  establishment  of  schools,  the  King 
not  having  signified  his  pleasure  on  that  appro- 
priation." 

As  a  rule  the  Kings  of  England  had  to  be 
bribed  into  acquiescence  in  any  measure  pro- 
posed in  behalf  of  the  Colonists,  however  essen- 
tial to  their  welfare,  by  the  grant  of  money  to 
which  was  no  doubt  dropped  out  or  omitted,  as 


himself  or  his  favorites.  The  foregoing  is  a  spec- 
imen of  this  system  of  government.  I  fail  to 
find  in  the  Colonial  statutes  the  Act  referred  to, 
it  never  became  a  law.  But  Martin  published 
one  or  more  editions  of  the  laws,  and  there  can 
be  no  question  that  the  Assembly,  about  the 
middle  of  the  last  century,  passed  an  Act  for 
the  support  of  Common  schools — a  measure  of 
benificence,  which  was  frustrated  by  the  selfish 
stupidity  of  George  II. 

The  subsequent  Act  of  the  Assembly  for  di- 
verting the  school  fund  from  its  original  purpose, 
in  order  to  defend  the  Colonies  against  the  com- 
bined attacks  of  the  French  and  Indians,  was 
justifiable  ;  but  the  withholding  the  royal  assent, 
before  the  emergency  arose,  was  simply  in  keep- 
ing with  the  heartless  policy,  with  reference  to 
the  Colonies,  which  governed  in  the  British  Cab- 
inet. 

In  1764,  "  An  Act  was  passed  for  the  erection 
of  a  schoolhouse,  the  Academy  in  the  town  of 
New  Berne,  which,"  says  Martin,  "  is  the  first 
effectual  Act  for  the  encouragement  of  litera- 
ture." Why  this  was  the  first,  we  have  already 
explained.  In  1767,  the  Academy  was  incor- 
porated, and  about  the  same  time  a  charter  was 
given  to  the  Edenton  Academy.  Careless  writers 
have  misunderstood  these  remarks  of  Martin, 
with  reference  to  these  Charters,  as  implying 
that  they  were  the  first  schools  ever  established 
in  the  Province.  The  pretentious  Harper's 
Magazine  Critic  belongs  to  this  class  of  super- 
ficial readers  and  writers. 

The  condition  of  these  Charters  was,  that  the 
schools  were  to  be  taught  by  members  of  the 
established  Church.  And  it  was  for  lack  of  this 
restriction  that  the  Royal  authority  was  withheld 
from  the  Charter  of  Queen's  Museum,  at  Char- 
lotte, which  was  to  be  under  the  control  of  the 
Presbyterians.  At  the  next  session  of  the  As- 
sembly, 1 77 1,  the  Charter  was  modified,  in  the 
hope  of  securing  the  Royal  favor,  but  without 
success.  But  as  there  is  no  royal  road  to  science, 
so  also,  the  classics  and  sciences  may  be  taught 


xxxn 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


V. 


in  institutions  from  which  the  Royal  assent  is 
withheld — and  there  were  many  such  in  North 
Carolina,  long  before  the  Revolution. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Foote,  whose  sketches  of  North 
Carolina  have  been  quoted  in  preceding  pages, 
says  "  Almost  invariably,  as  soon  as  a  neigh- 
borhood was  settled  (by  Presbyterians, )  prepa- 
rations were  made  for  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  by  a  regular  stated  pastor;  and  wherever 
a  pastor  was  located,  in  that  congregation  was 
a  classical  school — as  in  Sugar  Creek,  Poplar 
Tent,  Centre,  Bethany,  Buffalo,  Thyatira,  Grove, 
Wilmington  and  the  churches  occupied  by  Pa- 
tillo  in  Orange  and  Granville."  The  Presby- 
terian settlements  commenced  in  1738  ;  and  al- 
though each  settlement  did  not,  at  first,  have  a 
minister,  and  a  classical  school,  there  can  be  no 
question  that  they  had  schools  in  which  the 
children  were  taught  to  read  and  write. 

The  history  of  the  Moravian  settlements  at 
Wachovia,  or  Salem,  shows  that  they  founded 
churches  and  schools  immediately  on  their  ar- 
rival ;  or  as  soon  as  they  had  provided  humble 
dwellings  for  themselves  and  their  children.  On 
their  hundred  thousand  acre  purchase  they 
formed  several  settlements,  each  of  which  had  a 
place  of  worship.  Salem  is  the  centre ;  and  now 
for  nearly  eighty  years  it  1ms  had  one  of  the 
largest  and  finest  female  schools  in  America,  in 
which,  during  that  long  period,  thousands  of 
young  ladies  have  been  educated,  who  have  gone 
thither  from  every  State  of  the  South,  and  not 
a  few  from  the  North  and  West. 

In  the  eastern  and  middle  counties  the  common 
schools  were  taught,  as  has  been  shown,  by  the 
lay  readers  of  the  Church,  and  by  others  ;  while 
the  most  wealthy  classes  sent  their  sons  to  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  in  Virginia,  to  Princeton,  to 
New  England,  and  even  to  Old  England,  for 
higher  education. 

The  libel  which  the  writer  attempts  to  attribute 
to  Mr.  Bancroft,  has  been  exposed,  and  need 
not  be  repeated.  He  follows  up  that  statement 
with  another,  however,  which  requires  notice. 
He  says : 


"The  Courts,  such  as  they  were,  sat  often  in 
taverns,  where  the  Judge  might  sharpen  his  wits 
with  bad  whiskey  ;  while  theit  decisions  were  tiot 
recorded,  but  were  simply  shouted  by  the  crier 
from  the  Inn  door,  or  at  the  nearest  market 
place." 

Of  all  the  statements  of  the  writer,  the  above 
shows  the  greatest  degree  of  ignorance;  for  it  is 
incredible  that  a  sane  man  who  has  read  the  his- 
tory of  the  Colony,  would  deliberately  make 
assertions  which  are  contradicted  on  almost 
every  page  of  our  annals.  A  large  portion  of 
Martin's  history  of  the  Province  is  devoted  to 
an  exposition  of  the  court  systems.  But  to 
begin  at  the  beginning, — Dr.  Hawks,  in  his  his- 
tory of  the  early  colonization  of  the  Province, 
which  he  brings  down  to  the  year  1730,  has  a 
lengthy  chapter  entitled  ' '  The  Law  and  its  Ad- 
ministration."  He  prefaces  this  chapter,  as  is 
his  method,  with  his  authorities  ;  and  these  con- 
sist of  extracts  from  the  Records  of  the  Courts. 
The  first  extracts  from  the  Records  of  the 
"  General  Court, "  refutes  two  of  the  statements 
above.  It  is  dated  1695,  and  is  an  order  of 
the  Court  to  the  Marshal  to  take  into  custody 
Stephen  Man  waring,  an  attorney,  "  to  answer 
for  his  contemptuous  and  insolent  behavior  be- 
fore the  Court." 

Then  follows  an  order  debarring  him ;  and 
another,  allowing  him  till  the  next  term  to  an- 
swer; and  finally,  in  1697,  was  ordered  "that 
the  said  Stephen  Manwaring  shall  not,  from 
henceforth,  be  permitted  to  plead  as  an  Attor- 
ney i?i  any  Court  of  Record  in  this   Government." 

The  next  extract  bears  date  the  same  year, 
1695,  and  is  of  the  same  character.  Two  gen- 
tlemen of  the  bar  were  debarred  for  contempt. 
One  of  them,  Henderson  Walker,  Esq.,  after- 
ward made  a  distinguished  figure  in  the  history 
of  the  Colony;  and  four  years  after  this  con- 
tempt of  Court,  he  became  its  Governor. 

In  1697  we  have  the  record  of  a  "Summary 
proceeding  for  a  false  accusation."  In  1714, 
the  "Proceedings  on  an  Information   against  a 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


XXXlll 


militia-man;"  and  in  1722,  an  "Abatement  of 
suit  by  reason  of  the  plaintiff's  outlawry." 
Next  follows  the  whole  proceedings  in  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  on  a  writ  of  error.  This  was  in  the 
year  1723.  The  introductory  lines  in  this  pro- 
ceeding will  show  that  the  forms  of  law,  brought 
from  England,  were  substantially  observed.  It 
begins  as  follows: 

"John  Gray  of  Bertie  precinct,  gentleman, 
comes  to  prosecute  his  appeal  from  certain  pro- 
ceedings had  against  him,  at  the  Precinct  Comt 
of  Bertie,  on  Tuesday,  the  14th  day  of  May, 
Anno  Domini,  1723,  at  the  suit  of  John  Cot- 
ton, Esq. 

"And  the  said  John  Gray,  by  Edivard  Mose- 
ley,  his  attorney,  brings  into  court  here,  a  copy  of 
the  Record  and  proceedings  of  said  Court,  in 
these  words,"  &c. 

This  precinct  or  county  of  Bertie,  was  the 
youngest  of  the  settlements,  and  it  had  just  been 
given  corporate  authority.  This  may  have  been 
the  first  court — and  it  was  certainly  among  the 
earliest.  Yet  we  see  that  it  was  a  Court  of 
Record,  and  thus  brands  as  a  calumny  the  state- 
ment referred  to  in  Harpers  Magazine.  It  is  a 
part  of  the  Record  that  the  Court  was  held  at 
the  house  of  James  Howard  at  Akotsky.  The 
date  was  Tuesday,  May  14,  1723.  Bertie 
is  just  across  the  Chowan  river  from  Edenton, 
the  principal  town  of  the  Province;  and  the 
writ  of  Error  seems  to  have  been  sued  out  on 
the  day  the  judgment  was  rendered. 

Dr.  Hawks  gives  the  writ  of  arrest  of  John 
Gray,  and  his  declaration,  signed  by  John  Hen- 
neman,  his  Attorney,  "pro  pl'ff."  The  suit 
was  an  action  of  detimce  for  a  patent,  for  "six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  ground. "  The  Dec- 
laration is  endorsed,  "I  do  not  detain  the  pat- 
ent.— John  Gray."  Next  follows  a  formal  sum- 
mons for  George  Wynn  as  a  witness  ;  then  the 
statement  of  the  issues  joined,  the  plea  of  non- 
■  detinet,  the  impannelling  of  the  jury,  and  their 
verdict  for  the  plaintiff.  All  this  in  the  lowest 
court  of  the  Province,    held  by  three  or  more 


Justices  of  the  Peace,  in  the  youngest  county 
in  the  Province,  in  the  year  1723.  Mr.  Mosely, 
afterwards  distinguished  in  the  history  of  the 
Province,  was  the  attorney  for  the  plaintiff  in 
error.  He  recites  the  foregoing  facts,  and 
excepts  to  them  in  the  usual  form  and  assigns 
four  reasons  why  the  court  below  manitestly 
erred. 

The  General  Court  reversed  and  annulled  the 
verdict,  and  ordered  that  Cotton  pay  the  costs. 
Dr.  Hawks,  who  was  a  lawyer  before  he  became 
a  clergyman,  remarks  on  these  proceedings  as 
follows : 

"We  have  presented  the  whole  Record  of  the 
General  Court  in  this  case,  that  the  reader 
might  see  the  forms  of  writ  and  subpoena  in  use 
as  set  forth  in  the  Record  from  the  Precinct 
Court.  It  furnishes,  also,  incidentally,  evidence 
that  the  practice  of  the  day  seems  to  have  been 
in  the  Precinct  Court,  to  endorse  the  pleas  on 
the  declaration.  It  illustrates  also,  the  formality 
with  which  the  minutes  of  proceedings  were 
kept  in  the  General  Court.  There  arc  numerous 
other  cases  to  be  found,  more  fully  even,  than  this, 
and  where  the  errors  assigned  involved  some 
interesting  and  really  doubtful  points  of  law  ; 
but  we  selected  this,  as  being  one  of  the  short- 
est, and  yet  sufficient  for  all  purposes  of  illus- 
tration." 

Dr.  Hawks  fills  sixteen  pages  with  extracts 
from  "tho  Records  of  the  General  Court  of 
Oyer  and  Terminer,"  beginning  in  1697,  and 
ending  in  1726.  Nothing  could  have  been 
further  from  his  purpose  than  to  furnish  proof 
that  North  Carolina  had  courts  of  record  at  that 
early  day  :  for  how  could  he  imagine  that  any 
man  would  make  such  a  display  of  his  ignorance 
as  to  dispute  the  fact?  How  could  he  suppose 
that  a  pretentious  Magazine  would  commit  such 
a  blunder,  in  an  article  of  historical  criticism  — 
and  that  it  would  apply  the  stupid  remark  to 
the  condition  of  the  Province,  during  the  whole 
time  of  colonial  dependence?  Yet  that  is  the 
predicament  in  which  Harper  s  Llagazine  has 
placed  itself. 


XXXIV 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


The  first  case  copied  by  Dr.  Hawks  from  the 
Records  of  the  General  Court  of  Oyer  and  Ter- 
miner, is  erroneously  placed  under  the  date  of 
1697,  when  William  III.  was  on  the  throne. 
For  the  writ  runs  in  the  name  of  ' '  our  Sovereign 
Lady,  the  Queen  " — meaning,  doubtless,  Queen 
Anne. 

It  was  on  an  indictment  against  Susannah 
Evans,  for  witchcraft,  under  an  old  English  stat- 
ute, as  amended  in  the  reign  of  James  I.  It 
was  not  a  colonial  statute  ;  yet  the  courts  were 
required  to  enforce  it.  But  the  result  of  the 
trial  shows  that  our  ancestors  were  not  abreast 
with  the  civilization  of  that  age,  as  illustrated 
further  north,  and  it  was  lucky  for  Susanah  that 
they  were  not.     The  indictment  is  as  follows  : 

' '  The  Jurors  for  our  Sovereign  Lady,  the 
Queen,  present  upon  their  oaths,  that  Susanah 
Evans  of  the  precinct  of  Currituck,  in  the 
County  of  Albemarle,  in  the  aforesaid  Province, 
not  having  the  fear  of  God  before  her  eyes,  but 
being  led  by  the  investigation  of  the  Devil,  did, 
on  or  about  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  July  last  past, 
the  body  of  Deborah  Bouthier,  being  then  in 
the  peace  of  our  sovereign  lady,  the  Queen, 
devilishly  and  maliciously  bewitch,  and  by  as- 
sistance of  the  devil,  afflict,  with  mortal  pains, 
the  body  of  the  said  Deborah  Bouthier,  whereby 
the  said  Deborah  departed  this  life.  And  also 
did  diabolically  and  maliciously  bewitch  several 
other  of  her  Majesty's  liege  subjects,  against  the 
peace  of  our  sovereign  lady,  the  Queen,  and 
against  the  form  of  the  statute  in  that  case  made 
and  provided,"  &c. 

This  indictment  was  laid  before  the  Grand 
Jury,  by  the  Attorney  General;  but  that  body 
failed  to  find  a  true  bill,  and  Susanah  was  turned 
loose  upon  society  to  work  her  "devilish  arts." 
This  seems  to  have  been  the  only  case  in  which 
a  personwasbrought  before  the  Courts  of  North 
Carolina,  on  a  charge  of  witchcraft,  and  whether 
the  fact  was  due  to  the  isolation  of  the  Province, 
by  which  it  "was  in  a  great  measure  cut  off 
from    the    currents    of  thought    and  feeling  by 


which  the  other  colonies  were  swayed,"  or 
whether  to  a  more  enlightened  sense  of  justice 
than  prevailed  in  colonies  which  sent  witches  to 
the  gallows  "by  the  cart-load,"  as  Upham  in- 
forms us,  was  the  case  in  Massachusetts,  the 
reader  may  determine. 

But  if  North  Carolina  suffered  from  its  seclu- 
sion, a  loss  of  sympathy  with  the  great  move- 
ment for  the  suppression  of  witchcraft,  it  was 
from  no  lack  of  zeal  for  religion  and  good  morals, 
as  the  Magazine  critic  would  have  the  world  be- 
lieve. Among  the  numerous  extracts  from  the 
Records  of  the  General  Court  of  Oyer  and  Ter- 
miner, made  by  Dr.  Hawks,  are  the  proceedings 
on  the  indictment  of  John  Hassel,  of  Chowan 
Precinct,  in  the  year  1720,  on  charge  of  pro- 
fanity. Hassel  was  one  of  the  "advanced 
thinkers"  of  that  age,  who  declared  publicly  on 
Sunday,  March  13,  1718,  "That  he  was  never 
beholden  to  God  Almighty  for  anything  ;  for 
that  he  never  had  anything  from  him,  but  what 
he  worked  for;"  and  much  more  of  the  same 
sort.  He  plead  "not  guilty,"  but  the  jury  con- 
victed him.  His  counsel  moved  in  arrest  of 
judgement,  that  the  indictment  was  not  brought 
within  six  months  after  the  words  were  spoken; 
nor  was  it  prosecuted  within  ten  days,  "accord- 
ing to  the  form  and  effect  of  an  act  fm-  observing 
the  Lord's  Day."  The  court  overruled  the  mo- 
tion, and  ordered  that  the  culprit  should  receive 
"thirty-nine  lashes  on  his  bare  back,"  and  give 
security  "  in  the  sum  of  fifty  pounds  for  his 
good  behavior  for  a  year  and  a  day." 

Here  is  incidental  proof  that  these  colonists, 
who  are  represented  as  devoid  of  law  and  relig- 
ion, and  of  learning,  had  laws  against  profanity, 
and  requiring  the  observance  of  the  Lord's  Day, 
as  early  as  171 8;  and  that  these  laws  were  en- 
forced against  any  "lawless  and  vile  fellows"  who 
might  come  into  the  Province,  and  offend  against 
them.  But  our  ancestors  failed  in  the  matter 
of  hanging  witches,  and  selling  Quakers,  and 
are  voted  ignorant  and  irreligious. 

The  proceedings  on  an  indictment  for  '  'forcible 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


XXXV 


entry  and  trespass,"  are  given  by  Hawks,  un- 
der date  of  1729.  And  of  the  same  date  there 
is  the  written  refusal  of  the  Governor  to  sign  a 
death  warrant  on  account  of  informahties  in  the 
trial. 

Numerous  specimens  are  given  of  the  sen- 
tences of  the  Court  for  theft,  and  similar  offences, 
in  which  the  lash  was  generally  brought  into 
requisition. 

Some  pages  are  devoted  to  the  Records  of 
the  Chancery  Court,  during  the  early  period  of 
colonial  history,  prior  to  1730;  but  the  foregoing 
must  suffice. 

It  is  probable  that  the  assailant  of  the  good 
name  of  the  State  may  have  deduced  many  of 
his  conclusions  from  the  following  remark  of  the 
elder  Josiah  Quincey,  which  he  recorded  in  his 
Memoir.  That  gentleman  passed  through  east- 
ern North  Carolina  in  the  Spring  of  1773,  and 
was  greatly  pleased  with  the  character  and  spirit 
of  the  people,  all  along  his  route.  He  was  es- 
pecially pleased  with  the  gentlemen  he  met  at 
Wilmington,  where  he  spent  some  days.  He 
mentions  with  honor  several  whose  names  have 
come  down  to  us.  Passing  on  further  north,  he 
states,  under  date  of  April  5th,  that  he  "break- 
fasted with  Colonel  Buncombepn  Tyrrell  County] 
who  waited  upon  me  to  Edenton  Sound,  and 
gave  me  letters  to  his  friends  there.  Spent  this 
and  the  next  day  in  crossing  Albemarle  Sound, 
and  in  dining  and  conversing  in  company  with 
the  most  celebrated  lawyers  of  Edenton." 
[Among  these  lawyers  were,  doubtless,  Samuel 
Johnston,  who,  a  few  years  later  was  chosen  to 
the  office  of  President  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress, which  he  declined ;  but  became  Governor 
of  the  State,  and  a  United  states  Senator.  Mr. 
Quincey  more  than  likely  met,  also,  James  Ire- 
dell, who  afterwards  became  a  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.]  Mr. 
Quincey  continues  :  "From  them  I  learned  that 
Dr.  Samuel  Cooper  of  Boston,  was  generally 
(they  said  universally)  esteemed  the  author  of 
"Leonidas,"    who,     together     with     "  Mucius 


Scaevola, "  was  burnt  in  effigy  under  the  gallows, 
by  the  common  hangman."  And  here  follows 
the  misleading  remark  of  Mr.  Quincey, -\vhich  a 
person,  entirely  ignorant  of  the  history,  and  of 
most  other  things,  might  be  excused  for  taking 
as  conclusive  proof  that  North  Carolina,  prior 
to  the  Revolution,  never  had  any  laws  or  courts, 
although  she  possessed  "celebrated  lawyers." 
Mr.  Quincey  says:  "There  being  no  courts  of 
any  kind  in  this  Province,  and  no  laws  in  force 
by  which  any  courts  could  be  held,  I  found  little 
inclination  or  incitement  to  stay  long  in  Edenton, 
though  a  pleasant  town." 

This  statement  was  literally  true  at  that  day 
and  date  ;  but  the  circumstances  which  brought 
about  the  peculiar  state  of  things,  being  well 
understood  throughout  the  colonies,  Mr.  Quincey 
did  not  stop  to  explain  them.  They  constituted 
one  of  the  most  serious  grievances  against  which 
the  people  of  the  Province  had  long  had  reason 
to  complain  of  the  Crown  and  Government  of 
Great  Britain.  The  explanation  is  as  follows: 
For  more  than  twenty  years  a  struggle  had  been 
going  on  between  the  Assembly  on  the  one  side 
and  the  Governor  and  Council,  appointed  by 
and  impelled  by  the  Sovereign,  on  the  other,  in 
regard  to  the  constitution  of  the  courts,  Supe- 
rior and  Inferior. 

The  Crown  insisted  on  the  appointment  and 
removal  of  the  Judges,  at  pleasure,  and  to  im- 
port them  from  Great  Britain,  while  the  Assem- 
bly was  required  to  provide  them  fixed  and  lib- 
eral salaries. 

The  Assembly  resisted  this  unjust  pretension, 
and  insisted  that  lawyers  resident  in  the  Colony 
should  alone  be  appointed  to  Judgeships  over 
them  ;  that  their  tenure  of  office  should  be  per- 
manent, and  that  their  salaries  should  depend 
upon  the  free  offering  of  the  Assembly  from 
year  to  year. 

This  controversy  dated  back  to  the  middle  of 
the  century.  An  act  of  the  Assembly  of  1754, 
for  the  regulation  or  reorganization  of  the  courts 
had  never  received    the    royal    sanction,  and  at 


XXXVl 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


length,  after  it  had  been  in  force  for  several  years, 
it  was  annulled,  or  vetoed.  In  1760  a  new 
court  act  was  adopted,  which  provided,  among 
other  things,  that  no  person  should  be  appointed 
a  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court,  unless  he  had 
been  regularly  called  to  the  degree  of  an  outer 
barrister  in  some  of  the  English  Inns  of  Court; 
unless  he  were  of  five  years  standing,  and  had 
practiced  law  in  the  principle  Courts  of  Judica- 
ture of  the  Province.  The  act  also  required 
that  the  commissions  of  the  Judges  should  run 
during  good  behavior. 

The  Governor,  Dobbs,  held  that  the  clause 
defining  the  qualifications  of  the  Judges,  was 
an  unconstitutional  restraint  on  the  King's  pre- 
rogative, almost  precludeing  the  appointment  of 
any  one  from  England;  and  that  the  clause  de- 
fining the  tenure  of  the  Judges  was  at  variance 
with  the  principle  of  keeping  all  great  colonial 
officers  under  a  strict  subordination  to,  and  de- 
pendence on  the  Crown. 

The  Assembly  plead  earnestly  with  the  Gov- 
ernor, alleging  the  necessity  for  courts  of  Justice 
and  the  sacredness  of  the  right  they  contended 
for.  They  were,  indeed,  fighting  over  again  the 
parliamentary  battles  of  Hampden  and  Pym, 
for  regulated  liberty ;  and  they  fought  them  with 
a  courage,  an  intelligence,  and  a  dignity  worthy 
of  the  cause.  They  were  fighting  just  such 
battles  as  Massachusetts  had  fought  throughout 
her  whole  history,  and  which  constitute  her 
chiefest  glory. 

As  illustrative  of  the  Crown  officials  in  the 
Province,  and  as  throwing  further  light  upon  the 
causes  which  provoked  the  Regulation  move- 
ment, I  will  be  excused  for  presenting  more 
fully,  the  nature  of  this  controversy  between  the 
people  and  their  imported  rulers. 

Of  the  new  court  system,  which  was  intro- 
duced and  passed  in  the  Assembly  which  met 
at  Wilmington,  November  20,  1759,  Martin 
says  that  it  provided  for  the  establishment  of  a 
court  of  king's  bench  and  common  pleas.  It 
forbade  the  Chief  Justice  to  receive  any  part  of 


the  fees  of  the  clerks,  which  seems  to  have  been 
an  unauthorized  practice  of  that  eminent  person 
— or  rather,  of  one  or  more  persons  who  had 
held  the  office.  The  Council,  which  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Crown,  would  not  consent  to  the 
passage  of  the  bill  until  this  prohibition  was  ex- 
punged, which  that  body  held  to  be  derogatory 
of  the  dignity  of  the  Chief  Justice.  The  Assem- 
bly replied  that  ''  tJie  practice  wliicli  liad  Jiitherto 
prevailed  of  the  Chief  fustice  exacting  from  the 
Clerks  a  considerable  proportion  of  their  legal  fees, 
had  been  one  cause  of  their  being  guilty  of  great 
extortions,  whereby  the  Superior  Courts  had  be- 
come scenes  of  great  oppression,  and  the  con- 
duct of  Ihe  Chief  Justice  and  Clerks,  a  subject 
of  universal  complaint,  they  admitted  that  the 
late  Chief  Justice,  Peter  Henly  (whose  death 
was  lamented  by  all  who  wished  to  see  the  hand 
of  Government  strengthend,  the  laws  duly  exe- 
cuted and  justice  impartially  administered)  from 
a  pious  sense  of  the  obligations  of  his  oath,  had 
conformed  to  the  act  of  1748,  for  regulating 
officers  fees,  but  they  thought  themselves  bound 
in  duty  to  their  constituents  to  provide  against 
the  pernicious  effects  of  a  contrary  conduct." 

On  this  and  other  grounds  of  disagreements 
the  two  Houses  did  not  come  to  terms,  and  the 
bill  failed.  At  the  next  session  the  Assembly 
passed  a  court  bill  not  materially  different  from 
that  of  1759.  It  was  sent  up  accompanied  by 
an  address,  in  which  its  importance  to  the  welfare 
of  the  Province  was  urged. 

But  the  Governor,  who  was  very  anxious  to 
have  an  aid  bill  passed,  in  compliance  with  a 
demand  by  the  Crown,  for  the  prosecution  of 
the  war  against  the  French  and  Indians,  temper- 
ized  while  urging  the  paramount  duty  of  passing 
that  measure .  The  Assembly  prepared  an  ad- 
dress or  petition  to  the  King,  in  which  the  griev- 
ances of  the  Colony  were  strongly  set  forth,  and 
the  great  importance  of  the  "court  law"  was 
urged. 

In  the  same  address,  serious  complaints  were 
made  against  the  Governor,  Dobbs,  who,  it  was 


THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


XXXVll 


charged  had  appointed  corrupt  and  incompetent 
men  to  office. 

No  agreement  was  reached  and  the  Superior 
Court  bill  was  rejected. 

An  act,  however,  was  passed,  for  establishing 
county  courts,  accompanied  by  a  provision  for 
the  support  of  the  clergy ;  and  this  was  sanc- 
tioned. 

The  Governor  then  prorogued  the  Assembly, 
from  the  23d  to  the  26th  of  May;  when  he  again 
called  on  that  body  to  pass  a  Superior  Court 
bill,  and  grant  an  aid  to  the  King.  These  meas- 
ures were  accordingly  adopted  ;  and  the  Gover- 
nor gave  his  sanction  to  the  "Court  law"  on  the 
condition  that  if  the  King  did  not  confirm  it 
within  two  years  from  the  loth  of  November 
following,  it  was  to  be  null  and  void. 

In  December,  1761,  the  Lords  Comm'ssioners 
of  Trade  and  Plantations,  laid  the  Court  laws, 
passed  in  May  of  the  preceding  year,  before  the 
King  and  Council,  asking  the  royal  disallowance 
and  repeal ;  and  accordingly  the  act  was  annulled. 
The  Governor  was  severely  censured  for  allow- 
ing it  to  go  into  operation  before  it  received  the 
royal  sanction. 

In  1762,  a  Superior  Court  law,  temporary  in 
its  character,  was  agreed  upon  by  the  two  Houses, 
and  was  permitted  to  go  into  operation.  The 
Assembly  still  maintained  its  position  of  with- 
holding permanent  salaries  from  the  Judges.  In 
1764,  the  Act  was  renewed,  or  extended;  and 
in  1767,  a  new  Act  was  passed,  and  limited  to 
five  years  duration.  The  County  Court  law  was 
also  renewed,  and  continued  for  the  same  period. 
These   laws   would   therefore  expire  in  1772 — 


probably  at  the  close  of  that  year  ;  and  hence  it 
was  that  Mr.  Quincey,  in  February,  1773,  was 
correct  in  saying,  that  there  were  "no  Courts  of 
any  kind  in  the  Province,  and  no  laws  in  force 
by  which  they  could  be  held."  The  people  of 
all  the  Colonies  were  aware  of  this  state  of  things 
and  the  reason  for  it,  and  hence  he  deemed  it 
unnecessary  to  explain  them.  A  man  of  ordi- 
nary intelligence,  and  especially  one  who  assumes 
the  office  of  historical  critic — even  at  a  distance 
of  a  century — should  have,  at  least  surmised  as 
much. 

The  remark  quoted  from  Mr.  Bancroft,  on  a 
preceding  page,  that  whoever  doubts  the  capac- 
ity of  man  for  self-government,  should  study 
the  early  history  of  North  Carolina,  was  made 
with  reference  to  the  people  of  the  Albemarle 
settlement  during  the  Proprietary  Government ; 
but  its  truth  receives  additional,  and  even  fuller, 
illustration,  in  the  subsequent  career  of  the  Col- 
onists, when  they  had  spread  over  a  territory  as 
large  as  the  Mother  Country,  and  laid  the  foun- 
dations of  a  great  State.  No  true  man  can  read 
that  history  without  admiring  the  courage,  and 
the  unconquerable  firmness,  exhibited  under  the 
most  trj'ing  circumstances  with  which  they  vin- 
dicated their  rights  as  men.  The  whole  history 
of  the  Province,  from  1663  to  1776,  was  a  strug- 
gle of  the  people  against  arbitrary  power  and 
corrupt  administrative  officers ;  and  people  of 
the  present  day  who  imagine  that  Colonial  de- 
pendence in  the  17th  and  iSth  centuries  was  an 
easy  yoke  to  bear,  only  show  their  ignorance  of 
the  history  of  that  period. 


GERMANS  m  CABAERTJS. 


XXXIX 


-^^:^^^t^^^:^^S'^^^^f^^ 


EARLY  GERMAN  SETTLERS  IN  EASTERN    CABARRUS  COUNTY. 


An  Address  of  Gen.  Rufus  Barringer,  delivered  at  the  Lutheran   Commemoration   in   Concord, 

N.   C,    November  loth,  1883.* 


From  a  variety  of  causes,  so  far  as  I  can 
learn,  not  a  record  exists  exactly  fixing  the 
date  of  the  first  German  settlement  in  this 
section  of  North  Carolina,  nor  has  a  single  pen 
told  the  story  of  the  wanderings  of  our  Ger- 
man fathers  nor  the  part  tliey  bore  in  our 
early  wars. 

Less  than  five  generations  have  passed  away 
since  these  German  fathers  first  struck  the 
banks  of  the  Cold  Water  and  Dutch  Buffalo 
Creeks.  Yet  who,  in  this  large  assembly  can 
tell  when,  whence,  why,  and  how  these  hardy 
pioneers  came  ?  If  direct  from  Europe,  what 
part  ?  If  from  or  through  Pennsylvania,  what 
County?  What  routes  did  they  travel  ?  When 
and  where  was  the  first  settlement  made  ? 
And  especially  what  Avere  their  peculiar  char- 
acteristics ?  Did  they  have  any  distinct  reli- 
gious creed  ?  Any  known  political  polity  ? 
How  did  they  bear  themselves  in  the  nume- 
rous Indian  and  other  early  wars  ?  Especially 
in  the  great  revolutionary  struggle  for  free- 
dom and  independence,  what  troops  did  they 
furnish  ?  What  sufferings  and  losses  did.  they 
endure,  and  what  sacrifices  did  they  make  for 
the  cause  ?  Who  were  Whigs  and  who  Tories  ? 

All   interesting  questions  ;  the  very  doubt 


*The  reader  should  remember  that  many  of  these 
remarks  were  local  and  personal  and  understood  by 
the  audience  only. 


and  confusion  in  which  they  are  shrouded 
greatly  embarrasses  one.  I  shall,  therefore, 
rather  seek  to  excite  interest  and  enquiry  into 
the  subject  before  us  than  undertake  to  decide 
or  debate  disputed  issues.  If  I  should  chance 
to  fall  into  errors  of  any  kind,  I  will  be  only 
too  glad  to  be  fully  and  promptly  corrected. 
My  great  aim  is  historic  truth. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  main  enquiries,  it 
is  proper  to  disabuse  the  popular  mind  of  cer- 
tain prejudices  in  regard  to  the  so-called 
Dutch  or  Germans,  generally,  of  this  country 
and  more  particularly  as  regards  the  religious 
faith  and  fighting,  or  rather  non-resisting 
tenets,  of  certain  Teutonic  sects  amongst  us. 

It  is  true  that  many  of  the  earlier  Dutch  and 
German  colonists  were  non-armbearing  secta- 
rians, such  as  the  Mennonites  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, the  Moravians  here  in  North  Carolina, and 
the  Saltzbergers  in  Georgia.  But  there  were 
none  amongst  our  Germans.  From  the  days 
of  Braddock's  defeat  and  the  advent  of  Maj. 
George  Washington,  down  to  the  last  battle 
under  Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee,  our  Dutch  have 
proved  a  most  pugnacious  set. 

Then,  again,  the  first  German  settlers  are 
constantly  confounded  with  Hessians,  who 
fought  against  us,  and  numbers  of  whom,  after 
the  revolution,  found,  an  asylum  in  this  coun- 
try, and  were  not  unwelcome. 


d 


WHEELER'S  REMmiSCENCES. 


The  facts  are  these  :  The  Hessian  contin- 
gents of  George  III  came  from  a  region, 
and  were  raised  at  a  time,  when  the  bulk  of 
the  common  people,  the  world  over,  were  lit- 
tle better  than  beasts  of  burden  for  their 
rulers.  The  Swiss  Guards  were  not  the  only 
mercenaries.  They,  too,  came  from  the  only 
Republic  of  Europe.  But  these  Hessians  hap- 
pened to  be  mostly  Protestants.  The  mar- 
velous light  of  Luther's  teachings  had  struck 
deep  into  even  their  dark  minds.  General 
Washington,  with  that  tact  and  wisdom  pecu- 
liarly his  own,  readily  saw  this,  and  ventured 
to  turn  it  to  account.  He  accordingly  man- 
aged, when  any  of  these  Hessian  soldiers  were 
captured,  to  send  them  off  into  the  interior  of 
the  country,  and  quarter  them  upon  the 
soundest  German  settlements.  In  this  way 
many  of  them  were  very  naturally  left  in 
America.  Or  if  exchanged,  they  had  but  to 
take  the  chances  of  war,  to  release  them  from 
their  military  oaths  and  obligations.  This 
happened,  notabl}',  at  the  siege  and  surrender 
of  Savannah,  and  under  the  articles  of  Peace 
1782,  when  hundreds  of  these  Protestant  Hes- 
sians chose  to  remain  in  this  land  of  liberty, 
and  enjoy  the  untold  blessings  they  were  sur- 
prised to  lind  here.  They  very  sensibly  sought 
their  German  countrymen,  who  knew  the  facts 
of  their  case,  and  who  pitied  their  forlorn  con- 
dition. As  a  well-known  circumstance,  they 
almost  universally  make  good  citizens — strik- 
ingly faithful  to  every  trust  and  obligation. 
Hence  they  soon  intermarried  with  other  clas- 
ses, and  thus  it  happens  that  hundreds  of  those 
now  before  me,  are  the  descendants  of  the  once 
"Hated  Hessians." 

But  I  have  lately  obtained  information  quite 
curious  in  regard  to  these  Hessian  contingents: 
At  the  very  time  that  George  III.  was  gath- 
ering up  his  foreign  levies,  to  help  to  conquer 
us,  Silas  Deane,  the  American  Commissioner 
in  Germany,  was  offered  large  numbers  of  the 


same  people  to  fight  for  us;  and  only  an  acci- 
dent and  a  scarcity  of  money  defeated  the 
scheme.* 

Another  class  of  German  immigrants  who 
entered  largely  into  our  population  of  foreign 
descent,  and  who  ai'e  commonly  thought  to 
have  cast  a  stain  on  the  name  of  freedom, 
were  the  so-called  Redemptioners — a  term  now 
well  nigh  obsolete  in  popular  speech — but  once 
indicating  a  body  of  immigrants,  who  took  an 
eventful  part  in  the  development  of  this  New 
World.  The  term  was  first  used  in  connection 
with  white  indentured  apprentices.  It  was  af- 
terwards applied  to  a  lai-ge  class  of  very  poor 
emigrants,  who  could  not  pay  their  passage- 
money  to  America  in  cash  down  ;  but  who 
were  willing  to  enter  into  contracts  of  limited 
service,  on  their  arrival  here,  in  order  tore-im- 
burse  the  funds  advanced  for  that  purpose. 

Still  again,  it  was  an  artful  scheme  often  re- 
sorted to,  by  the  down -trodden  of  Europe,  to 
escape  the  thraldom  of  feudal  bondage. 

Some  of  our  first  German  settlers  no  doubt 
belonged  to  all  of  these  three  different  classes 
of  redemptioners.  A  few  of  the  most  promi- 
nent pioneers  certainly  came  in  the  way  last 
indicated. 

The  story  of  the  wrongs,  the  suflFerings,  the 
trials  and  troubles  of  these  humble  heroes,  is 
so  full  of  interest  and  instruction,  nay  of  sub- 
lime courage  and  christian  fortitude,  that  I 
pause  to  explain  it.  The  facts,  too,  shed  a  re- 
flected light  on  the  mooted  and  somewhat  mys- 
terious question  of  where  these  first  adventu- 
rous Germans  came  from,  and  of  their  national 
characteristics. 

In  one  of  the  quiet  out-tying  districts  of 
Wiirtemburg,  the  traveller  now  sees  standing 
a  plain  stone  pyramid,  erected  by  the  peasants 
of  German}'  in  1789,  as  a  monument  to  Prince 
Charles  Frederick  of  that  Duchy,  for  his  vol- 


*[See  Americau  Archives— series  5,— (1779),  vol.  Ill, 
page  887.] 


GERMANS  IN  CABARRUS. 


xli 


uutary  abolition  of  serfdom  in  that  year.     And 
its  simple  history  is  this: 

The  thunder  of  Luther's  fire  struck  deep  and 
fast  into  the  hearts  of  the  peasantry  class,  as 
you  have  heard  here  to-day.      This  resulted  in 
all  sorts  of  insurrectionary  outbreaks,  which  had 
to  be  put  down  by  force.     This  stayed  some- 
what the    progress    of   the    reformation    and 
grieved  Luther,     But  the  mighty  work  went 
on  and  soon  the  minds  and  consciences  of  men 
became  comparatively  free.      And  yet  it  was 
a  long  time  before  the  light  of  political  truth 
reached  the  jjrerogatives  of  power  and  property. 
At  that  time  very  few,  if  any,  of  the  peasant 
class,  as  such,  could  hold  real  estate  in  Central 
Europe.      On  the  contrary,  they    themselves 
were  often  bought  and  sold  with  the  land  they 
worked,    and  had  to  serve  their    landlords  a 
certain  number  of  days  each  week,  the  year 
round,  and  all  through  life.      The  Protestant 
peasants,  naturally  enough,  became  restive  un- 
der such  hard  and  cruel  restraints  and  restric- 
tions.    And  they  ere  long  sought  in  every  pos- 
silile  way  to  avoid  and  escape  them.     This  was 
next  to  impossible  to  do,  and  still  remain  in  the 
country.     But  to  flee  their  homes  was  also  ex- 
tremely hazardous.     The   law  of  expatriation 
was  not  then  fully  recognized,  and  all  sorts  of 
treaty  stipulations  and  alliances  provided  for 
their  recapture,  return  to  slavery,  and,  usually, 
a   bai-barous   beating    besides.     But    go   they 
would,  and  their  safest  course  was  stealth,  un- 
der this  scheme  of  indentured  apprenticeships. 
In  this  way,  the  young  men  could  gradually  re- 
move themselves  from  one  State  or  province  to 
another,  and  little  noticed,  reach  a  seaport;  and 
so  escape  to  America   or   some   other  foreign 
country  where  life,  liberty,  limb  and  land  were 
somewhat  free.     To  us  of  this  enlightened  age 
and  free  republican  government,  it    is  simply 
incredible   that   such  a  state  of  things  should 
have  existed  in  any  Christian  country,  espec- 
ially in  the  English  colonies,  less  than  one  hun- 


dred and  fifty  yeai's  ago.  But  so  it  was.  White 
men  not  only  indentured  themselves  as  ap- 
prentices, but  gladly  sold  their  persons  into 
long  but  limited  slavery,  for  the  blessed  privi- 
lege, or  chance  of  escaping  feudal  serfdom. 
But  listen  while  I  read  this  advertisement 
from  an  old  Philadelphia  newspaper.  The  Ariur 
icon  Mercury,  of  date  Xovemlier  28,  ]728: 

"Just  arrived  from  London,  in  the  ship  Bor- 
den, William  Harbert,  commander,  a  parcel  of 
young  likely  Men  Servants,  consisting  of  Hus- 
bandmen, Joyners,  Shoemakers,  Weavers, 
Smiths,  Brickmakers,  Bricklayers,  Sawyers, 
Tailors,  Staymakers,  Butchers,  Chairmakers, 
and  several  other  trades,  and  are  to  be  sold 
very  reasonable,  either  for  ready  money  ,wheat, 
bread  or  flour,  by  Edward  Home,  Philadel- 
phia." 

AmonsT  the  classes  thus  named  were,  no 
doubt,  the  ancestors  of  many  now  high  in  the 
Free  Citizenship  of  this  great  country,  and 
possibly  the  ancestors  of  some  of  those  present 
here  to-day.* 

After  the  American  revolution,  the  exodus 
from  Europe  under  this  i^rocess  was  enormous; 
so  much  so  as  almost  to  depopulate  certain 
German  States  and  countries,  notably  Wiir- 
temberg,  where  serfdom  was  so  absolute  and 
grinding.  Then  it  was,  in  1789,  that  the 
reigning  Grand  Duke,  Prince  Charles  Frede- 
rick, rose  to  the  supreme  height  of  voluntarily 
abolishing  all  serfdom  in  his  dominions.     And 


*It  was  tlie  honest  boast  of  tlio  clistiiiKuislied  Joliii 
Co\ode,  of  Peunsylviinia,  "that  his  father  had  been 
lield  as  a  Redemptioner." 

John  Reed,  the  discoverer  and  tirst  owner  of  the  fa 
raous  "Reed  gold  mine"  in  Cabarrus  Conuty,  was  one 
of  the  Hessians  of  tlic  Revolutionary  war.  He  died  a 
wealthy  man,  but  did  not  know,  when  lie  found  the 
first  lump  of  gold,  what  it  was  or  what  it  was  worth. 
Nor  did  he  know  until  he  was  more  than  eighty  years 
old  that  he  had  a  right  to  citizenship  in  this  country. 
He  was  naturalized  at  Concord  about  1843.  For  the 
discovery  of  the  Reed  gold  mine,  see  Wheeler's  Histoiy 
of  North  Carolina,  Vol.  II,  page  64. 


zlii 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


in  return,  a  grateful  Protestant  peasantry 
cheerfully  erected  this  simple  monument  to 
his  memory.  Wiirtemburg  again  prospered; 
population  grew  and  she  soon  became  a  king- 
dom. 

In  all  this  may  be  noticed  the  marked  char- 
acteristics of  the  German  mind  and  temper. 
According  to  their  light,  the  German  Princes 
generally  had  a  fatherly  love  for  their  people, 
and  the  latter,  ever  reverential  and  grateful,  ac- 
cepted the  great  boon  conferred  by  Providence 
not  in  a  spirit  of  fanatical  pride  and  resent- 
ment, but  as  a  gracious  concession  and  bless- 
ing. 

And  what  may  seem  strange  to  us,  as  touch- 
ing this  custom  of  voluntary  slavery,  no  sense 
of  degradation  seems  to  have  attached  to  it. 
It  simply  shows  that  parties  resorting  to  it, 
were  in  dead  earnest  to  reach  the  goal  of  free- 
dom, and  meant  real  work  and  business.  As 
just  and  proper  labor  contracts,  such  inden- 
tures were  almost  invariably  carried  out  in 
good  faith  by  all  parties  concerned. 

For  one,  therefore,  I  rather  commend  the 
patient  fortitude,  the  unfaltering  faith  and 
coui-age,  and  the  Christian  fidelity,  with  which 
certain  of  the  redemptioners  worked  their 
way  to  the  fertile  fields  of  the  Cold  Water 
and  Buffalo  Creeks.  As  the  darkest  shades 
often  reflect  the  most  beautiful  tints;  and  as 
the  purest  gold  is  usually  found  in  the  rough- 
est rock,  so  the  finest  characters  are  always 
evolved  through  the  severest  trials  and  tribula- 
tions. We  are  the  more  perfect  through 
suflFering.  Our  Redemptioner  fore-fathers 
had  realized  in  their  own  persons  the  inestim- 
able privileges  and  blessings  they  had  come  so 
far,  and  at  such  fearful  risks  and  sacrifices,  to  se- 
cure. The  sequel  will  show  that  when  the  day 
of  trial  came,  and  they  were  called  upon  to 
fight  for  their  dear-bought  benefits,  they  were 
equal  to  every  emergency. 

The  first  Germans  known  to   have   reached 


this  immediate  section,  now  called  the  Dutch 
Side,  consisted  of  three  young  farmers — all 
foreigners  and  probably  all  three  Redemption- 
era.  One  certainly  was,  and  he  the  best 
known,  a  man  in  fact,  of  rare  strength  of  will, 
and  singular  force  of  character.  He  was  a 
native  of  Wiirtemburg;  left  there,  with  the 
consent  of  his  father,  in  his  21st  year;  tarried 
a  while  in  Hanover;  finally  sailed  from  Rotter- 
dam in  the  ship  Phcenix,  and  landed  at  Phila- 
delphia Sept.  30th,  1743.  He  had  some  edu- 
cation but  no  money  or  friends.  He  left  home 
and  country,  because  he  was  not  allowed  to 
buy  or  hold  real  property.  His  term  of  ser- 
vice was  three  years;  but  he  worked  so  well, 
and  faithfully,  that  he  managed,  some  way,  to 
make  favor  with  his  master,  and  wiped  the 
whole  debt  out  in  one  short  year.  Whether 
he  married  his  master's  daughter,  or  some 
other  good  Pennsylvania  girl,  it  is  not  certain; 
but  she,  too,  was  poor;  and  he  often  told,  with 
much  glee  that  he  got  with  her  "just  one  sil- 
ver dollar." 

With  this  wife  and  two  small  children,  and 
accompanied  by  his  two  countrymen  and 
their  little  families,  the  youthful  Redemption- 
er, now  free,  set  out  from  Pennsylvania,  for 
the  rich  region  of  the  Yadkin  and  Catawba 
— then  the  aim  and  end  of  the  adventurous 
immigrant. 

When  this  trio  of  enterprising  Germans* 
started  on  their  perilous  march,  the  buffalo, 
bear  and  the  wolf  still  roamed  our  forests. 
The  savage  Indian  and  the  frontier  French 
often  marked  the  camping  grounds  of  the 
lonely  immigrant  with  the  blood  of  slaughtered 
innocents.  They  crossed  the  mountain  ridges 
and  the  flooded  streams  by  following  the  old 
buffalo  trail,  then  known  as  the  "  Indian  Trad- 
ing Path."  At  last  they  reached  the  end  of 
their  wanderings,  and  they  safely  forded  the 

*  The  names  of  these  three  pioneer  Germans  were 
Barringer,  the  grand-father  of  the  speaker,  Dry, 
(Derr/  and  Smith. 


GERMAI!^8  IE  CABAREUS. 


xliii 


broad  and  beautiful  Yadkin  at  the  "Trading 
Ford,"  the  sole  memorial  amongst  us,  of  this 
once    famous   "Indian  Trading   Path."       But 
here  a  new  difficulty  beset  these  peaceful  fugi- 
tives from  -the   land    of  the  "Broad-brimmed 
Quaker."     The  free  and  tolerant  principles  of 
Penn   had  gathered    into  his  Province,  all  the 
odds  and  ends  of  civil  and  religious  persecution, 
the    world   over.     Jarrings   and    conflicts  na- 
turally  ensued  ;  notably,  among  the   Scotch- 
Irish  and  some  of  the  quaint  Mennonites  of 
that  State.     When  our  German  friends  crossed 
the  Yadkin,  and  began    to  cast  their   wistful 
eyes  over  the  wide  plains  and  spreading  prai- 
ries of  this  lovely  region,  they  were  surprised 
to  find  the  Scotch-Irish  just   ahead   of  them. 
The   latter  had    occasional  squatters,   here 
and  there,  on  the  choicest  spots,  especially  on 
its  western  borders,  up  and  down  the  Catawba. 
Our  German  Pilgrims  had  seen  enough  of  strife 
and   resolved   to  "avoid  all  such."     They  ac- 
cordingl}'  abandoned  the  "Trading  Path,"  just 
east    of    the   present    site   of   Salisbury   and 
turned  square    to    the    left  and  followed  the 
right  bank  of  the  Yadkin,  down  towards  the 
lighter  slate  soils  of  that  broken  region.     They 
were  however,  not  afraid  of  their  Scotch-Irish 
allies,   in    the   mighty   struggle  to  subdue  the 
wilderness  and  enter  its  broad  acres.     So  they 
gradually  turned  their  steps  to  the  better  lands 
above  them,  and  finally  located  on  the  high 
ground  between    the  present  Cold  Water  and 
Buifalo  creeks.     The  exact  spot  was  the  old 
Ovenshine  place,  near  the  Henry  Propst  home- 
stead. 

How  long  these  people  had  resided  in  Penn- 
sylvania does  not  appear — long  enough,  how- 
ever, to  have  lost  somewhat  their  native  Ger- 
man, and  picked  up,*in  its  stead,  that  strange 
but  popular  gibberish  of  all  tongues,  univer- 
sally known  as  "  Pennsylvania  Dutch."  Our 
immigrants  themselves  were  called  Dutch. 
They  recognized  the  term  and  proceeded  to 


designate  their  surroundings  accordingly. 
Their  nomenclature,  however,  was  quite  limi- 
ted, and  they  usuall}'  followed  nature.  Hence 
we  have  Big  and  Little  Dutch  Buffalo,  Big 
and  Little  Bear  Creek,  Big  and  Little  Cold 
Water,  and  Jenny  Wolf  Branch.  Above  and 
west  of  them,  was  the  English  or  Irish  BulFalo, 
and  south  was  Johnson,  now  Rocky  River.  '• 

This  would  seem  to  have  been  a  long  time 
ago.  Ours  was  then  Bladen,  or  probably  Pee 
Dee  County — a  County  never  legally  recog- 
nized. But  after  all,  it  was  only  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  years  back — as  near  as  I  can 
fix  it — 1745-6.  One  hundred  and  fortyyears  ! 
Only  the  life-span  of  two  or  three  of  the  stout 
old  German  fathers.  And  yet  what  marked 
and  momentous  changes  have  taken  place 
amongst  us,  in  that  eventful  period  !  How 
the  panorama  of  history  has  crowded  upon  us, 
in  one  short  century  and  a  half  !  How  slowly 
time  has  passed  ;  and  how  utterly  the  foot- 
prints of  these  wandering  fathers  have  fled 
from  sight  and  memoiy !  They  numbered 
only  three  families,  and  their  nearest  neigh- 
bors, on  one  side,  were  sparse  settlers,  in  the 
present  limits  of  Popular  Tent  and  Coddle 
Creek,  and  on  the  other,  the  Highland  Scotch 
of  the  Pee  Dee  hills.  But  our  wanderers  were 
not  long  alone. 

Soon  the  news  of  a  goodly  land  flew  back, 
first  to  Pennsj'lvania,  and  then  on  to  the  far 
otf,  struggling,  toiling,  teeming,  millions  of  the 
war-racked  and  priest-ridden  Fatherland. 
And  now  they  poured  in  from  all  directions, 
mainly  still  from  and  -through  Pennsylvania, 
but  often  through  Charleston  and  occasionally 
through  Wilmington,  following  the  routes 
along  the  high  ridges  dividing  the  principal 
rivers.  And  it  was  thus,  that  this  particular 
section,  embracing  parts  of  the  present  Coun- 
ties of  Cabarrus,  Rowan  and  Stanly,  came  to 
be  so  rapidly  settled,  and  almost  exclusively  by 
Germans.     By  the  time  of  the  revolution,  the 


xliv 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


"  Dutch  side"  of  old  Mecklenburg  was  its  most 
densely  peopled  portion. 

I  here  propose  to  correct  a  partial  error,  into 
which  many  have  fallen  (at  one  time  myself,) 
in  regard  to  the  distinctive  nationality  of 
these  first  German  settlers.  They  are  often 
supposed  to  have  come  from  the  central  and 
northern  parts  of  Germany,  and  sometimes 
from  the  low  countries  of  Europe.  But  I  now 
have  ample  proof  that  they  came  from  the 
upper  or  Castle  Rhine  regions — "Wiirtemburg, 
Baden,  Bavaria,  and  the  ancient  Palatinate — 
so  mercilessly  wasted  by  that  grand  ogre  of 
France — miscalled  Louis  the  Great.  It  was 
the  fiercest  and  bloodiest  of  persecutions  that 
then  desolated  all  this  part  of  Southern  Ger- 
many, and  scattered  its  honest,  liberty  loving, 
intelligent,  industrious  Protestants  to  every 
quarter  of  the  globe.  And  I  am  able  to  state 
from  positive  knowledge,  that  the  common 
German  names  of  this  section,  so  numerous 
amongst  us  to-day,  are  all  now  found  in  the 
upper  Rhine  region,  referred  to,  notably  in 
and  around  the  skirts  of  the  Black  Forest  and 
its  borders. 

Our  familiar  name  of  Blackwelder  (German, 
Schwartzwalder)  means  not  black  ivood,  but  a 
Black  Forester.  So  the  names  of  Barnhart, 
Barrier,  Bost,  Dry,  Misenheimer,Propst,  Sides, 
Bosheimer,  Barringer,  and  hundreds  of  others 
are  there  to-day.  No  doubt  the  emigrants, 
and  especially  those  escaping  under  the  guise 
of  apprenticeships  or  as  indentured  servants, 
often  stopped  over  in  the  countries  through 
which  they  passed,  working  their  way  along. 
And  it  may  have  served  their  purpose  occas- 
ionally, to  hail  from  the  Continental  domin- 
ions of  the  Georges  of  England.  But  this 
much  is  certain,  very  few  of  them  were  Dutch 
proper,  or  natives  of  the  low  countries,  or  even 
the  level  parts  of  Germany.  Our  first  German 
settlers,  nearly  all  built  their  houses  on  reach- 
ing here,  on    the  high  grounds,  and  often  on 


the  tops  of  the  hills,  after  the  castle  times  of 
their  own  rugged  country.  Their  removal  to 
the  level  lands  and  bottoms  was  afterwards. 
But  be  that  as  it  may,  they  came  ;  they  came 
to  stay  ;  and  that  they  did  so,  is  fully  proved 
by  the  immense  numbers  of  their  descendants 
here  to-day,  and  the  vast  regions  the  "Dutch 
Side"  has  peopled  elsewhere.  They  were  a 
hardy,  healthful,  handy  race,  self-reliant,  self- 
helpful,  and  the}'  have  made  their  mark 
wherever  they  have  struck. 

The  intellectual  and  religious  qualities  of 
such  a  people  were  almost  sure  to  be  marked 
and  enduring.  Many  of  them  had  fought  in 
the  battles  of  Europe  ;  others  had  left  home 
and  country  for  conscience  sake  ;  all  had  en- 
dured toil,  suftering  and  sorrow  for  the  free- 
dom they  came  so  far  to  find.  They  learned 
to  live  almost  entirely  within  themselves. 
Their  wants  were  few  and  simple.  Only  two 
things  seemed  absolute  essentials:  (1.)  In  all 
their  wanderings — in  shipwreck  at  sea,  and  in 
storm  on  land  ;  in  serfdom  and  in  voluntary 
slavery  ;  under  the  iron  heel  of  Power  in 
Europe,  and  in  the  boundless  freedom  of  Amer- 
ica— they  clung  to  their  Luther  Bibles.  With- 
out an}'  distinctive  notions  of  formal  creeds, 
and  profoundly  indifferent  to  the  mere  forms 
of  religion,  they  grasped  the  fundamentals  of 
the  Bible  as  taught  by  Luther,  and  so  they 
lived  and  died.  (2.)  The}'  tolerated  no  idlers 
— no  drones  in  either  the  Church,  the  State,  or 
the  family.  In  fact,  however,  the  family  was 
everything.  With  a  proper  start  in  the  family, 
all  government  was  simple  and  easy.  There 
was  an  intense  regard  for  all  lawful  authoritj'. 
The  husband  and  father  felt  his  responsibility 
both  to  God  and  the  powers  that  be.  The 
wife  and  mother  was,  indeed  a  help-meet,  and 
shared  alike  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  the  hus- 
band. The  young  all  worked,  and  grew  up 
trained  and  skilled  in  every  ordinary  labor  and 
handicraft.     Both  sexes  were  strong  and  act- 


GERMAi^S  IN  CABAERUS. 


xlv 


ive — morally,  mentally,  and  physically.  The 
men  were  manly,  and  the  women  matronly. 
When  trials  and  troubles  came,  such  people 
knew  how  to  meet  them.  They  had,  at  last 
found  delightful  homes,  and  tasted  the  sweet 
freedom  they  had  so  much  longed  for.  And 
when,  therefore,  they  were  su.mmoned  to  de- 
fend those  homes  and  to  vindicate  the  rights 
and  privileges  they  had  secured,  no  people 
ever  responded  more  heroically. 

I  am  able  to  show  that  these  German  settlers 
participated  in  almost  every  expedition  against 
the  Indians,  and  that  they  took  a  very  active 
part  in  the  forced  march  of  General  Ruther- 
ford against  the  Cherokees  in  1776.  A  young 
German  was  one  of  the  verj^  few  killed  in  ac- 
tion on  that  expedition.* 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  the  settlers 
of  this  section  were  ever  disturbed  by  the 
French  enemy  on  our  distant  frontiers.  But  I 
have  here  (holding  it  up,)  a  petition  in  1756 
to  Governor  Dobbs,  from  the  Rowan  and  An- 
son settlers,  complaining  (among  other  things) 
of  the  dangers  that  threaten  them  from  the 
"  savage  Indians  in  the  interest  of  their  French 
allies."  Also  a  curiously  carved  powder-horn 
that  was  worn  by  Archibald  Woodsides  of 
Coddle  Creek, in  one  of  the  long  and  hazardous 
marches  against  Fort  Duquesne.  It  has  on  it 
a  good  description  of  ''Fort  Pitt  "  and  its  pic- 
turesque surroundings.  The  history  of  this 
singular  memorial  of  our  early  wars  is,  that  the 
owner  chanced  to  meet  in  one  of  his  marches 
with  German  soldiers  from  this  settlement, 
and  they  persuaded  him  to  return  with  them. 

But  I  come  now  and  chiefly  to  speak  of  the 
revolutionary  services  of  the  German  fathers. 
Here  the  evidence  is  full  and  complete.  But, 
unfortunately,  it  is  only  in  old  musty  army 
rolls,  not  accessible  to  the  general  public;  and 
no  one  has  been  found  to  tell  the  story  of  their 


'Matthias  Barringer  of  the  Catawba  family. 


deeds.  But  this  was  then  the  most  populous 
part  of  old  Mecklenburg;  and  it  was,  from  first 
to  last,  true,  indeed,  entirely  unanimous  in  its 
fidelity  to  the  great  cause  of  freedom  and  in- 
dependence. 

That  the  Germans  do  not  figure  prominently 
in  the  famous  meetings  at  Charlotte,  May  20, 
1775,   is   not    strange.     Their   settlement    lay- 
mainly  in  the  extreme  limits  of  the  old  County, 
with  numerous  intervening  streams,  and  scarce- 
ly any  roads.     They  spoke  a  different  language, 
and  nearly  all  their  trade   and  travel  was  in 
other  directions— with  Salisbury  on  the  north, 
with  Cross-creek  (now  Fayetteville)   on  the 
east,  and   Cheraw  Hills  and  Camden,  South 
Carolina,  to  the  south — the  three  last  thriving 
points  at  the  head  of  navigation,  on  their  re- 
spective rivers,  then  a  matter  of  vast  import- 
ance.    But  as  a  mere   truth,  the  hopes  of  the 
German    settlement,   then    centered    in    one 
leader,  Lt.-Col.  John  Phifer.     He  was  a  Swiss 
by  descent..    But  all  his  ties  and  associations 
w^ere  German.     His  mother  was  a  Blackwelder 
and  his  wife  a   Barringer.      He    was  an  un- 
usually bright  and  promising  man  and  soldier. 
The    meetings  were  held  at  the    Phifer  Red 
Hill,  three  miles  west  of  Concord.     He  was 
their  delegate  to  the  immortal  convention  that 
declared  Independence,  and  his  name  so  ap- 
pears.    But  he  died  early  in  the  struggle,  and 
in  his  youthful  grave  at  the  Red  Hill  seemed 
to  perish  the  hopes  of  his  people.     But  not  so. 
Old  and  young  continued  to  go  forth  to  swell 
the  ranks  of  both  the  regular  and   irregular 
forces.     I  have  examined  the  Muster  Rolls  and 
have    extracts   from  them,   and   they   clearly 
show    that    in   proportion    to   population    the 
Germans  were  very  largely  represented.     On 
the  Pension  Rolls  for  Cabarrus  County  in  1835, 
of  21  revolutionarj'  soldiers  still  drawing  pen- 
sions, 12  were  Germans.     And  old  men  now 
present  will  remember  that  when  the  "heroes 
of  1776  "  used  to  parade  together  at  the  20th 


xlvi 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


of  May  and  4th  of  July  celebrations,  the 
"  Dutch  Side  "  was  always  strong.  At  the  last 
of  these  parades  in  1839,  5  out  of  8  of  those 
present  were  of  German  blood.  The  Black- 
welder  family  alone  furnished  eight  tried  sol- 
diers to  the  cause. 

The  silence,  therefore,  of  the  Charlotte  meet- 
ings, and  the  absence  of  co-temporaneous  his- 
tory, as  to  the  Dutch  Side,  is  nothing  against 
it. 

There  is  a  story,  too,  which  shows  that  the 
Dutch  had  some  other  reason  for  not  attempt- 
ing to  make  any  display  in  the  Queen  City. 
It  is,  that  on  some  military  occasion,  a  Dutch 
captain  took  his  company  over  there,  and,  giv- 
ing his  commands  in  most  emphatic  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch,  the  Scotch-Irish  laughed  at  him. 
His  company  vowed  to  stand  by  their  Captain, 
and  refused  both  collectively  and  individually 
ever  to  go  back  to    Charlotte  again.     In  con- 
firmation of  this  story  I  have  here  an  old  Mus- 
ter KoU,  and  sure  enough  "  Martin  Fifer "  is 
the  Captain  !    Certain  it  is,  too,  that  at  a  very 
early  day  the  Dutch  demanded  a  new  County, 
and  at  the  first  election,  after   Cabarrus  was 
cut  oiF,  Caleb  Phifer  (the  son  of  Martin)  and 
John  Paul  Barringer  were  its  highly  honored 
Commoners.     So,   probably,   the    creation    of 
this  County  is  also  due  to  the  German  element. 
But  there  is  another  aspect  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary struggle,  decidedly  complimentary  to 
the  Germans  of  old  Mecklenburg,  and  adds  a 
new  laurel  to  her  crown. 

The  Dutch  Side,  from  their  isolated  and  re- 
mote situation,  might  have  easily  stood  aloof 
from  the  conflict,  and  so,  possibly,  have  escaped 
the  losses  and  sufferings  I  am  about  to  describe. 
But  they  chose  otherwise;  and  then,  their 
very  location  and  seclusion  exposed  them  to 
the  fiercest  ravages  of  war. 

Remember,  then,  the  surroundings  of  this 
German  settlement.  On  its  east  the  Scotch 
Highlanders  of  the  Cape  Fear  and  Pee  Dee 


country,  nearly  all  Loyalists,  enabled  the  Brit- 
ish to  extend  the  royal  rule  up  to  the  Narrows 
of  the  Yadkin.     On  its  south,  at  Cheraw  and 
Camden,    were    British    posts.     North    of  it^ 
across  the  Yadkin,  Fanning  and   his  infernal 
crew  roamed   almost   unmolested.     While   in 
the  Forks  of  the  Yadkin,  just  above,  the  able 
Tory  leader.  Col.  Samuel    Bryan,   held  a   well 
organized  regiment  of  800  men.     And   then' 
on  several  occasions  the   British    army   lay   at 
Charlotte  (twice)    and   at    Salisbury     (once). 
Now  history  shows  just    what    might   be    ex- 
pected in  such  a  situation  as  this.     While   in. 
deed,  no   great  armies  traversed   this  region, 
it  was  greatly  exposed  because  of  its  remote- 
ness and  isolation,  to  the  more  frightful  depre- 
dations of  irregular  and  lawless  bands  of  ma- 
rauders and  other  desperadoes,  passing  to  and 
fro.     It  is  a  historical  fact,  that  Col.    Bryan 
marched  his  whole  Tory  Regiment  of  800  men 
through  the  eastern  end  of  this  settlement,  to 
Cheraw,  S.  C,  spreading  fear  and    desolation 
in  all  directions.    It  is  equall}'  true,  that  when 
the  British  occupied  Salisbury,  several  parties 
of  Tories  and  Royalists,  from  the  east  of  Yad- 
kin, sought  to  join  Cornwallis,  but  were  driven 
back,  mainly  by  Home  Militia. 

But  the  one  expedition  that  still  lives  in 
the  memory  of  the  Dutch  Side,  and  never 
fails  to  fire  the  German  blood,  even  to  this  day, 
Avas  that  organized  by  the  Fanning  men  east 
of  the  Yadkin;  and  crossing  the  river,  swept 
this  German  settlement  in  its  whole  length, 
up,  and  down  the  two  Dutch  Buffalos,  and 
thence  on  to  the  British  post  at  Camden.  S.  C. 
They  robbed  hundreds  of  Whigs,destroyed  much 
property  in  purest  wantonness,  and  seized  and 
carried  off  to  British  prison,  under  most  brutal 
circumstances,  more  than  twenty  leading  citi- 
zens. In  this  number  was  Major  James  Smith, 
of  the  then  County  of  Rowan,  (now  Davidson,) 
a  regular  officer  at  home,  wounded,  and  Caleb 
Blackwelder    and   his   son-in-law,  Jno.   Paul 


GERMANS  m  CAEARRUS. 


xlvii 


Bamnger,  both  old  meu — far  past  the  mihtary 
age.  Smith  and  several  others  died  in  prison 
of  small  pox.  Blackwelder  and  Barringer  were 
promised  their  release  provided  some  mem- 
ber of  their  families  would  come  in  person, 
and  make  certain  pledges  as  to  their  conduct. 
No  male  of  either  family  could  risk  the  venture 
when  old  Mrs.  Blackwelder  mounted  her  horse 
and  went  herself  to  Camden,  on  the  hopeless 
errand.  She  failed  in  her  object,  and  m  its 
stead,  was  the  innocent  means,  through  her 
clothing,  of  spreading  the  small  pox  all  over 
the  country  she  passed,  and  far  and  near  among 
her  friends  at  home.  I  need  not  tell  this  au- 
dience, that  these  terrible  events  drew  the 
lines,  once  and  for  all,  between  Whig  and 
Tory  in  the  whole  Dutch  settlement.  Up  to 
that  time,  there  had  been  no  division  what- 
ever; no  man  who  had  ever  taken  protection,  or 
^iven  the  enemy  any  sort  of  aid  or  comfort, 
could  stay  on  the  Dutch  side  and  live.  Now 
two  individuals  were  charged  with  bad  faith 
or  infidelity.  One  of  them,  Rufus  Johnson, 
who  was  no  German,  simply  disappeared.  The 
other,  Jacob  Agner,  was  run  out  of  the  coun- 
try and  his  valuable  property — the  present 
House  Mill —  was  confiscated.  Of  one  or  two 
others  there  were  vague  suspicions  of  disloyalty, 
or  mean  cringing  in  the  hour  of  trial;  and  to 
this  day,  their  names  ai'e  mentioned  with  bated 
breath. 

Such,  my  friends,  is  the  proud  record  of  our 
German  ancestry. 

I  am  glad  of  the  occasion  to  pay  this  just  trib- 
ute to  their  noble  memory.  Especially  am  I 
happy  to  do  so,  on  this  day  commemorative  of 
the  immortal  Luther.  His  fame  belongs  to  all 
mankind.  But  in  its  simple  strength  and  en- 
during might,  it  is  strikingly  reflected  by  the 
unpretending  life,  and  elasticity  of  German 
character.  And  we  here  draw  a  most  instruc- 
tive and  useful  lesson.  It  marks  the  myster- 
ious workings  of  an  allwise  Providence. 


These  people  came  here  as  poor,  persecuted, 
wandering  exiles.  But  in  all  their  wanderings, 
they  were  an  honest,  sober,  industrious,  faith- 
ful, peaceful,  law-abiding.  God-fearing,  God- 
serving  and  God-loving  people.  Against  the 
early  Protestant  peasantry  of  Southern  Ger- 
many scarcely  aught  has  ever  been  said.  Re- 
specting just  authority,  and  rendering  proper 
obedience  themselves,  they  have  everywhere 
and  under  all  circumstances,  secured  confidence 
and  consideration.  Here,  in  this  distant  land, 
and  this  secluded  section,  they  are  able  to  de- 
velope  without  contact  with  that  effeminate 
degeneracies  of  the  outside  world,  or  the 
dangerous  tendencies  of  modern  civilization. 
You  see  the  result  in  an  enduring,  expanding, 
wide-spreading,  self-reliant,  and  ever  advanc- 
ing community.  They  had,  too,  their  sports 
and  amusements,  their  holiday's  and  gala-days, 
their  Easter  fun  and  Kris-Kingle  frolics;  but 
under  all,  life  had  a  serious,  an  intensely  earn- 
est aspect.  Even  their  sports  and  amusements 
partook  rather  of  skill  and  labor,  than  dissipa- 
tion and  debauchery,  such  as  quiltings,  spin- 
ning matches,corn-shucking,  log-rolling,  house- 
raisings  and  the  like;  all  tending  to  manly 
vigor  and  modest  woman-hood.  In  their  out- 
door hunts  and  games  we  discern  the  same 
harmless  tendencies.  In  an  old  unprinted 
diary  I  have  before  me,  kept  by  a  sort  of 
trader  and  traveller  of  the  revolution ar}-  era, 
I  find  the  fox  and  deer  skins  came  mainly  from 
the  English  and  Irish,  while  the  Dutch  are 
death  on  coons  ! 

In  the  family,  especially,  each  and  all  felt  the 
responsibilities  resting  upon  them.  Old  and 
young  had  their  assigned  spheres  and  duties. 
Male  and  female  learned  some  test  of  skill,  art 
or  handiwork.  Life  was  not  all  one  strain  at 
display,  nor  one  round  of  frivolity  and  frolic. 
There  was  in  their  family  government  a  won- 
derful combination  of  duty,  devotion,  and  dis- 
cipline, with  proper  rest  and   recreation.  In  a 


xlviii 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


word,  the  family  with  them,  combined  the 
State,  the  Chm'ch,  and  the  School.  And  the 
training  was  more  in  the  family  than  in  the 
school.  Again,  see  the  result.  They  bought 
but  little,  and  sold  much.  They  made  no  debts 
or  contracts  they  did  not  expect  to  pay  or  ex- 
ecute. They  scorned  to  live  on  the  labor  or  fa- 
vor of  others.  And  as  a  consequence,  they 
were  a  gallant,  brave,  and  publicrspirited  com- 
munity. They  and  their  descendants  have  ever 
stood  to  the  front  in  the  time  of  trial  and 
danger.  In  the  war  of  1812,  in  the  Mexicdn 
war,  and  in  the  great  Confederate  conflict, 
they  rallied  to  the  bugle-blast,  in  hundreds 
and  thousands.  They  have  not  onl\'  main- 
tained their  ground  at  home,  but  the^^  almost 
peopled  the  regions  round  about  them,  and  set- 
tled, in  turn,  whole  sections  in  distant  States 
and  Territories.  I  honestly  and  iirmly  believe 
that  nmch  of  this  success  and  great  prosperit}^, 
is  eminently  due  to  the  sound,  civil,  religious, 
and  family  training  of  the  early  fathers;  and 
that,  under  the  providence  of  God,  it  has  its 
power  and  strength  in  their  deep  devotion  to 
to  the  simple  Protestant  faith,  as  taught  by 
Luther. 

But  let  it  not  be  supposed,  mj'  friends,  that 
I  have  lost  faith  in  our  modern  civilization, 
and  that  I  would  live  only  in  the  past.  On  the 
contrary,  I  believe  implicitly  in  the  progress 
of  human  society.  There  is  only  one  thing  I 
dread:  There  is  too  much  liberty — too  much 
license  and  licentiousness.  The  home,  the  school, 
society,  the  State,  and  the  Church — each  and 


all — seem  to  me  to  pander  too  much — greatly 
too  much — to  the  false  sentimentalism  of  the 
day. 

Life  is  all  sensation  and  pretense.  Relig- 
ion, morality,  and  the  simple  virtues  of  truth 
and  honesty  are  powerfully  preached;  but  their 
practice  is  much  more  doubtful. 

Nor  would  I,  by  anj'  means,  imply  that  the 
descendants  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  "Dutch 
Side"  have  in  any  way,  declined  or  deteriora- 
ted. On  the  contrary,  while  Germans  are, 
usually,  not  pretentious,  or  ambitious  of  place 
or  position,  these  people  have  always  and  every- 
where held  their  ground.  And  as  a  striking 
fact,  they  have  ever  managed  to  get  their  full 
share  of  the  best  land  in  the  country.  And  I 
am  happy  to  learn  from  others,  the  evidence 
of  your  good  faith,  energy  and  industry.  A 
distinguished  judge,  who  has  often  ridden  all 
over  the  State,  pronounces  the  tillage  and  ' 
thrift  of  Mt.  Pleasant  region  the  best  in  North 
Carolina.  And  a  prominent  Gentile  physician 
says  the  Dutch  Side  is  still  the  best  paying 
people  we  have.  My  prayer  is,  that  you  may 
go  on  m  well-doing.  Neither  individuals  or 
communities  can  hope  to  prosper  without  these 
virtues.  And,  withal,  may  you  never  cease 
to  cherish  the  memory  of  the  Fathers,  and 
practice,  as  they  did,  the  precepts  of  the  pure 
and  lowly  Jesus,  as  preached  by  the  mighty 
Luther,  whose  thunders  are  still  shaking  prin- 
cipalities, kingdoms  and  crowns,  and  subduing 
commonwealths  and  continents. 


DK.  EDWARD  WARREN  (BEY). 


xlix 


A    BlOGEAPHICAL    SKETCH    OF    Dr.    EdWARD     WaRREN    (Bey). 


The  eminence  in  his  profession  attained  by 
Dr.  Edward  Warren  (Bey)  and  the  promi- 
nence he  has  acquired  in  the  two  hemispheres, 
commends  the  following  most  interesting  sketch 
to  the  readers  oi' these  Reminiscences  of  Emment 
North  Carolinians,  we  make  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  Medical  Journal  of  North  Caro- 
lina; it  has  been  enlarged  and  continued  to  date 
of  this  pulilication,  and  is  eminently  tit  to  be 
preserved  in  this  form. 

Dr.  Edward  Warren  (Bey)  was  born  in 
Tyrrell  County,  North  Carolina,  on  the  22nd 
of  January,  1828,  of  parents  who  emigrated 
from  Virginia,  and  who  belonged  to  two  of 
the  oldest  and  most  distinguished  families  of 
that  State.  His  father,  Dr.  Wm.  C.  Warren, 
was  also  a  physician  of  eminence  and  a  man  of 
unusual  intelligence  and  purity  of  character. 

When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only 
four  years  of  age,  his  father  removed  him  with 
his  famil3^  to  Edenton,  North  Carolina,  where 
the  son  was  educated  up  to  his  sixteenth  year, 
when  he  was  sent  to  the  Fairfax  Institute, 
near  Alexandria,  Virginia;  and  two  years  af- 
terwards to  the  University  of  Virginia.  In 
the  latter  institution  he  greatly  distinguished 
himself,  having  secured  honors  and  diplomas 
in  many  of  its  Academic  Schools,  and  having 
graduated  after  a  single  course  in  its  Medical 
Department.  In  1850  he  delivered  the  vale- 
dictory oration    before    the   Jefferson  Society, 

which  was  then  esteemed  the  honor  of  the  Col- 
lege. 

In  1851  he  graduated  in  the  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal College  of  Philadelphia,  and  whilst  pursuing 
his  studies  in  that  city,  conceived  the  idea  of  injecting 
a  solution  of  morphia  under  the  skin  for  the  relief 
of  pain,  using  for  the  purpose  a  lancet-puncture,  and 
Anel's  syringe.  In  this  mode  of  medication,  he  was 
therefore,  four  years  in  advance  of  the  inventor  of 
the  hypodermic  syringe. 


This  device  was  made  the  subject  of  a  thesis 
prepared  for  presentation  to  the  Faculty  upon 
applying  for  his  degree,  but  one  of  the  Pro- 
fessors, to  whom  he  had  confided  the  idea,  so 
forcibly  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  was  both 
chimerical  and  dangerous,  that  the  thesis  was 
witheld  and  another  substituted  in  its  place. 

Dr.  Warren,  however,  soon  after  his  grad 
nation,  found  occasion  to  put  his  idea  into  prac- 
tical operation. 

During  thej'ears  of  1854  and  1855  he  studied 
medicine  in  Paris,  where  he  formed  an  inti- 
mate friendship  with  some  of  the  leading 
medical  men  of  France,  and  occupied  himself 
by  corresponding  with  The  American  Journal 
of  Medical  Sciences,  and  other  leading  American 
Medical  Journals. 

Returning  to  America  in  the  summer  of 
1855,  he  settled  as  a  practitioner  in  Edenton, 
N.  C,  where  he  soon  acquired  an  extended 
reputation,  both  as  a  physician  and  as  a  sui'- 
geon.  In  1856  he  delivered  the  annual  address 
before  the  State  Medical  Society,  which  was 
most  favorably  received,  and  also  obtained 
the  "Fiske  Fund  Prize"  for  an  essay  on  the 
"Effects  of  Pregnancy  on  the  Development  of 
Tuberculosis,"  which  was  subsequently  pub- 
lished in  book  form,  and  has  ever  since  been 
regarded  as  a  leading  work  on  the  subject. 

In  1857  he  was  elected  editor  of  the  Med- 
ical Journal  of  North  Carolina;  made  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Gynsecological  Society  of  Boston ; 
and  chosen  a  delegate  from  the  American  Med- 
ical Society  of  Paris  to  the  American  Medical 
Association. 

On  the  16th  of  November  of  the  same  year, 
he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Cotten  Johnstone, 
of  Edenton,  a  lady  of  rare  beauty  and  most 
lovely  character.  By  referring  to  Wheeler^s  His- 
tory of  North  Carolina,  it  will  also  be  seen  that 
the  Johnstones   are  directly   descended  from 


1 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


two  Royal  Governors  of  the  Colony,  Gabriel 
and  Saml.  Johnstone,  who  were  cousins  and  the 
representatives  of  the  Cadet  branch  of  the 
family  of  Annan  dale  in  the  Peerage  of  Scotland. 

In  1860  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Materia 
Medica  and  Therapeutics  in  the  University  of 
Maryland;  first  Vice-President  of  the  Conven- 
tion to  revise  the  Pharmacopoea  of  the  United 
States;  and  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Literature  of  the  American  Medical  Aseocia- 
tion.  He  at  once  acquired  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion in  the  city  of  Baltimore  as  a  graceful, 
fluent  and  able  lecturer. 

In  1861  he  joined  his  fortunes  with  those  of 
the  South,  and  was,  successively.  Chief  Sur- 
geon of  the  Navy  of  North  Carolina:  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  to  examine  candidates  for  ad- 
mission into  the  Medical  Stafi"  of  the  Confed- 
erate Army;  Medical  Director  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Cape  Fear;  Chief  Medical  Inspec- 
tor of  the  Department  of  Northern  Virginia 
(Gen  Lee's  Army;)  and  Surgeon-General  of 
the  State  of  North  Carolina. 

Two  of  these  positions  were  conferred  upon 
him  on  the  field  of  battle  as  rewards  for  per- 
sonal courage  and  professional  work.  At  the 
battle  of  New  Berne,  although  at  that  time  on 
medical  board  duty  at  Goldsborough,  Dr. 
Warren  volunteered  his  services  and  remained 
under  fire  with  the  wounded,  under  circum- 
stances of  peculiar  difficulty  and  danger.  For 
this  he  was  made  Medical  Director  of  the  De- 
partment of  Cape  Fear. 

Upon  the  battle-field  of  Mechanicsville,  in 
1862,  while  again  acting  as  volunteer  surgeon, 
he  was  verbally  appointed  by  Gen.  Lee,  Med- 
ical Director  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Vir- 
ginia; but  knowing  that  Surgeon  Guild,  who 
ranked  him,  was  but  a  few  rods  distant.  Dr. 
"Warren  called  the  General's  attention  to  the 
fact,  and  Surgeon  Guild  was  made  Medical 
Director,  and  upon  his  immediate  suggestion 
Dr  "Warren  was  retained  as  Medical  Inspector. 


By  a  special  act  of  the  Legislature  of  North 
Carolina  his  rank  as  chief  medical  officer  of  the 
State  was  raisedfroni  that  of '"Colonel"  to  that 
of  "Brigadier-General;"  for  "devoted  and  effi- 
cient services  rendered  to  the  sick  and  wound- 
ed." He  was  also  chosen  by  the  Legislature  one 
of  the  Trustees  of  the  University  of  North  Car- 
olina. 

During  the  war  he  wrote  a  work  entitled 
"Surgery  for  Field  and  Hospital,"  which  passed 
through  two  editions.  Among  many  other 
valuable  suggestions  which  this  book  contained, 
was  that  for  the  treatment  of  "retracting  flaps 
and  conical  stump,"  by  means  of  extension 
with  "adhesive  strap,  with  cord  and  weight "- 
a  procedure  which  is  now  very  widely  adopted, 
and  the  origination  of  which,  after  much  dis- 
cussion in  the  journals,  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  has  been  finally  conceded  to  Dr.  War- 
ren. 

This  method  was  put  into  practical  opera- 
tion in  the  hospital  of  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia, as  early  as  August,  1861,  whereas  Dr. 
Hodges,  of  St.  LouiB,  who  alone  seriously  dis- 
puted the  priority,  finally  and  very  courteously 
acknowledged  Dr.  Warren's  claim,  stating  that 
his  own  first  use  of  the  method  was  in  1863. 

Subsequently,  in  a  controversy  conducted 
in  the  London  Lancet,  the  claims  were  again 
settled  in  Dr.  Warren's  favor,  by  the  publica- 
tion of  an  extract  upon  the  subject  taken  from 
the  book  which  had  been  published  during  the 
war. 

In  the  summer  of  1865,  Dr.  Warren  re- 
turned to  Baltimore,  ruined  in  fortune  by  the 
results  of  the  war,  and  expecting  to  resume  his 
Professorship  in  the  University  of  Maryland. 
A  refusal  to  return  the  chair  to  Dr.  Warren 
furnished  sufficient  ground  for  legal  proceedings 
by  mandamus  or  quo  loarranto,  but  in  view  of 
the  ruined  fortunes  of  the  contestants  and  of 
the  financial  and  social  influence  of  the  Fac- 
ulty, the  suit  promised  to  De  a  protracted  one, 


BR.  EDWARD  WARREN  (BEY). 


li 


and  as  the  practical  benefits  to  be  gained  in 
the  event  of  success  were  so  small,  it  was  con- 
cluded not  to  resort  to  the  Courts  but  to  leave 
the  issue  to  public  opinion,  which  it  was 
thought  fully  sustained  Dr.  Warren. 

Then  came  one  of  the  most  brilliant  efforts 
in  the  life  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  Under 
his  direction  the  Washington  University  Med- 
ical School  was  revived,  rising  like  a  phcenix, 
putting  itself  at  once  on  a  plane  with  the  old 
University,  which  in  the  eftbrt  to  maintain  its 
lead  made  fundamental  changes  in  its  man- 
agement and  in  the  personnel  of  its  Faculty. 

Dr.  Warren  filled  the  chair  of  Surgery  in 
the  Washington  College  with  great  brilliancy  ^ 
and  became  the  idol  of  the  large  number  of  stu- 
dents who  resorted  annually  to  the  school. 

When  a  law  was  passed  creating  a  board 
for  the  examination  and  registration  of  the 
physicians  of  the  State,  he  was  made  a  mem- 
ber of  it.  He  was  also  elected  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society  of 
Maryland.  In  1868  he  established  The  Med- 
ical Bulletin — a  journal  which  obtained  an  ex- 
tensive circulation. 

In  1872  he  appeared  as  principal  medical  ex- 
pert for  the  defense  in  the  celebrated  Whar- 
ton trial.  The  circumstances  of  this  trial  were 
full  of  absorbing  interest,  it  being  characterized 
by  great  divergence  of  professional  opinion 
among  the  physicians  and  chemists  engaged  in 
it. 

General  Ketchum  was  an  eccentric  old  bach- 
elor who  died  in  the  house  of  his  friend,  Mrs. 
Wharton,  a  lady  of  wealth  and  high  social  po- 
sition. He  was  attended  during  his  short  ill- 
ness by  a  physician  whose  line  of  treatment 
was  somewhat  varied,  but  who,  although  he 
did  not  arrive  at  a  positive  diagnosis,  for  some 
cause  requested  that  an  autopsy  should  be  per- 
mitted. A  thorough  examination  was  not 
made  of  the  rachidean  and  cranial  cavities,  and 
Bome  of  the  abdominal  viscera'  was  submitted 


to  an  antiquated  chemist,  who,  after  a  very 
slovenly  analysis,  pronounced  the  presence  of 
antimony,  and  upon  this  an  indictment  was 
found  against  Mrs.  Wharton.  Dr.  Warren  was 
then  requested,  "in  the  interest  of  truth  and 
justice,"  to  examine  the  medical  testimony 
taken  by  the  grand  jury,  and  he  promptlj'  de- 
clared that  the  symptoms  described  by  the  at- 
tending physicians  and  nurses  were  more  tj'p- 
ical  of  a  certain  form  of  cerebro-spinal  menin- 
gitis than  of  antimonial  poisoning.  Resting 
upon  this,  and  upon  the  evidence  of  the  in- 
sufiiciency  of  the  chemical  analysis,  the  de- 
fense went  to  trial,  with  the  result  of  a  prompt 
verdict  in  favor  of  the  accused. 

Dr.  Warren  acquitted  himself  with  great  dis- 
tinction on  the  witness  stand,  receiving  con- 
gratulations and  moral  support  from  a  host  of 
medical  men  both  at  home  and  abroad;  and 
although  he  had  opposed  to  him  a  number  of 
gentlemen  of  recognized  professional  ability,  it 
was  conceded  on  all  sides  that  he  came  off  with 
the  advantage,  his  testimony — which  was  bril- 
liant in  the  opportunity  for  retorts  afforded  by 
the  cross-examination — losing  none  of  its  force 
from  the  assaults  of  the  experts  for  the  prose- 
cution. Thi?  is  fully  borne  out  by  letters  and 
telegrams  spontaneously  sent  to  Dr.  Warren, 
aftqr  the  trial,  by  Dr.  Fordyce  Barker,  of  New 
York,  Dr.  Stevenson,  of  London,  and  many 
other  prominent  medical  men,  and  even  by  the 
Hon.  A.  K,  Syester,  Attorney-General  for  the 
State  of  Maryland,  who  personally  conducted 
the  prosecution  of  the  case.  Support,  so  un- 
solicited, and  from  such  unbiassed  sources, 
speaks  volumes  for  the  acumen  and  ability  of 
Dr.  Warren.  Those  from  the  medical  men  are 
all  uniform  in  declaring  that  Gen.  Ketchum's 
symptoms  could  not  have  been  caused  by  tar- 
tar emetic,but  more  resembled  those  of  cerebro- 
spinal meningitis;  and  the  letters  received 
from  chemists  declare  that  the  chemical  evi- 
dence   for  the    State   utterly    "broke   down. 


lii 


WHEELER'S  REMmiSCENCES. 


While  the  hmits  of  this  slietch  do  not  permit 
the  publication  of  these  communications,  it 
seems  appropriate  to  reproduce  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  from  Professor  Ford^^ce 
Barker,  who  is  so  favorably  known  for  his  high 
personal  character  and  great  professional  learn- 
ing and  ability : 

"In  all  my  long  experience  I  have  never  met  witb 
anytliing'  which  displayed  more  thorough  research 
and  sounder  logical  reasoning  than  tlie  testimony 
which  you  have  just  given  in  the  Wliarton-Ketchum 
case;  and  I  am  sure  that  intelligent,  thinking  men, 
both  in  and  out  of  the  profession,  will  agree  with  me 
in  this  opinion.  When  I  read  the  evidence  given  by 
the  medical  attendants  during  the  sieliuess  of  Gen- 
eral Ketchnm,  1  said  that  it  was  absurd  to  ascribe  his 
death  to  poisoniug  from  r«rf ;  Antimonii.  1  came  to 
the  cunclusioD,  some  days  before  you  gam  your  testi- 
mony, that  he  Aied  of  cerebro-spiual  meningitis,  and 
expressed  that  conviction  wlienever  the  case  was  the 
subject  of  conversation." 

One  incident  in  this  case  attracted  a  good 
deal  of  attention  and  brought  man}'  compli- 
ments from  the  daily  press  :  it  was  a  rencountre 
between  the  Attorney-General,  Mr.  Syester, 
and  the  witness,  and  is  given  here  as  extracted 
from  the  phonographical  reports  in  the  New 
York  newspapers  : 

Attorney- General. — "Where  will  this  lead  to, 
Dr.  Warren?" 

Doctor  Warren. — "  It  is  impossible  to  tell,  as 
the  hypothesis  itself  is  absurd." 

Attorney- General. — ■■'  But  you  medical  men 
ought  to  know  all  about  these  jjiedu-a?  matters." 

Doctor    Warren. — "We    know,   at    least,   as 

much  about  these  medical  matters  as  you  law- 
yers." 

Attorney- General. — (Springing  from  his  seat, 
and  with  great  emphasis.)  "But  you  doctors 
have  the  advantage  of  us  ;  you  bury  your  mistakes 
under  the  earth." 

Doctor  Warren.. — "  Yes,  but  you  lawyers  hang 
your  mistakes  in  the  air." 

This  reply  "  brought  down  the  house"  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  judges  had  to  adjourn 
Court  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  so  as  to  give  the 
officers  an  opportunity  to  restore  order. 

In  attestation  of  the  impression  made  upon 


the    Attorney-General,   the   following   letter 

was  written  by  that  gentleman  to  Dr.  Warren 

upon   the    eve    of  his  departure  for   Egypt,  a 

shoi't  time  after  the  trial  : 

From  the  Attorney-General  of  the  State  of  Maryland. 

.  State  of  Maryland, 

OiHce  of  Attorney -General. 

Hagerstown,  March  35,  1873. 

My  Dear  Doctor: — I  cannot  describe  the  unfeigned 
regret  I  experience  in  your  loss  to  ns  all,  especially  to 
me ;  for  although  I  have  not  seen  and  been  with  you 
as  much  as  I  desii-ed — I  always  looked  forward  with 
pleasure  to  sometime  when  our  engagements  would 
permit  a  closer  acquaintance,  and  become  warmed  into 
a  firmer  and  more  fervid  friendship.  I  dare  not  in- 
dulge the  hope  of  hearing  from  you  in  your  new  posi- 
tion, but  not  many  things  would  prove  more  agree- 
able to  me.  Present  my  compliments  to  your  wife. 
That  you  and  she  may  ever  be  contented  and  happy 
iu  life,  that  you  may  be  as  prosperous  as  your  great 
talent  and  unequalled  acquirements  so  richly  de- 
serve, is  the  earnest  hope  of 

Your  Immble,  but  undeviating  friend, 

A.  K.  SYESTER. 

In  1872,  Dr.  Warren  was  chosen  Chair- 
man of  the  Section  of  Surgery  of  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association,  and  presented  to 
that  body  a  new  "Splint  for  Fractures  of  the 
Clavical,"  which  attracted  much  attention,  and 
really  is  an  apparatus  of  great  utility.  Whilst 
it  retains  the  fragments  in  opposition  and  gives 
no  inconvenience  to  the  patient,  it  permits  all 
the  normal  movements  of  the  forearm.  Hav- 
ing retired  from  the  faculty  of  the  Washing- 
ton University,  he  then  devoted  himself  to  the 
organization  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  which  has  finally  absorbed  the  former, 
and  attracts  classes  as  large  as  those  of  any 
schooHn  Baltimore.  The  institution  has  wisely 
retained  Dr.  Warren's  name  at  the  head  of  the 
list  of  Professors,  as  Emeritus  Professor  of  Sur- 
gery. 

Having  become  dissatisfied  in  Baltimore  on 
account  of  a  severe  domestic  affliction,  he  de- 
termined to  remove  elsewhere.  His  first  idea 
was  to  procure  a  professorship  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  a  neighboring  city,  and  with  that  end 
in  view  he  presented  to  its  Faculty,  testimo- 
nials of  recommendation  from  a  number  of  the 


N 


BR.  EDWAED  WAEREN  (BEY). 


lui 


most  promiuent  physicians  in  the  United 
States.  Among  the  letters  sent  to  the  Doctor 
for  use  in  this  connection,  there  were  several, 
which,  from  the  distinguished  reputation  of 
their  authors,  and  the  enthusiastic  manner  in 
which  they  indorsed  Dr.  Warren,  seem  espe- 
cially to  deserve  a  reproduction  here — space 
will,  however,  only  permit  the  publication  of 
the  following : — 

From  Professor  8.  I).  Gross. 

Philadelphia  May  Stit,  1872. 

My  Dear  Dr.  Warreu: — It  is  difficult  for  me  to  say 
anytliingrespect'ngone  who  is  so  well  known  tliroujjli- 
out  the  country  as  a  gentleman,  a  practitioner,  and  a 
teacher  of  medicine.  Any  medical  school  ouglit,  I  am 
sure,  to  be  proud  to  give  you  a  place  in  its  Faculty. 
As  a  teacher  of  surgery — ott'-hand,  ready,  and  even 
brilliant — there  is  no  one  in  theleountry  that  surpasses 
yon.  As  an  operator  and  a  general-practitioner,  your 
ability  has  long  been  everywhere  recognized.  Your 
success  as  a  popular  lecturer  has  been  remarkably 
great.  As  a  journalist  you  have  wielded  a  ready  and 
graceful  pen.  Some  of  your  operations  reflect  great 
credit  upon  your  judgment  and  .skill.  Of  your  moral 
character,  I  have  never  heard  anything  but  what  was 
good  and  honorable. 

I  hope  with  all  ray  heart  you  may  obtain  a  position 
in  one  of  the  New  York  Scho<ds.  Youi  great  popu- 
larity in  the  .Southern  States  Could  not  fail  to  lie  of 
service  in  drawing  Southern  Student.-!.  My  only  re- 
gret is  that  we  have  no  place  to  ofler  you  in  Philadel- 
phia. 

Wishing  you  eveiy  possible  success,  I  am,  dear  doc- 
tor, very  truly  your  friend. 

S.  D.  GROSS, 

Professor  of  Surgery,  Jefferson  Medical  Collecje- 

Professor  Edward  Warren, 

Baltimore,  Md. 

From  Professor  Hunter  Mc&uire. 

Richmond  Va.,  May  10th,  1872. 

Gentlemen: — I  beg  leave  to  state  that  Dr.  Warren 
enjoys  a  most  enviable  reputation  both  as  a  physician 
and  as  a  gentleman,  and  from  all  I  know  and  have 
heard  of  him,  I  have  no  doubt  he  would  prove  a  most 
valuable  addition  to  any  college.  Dr.  Warren  held  a 
prominent  position  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
Confederate  Army,  and  enjoyed  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  all  who  associated  with  him.  He  has  re- 
cently resigned  the  chair  in  one  of  the  medical  scliools 
of  Baltimore.  He  fill'd  this  chair  with  great  ability 
and  attracted  to  the  school  a  large  number  of  students, 
especially  from  his  native  State,  Norih  Carolina, 
Very  respectfully,  etc., 

HUNTER  McGUIRE,  M.  D. 

Professor  of  Surgery.  Medical  College  of  Virginia. 

To  the  Trustees  of  the 

University  of  New  York. 

From  Hon.  E.  J.  Henkle. 

Baltimore  May  15th,  1872. 

Dear  Sir: — I  have  been  informed  that  my  friend, 
Prof.  Edward  Warren,  recently  Professor  of  Surgery 


in  the  Washington  University  in  this  place,  is  an  ap- 
plicant for  the  same  position  in  the  Uuiver.sity  of  New 
York. 

I  have  known  Dr.  Warren  for  many  years  past ;  first, 
previous  to  the  war,  when  Professor  of  Mateiia  Med- 
ica  in  the  University  of  Maryland,  which  position  to 
my  personal  knowledge,  he  filled  in  a  most  acceptable 
manner  to  both  faculty  and  students. 
Since  the  war  and  the  reorganization  of  the  Washing- 
ton University,  he  has  resided  in  Baltimore  and  tilled 
the  Chair  of  .Surgery.  In  the  capacity  of  President 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  that  Institution,  I  have 
been  thrown  in  frequent  and  intimate  intercourse  with 
him,  and  I  lake  pleasure  in  testifying  to  his  great  zeal 
and  ability,  and  to  his  success  as  a  lecturer  and  teacher. 
Dr.  Warren  has  always  been  regarded  in  Baltimore  as 
a  most  popular  and  efficient  lecturer,  exceedingly 
popular  with  the  students,  and  untiring  in  his  efforts 
to  promote  the  success  of  the  institution  with  which 
he  has  been  identified.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  York  would  be  most  fortunate  in  se- 
curing his  valuable  services.    Very  truly  yours, 

E.  J.  HENKLE, 

President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Washington  University,  M.  I). 

Prof.  Henry  Draper,  New  Y'ork  City. 

From  Professor  W.  H.  McGuffey,  of  the  LTniversity  oj 
Virginia. 

U.  OF  Va.,  May  18th,  1872. 

TO    THE    1  ACULTV    OF    THE     DNIVERSITY    MEDICAL 
COLLEGE  OF  NEW  YORK. 

Gentlemen  : — It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  recom- 
mend to  your  favorable  consideration  Dr.  Edward 
Warren. 

I  have  known  Dr.  Warren  from  his  boyliood,  and 
can  testify  to  his  excellent  cliar.acter,  fine  talents,  in- 
doininitable  perseverence  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge 
and  the  discharge  of  professional  duty. 

Dr.  Warren's  attaiTiments  are  of  a  high  order  in  gen- 
uine scliohirship.  He  made  unusual  proficiency  in 
Moral  Pliiloso])hy,  and  graduated  also  with  distinc- 
tion in  other  schools  in  the  University,  Va. 

Of  liis  professioiuvl  attainments  I  am  not  competent 
to  judge,  but  I  know  that  he  has  been  successful  when 
compntition  was  intense,  and  I  learn  from  others, 
competent  to  judge,  that  he  has  every  qualification  to 
ensur<'  success  in  the  Cluiir  of  Surgery,  and  the  place 
which  I  learn  he  seeks  in  your  institution. 
Very  respectfully,  &c., 

W.  H.  McGUFFEY, 

Prof.  Moral  Philosophy,  U.  of  Va. 

Unfortunately  no  vacancy  existed  at  the 
time,  and  his  efforts  in  this  regard  proved  abor- 
tive In  1873  he  accepted  a  position  in  the 
service  of  the  Khedive  and  removed  to  Egypt, 
having  been  urgently  recommended  for  it  by 
General  R.  E.  Lee,  General  Sherman,  General 
G.  W.  Smith,  General  Hancock,  Governor  Z.  B. 
Vance,  Hon.  M.  C.  Butler,  General  Gary,  and 
other  leading  gentlemen  in  the  United  States. 

As  soon  as  the  President  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  heard  of  his  intended  de- 


liv 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


parture,  he  sent  him  a  commission  as  a  Delegate 
to  all  the  Medical  Societies  of  Europe  ;  Drs. 
Gross,  Pan  coast  and  other  prominent  Ameri- 
can physicians  gave  him  kind  and  most  flatter- 
ing letters  of  introduction  to  the  leading  med- 
ical men  in  Europe  ;  and  on  the  evening  before 
he  left  Baltimore,  a  number  of  its  first  citizens 
tendered  him  a  public  dinner  at  Barnums' 
vt^hich  was  one  of  the  most  successful  and  bril- 
liant aftairs  of  its  kind  that  ever  came  off  in 
that  city. 

His  career  in  Egypt,  though  rendered  brief 
by  an  attack  of  opthalmia,  vs^as  signally  brilliant^ 

Having  been  appointed  Chief  Surgeon  of  the 
General  Staff,  he  soon  had  an  opportunity  of 
treating  successfully  the  Minister  of  War  for 
strangulated  hernia,  who  immediately  officially 
requested  the  Kh(5dive  to  honor  Dr.  Wan-en 
with  the  Decoration  of  the  Medjdi6  and  the 
title  of  Bey — which,  when  conferred,  as  it  was 
in  this  instance,  by  royal  charter,  ennobles  its 
possessor  and  his  family;  and  in  less  than  a 
year  from  his  arrival  in  the  country,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  highest  medical  posi- 
tion known  in  the  service  of  the  Khedive,  that 
of  Surgeon  in  Chief  of  the  Egyptian  Army. 

The  incident  connected  with  his  treatment 
of  Kassim  Pasha,  who  was  the  Minister  of  War, 
shows  so  well  the  moral  force  which  enabled 
Dr.  Warren  to  perform  his  duty  in  the  face  of 
discouraging  circumstances,  and  serves  to  illus- 
trate in  such  an  interesting  way,  certain  phases 
of  his  life  in  Egypt,  that  it  is  given  in  full  as 
related  by  the  doctor. 

"  Kassim  Pasha  was  over  60  years  old,  and  very  fat, 
and  had  direct  iuguinal  hernia,  which  the  surgeons 
of  Cairo  failed  to  reduce  after  laboring  over  it  three 
days.  After  he  had  been  abandoned  to  die  and  the 
preparations  for  his  funeral  were  progressing,  I  was 
permitted  to  see  the  case.  Finding  that  stercoraceous 
vomiting  had  just  begun,  and  persuaded  tliat  the  pro- 
found depression  which  others  mistook  for  the  eftects 
of  the  disease,  was  mainly  due  to  the  injections  of  an 
infusion  of  tobacco  whicn  they  had  employed  to  in- 
duce relaxation,  I  declared  the  case  not  a  hopeless  one 
and  undertook  to  treat  it.  Having  stimulated  the 
Pasha  freely  with  brandy  and  water — which  the  na- 
tives consider  unholy  treatment — I  had  the  gratilica- 
tion  of  seeing  some  reaction  established;  and  deter- 


mined to  administer  chloroform,  and  either  to  reduce 
the  tumor  by  taxis,  or  to  perform  herniotomy,  if  neces- 
sary. I  found  however,  very  great  difliculty  in  getting 
auy  medical  man  to  assist  me.  They  all  retired  and 
said  that  they  would  have  '  nothing  to  do  with  the 
murder  of  the  Pasha.'  The  Harem,  through  its  repre- 
sentative, the  Chief  Eunuch,  declared  that  1  should 
not  proceed  until  the  private  physician  of  the  Khedive 
— a  Frenchman — had  given  his  consent.  He  was  ac- 
cordingly sent  for  and  asked  what  he  thought  of  the 
measure  which  I  proposed  He  replied  that  he  be- 
lieved the  Pasha  would  die  inevitably,  but  he  was  in 
favor  of  permitting  me  to  proceed,  as  every  man  was 
entitled  to  his  chance.  I  then  requested  nira  to  aid 
me  to  the  extent  of  administering  chloroform.  This 
he  agreed  to  do  on  condition  that  I  would  assume  all 
the  responsibility  of  the  case,  and  give  him  time  to 
dispatch  a  messenger  to  the  Khedive,  informing  him 
upon  what  terms  he  had  consented  to  aid  me.  In  the 
presence  of  all  the  priwcipal  Pashas  and  Beys  of  the 
country,  and  the  highest  officials  of  the  Court,  the 
Minister  was  removed  from  his  bed  and  placed  upon 
a  mattress  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  None  of  the 
female  portion  of  the  household  were  present ;  but 
they  were  represented  by  the  Chief  Eunuch,  who  stood 
at  the  feet  of  the  invalid,  shouting  Allah  !  Allah  !  ! 
Allah  !  !  !  whilst  from  the  latticed  Harem  in  the  rear 
there  came  continually  that  peculiar  wail  which  seems 
to  form  the  principal  feature  in  the  mourning 
of  the  East.  With  the  exception  of  the  French 
physician,  above  referred  to,  all  the  surgeons  had 
deserted  the  chamber,  and  stood  in  the  little  gar- 
den outside  of  the  house,  some  praying  that  the  sick 
man  might  be  saved,  but  the  majority  cursing  the 
stranger  who  had  the  temerity  to  undertake  that 
which  they  had  pronounced  impossible. 

"  At  this  moment  the  Chief  of  the  Staff  took  me 
aside  and  said  :  '  Dr.  Warren,  consider  well  what  you 
are  undertaking;  success  means  honor  and  fortune  in 
this  countrj,  whilst /«(7i/»-e  means  ruin  to  you  and  in- 
jury to  those  who  are  identified  with  you. '  I  replied: 
'  I  thank  you  for  your  caution  ;  but  I  was  taught  by 
my  father  to  disregard  all  personal  considerations  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  to  think  only  of  tbein- 
terests  of  my  patients.  I  shall  therefore  do  what  my 
professional  duty  requires  for  the  sick  man  and  let 
the  consequences  take  care  of  themselves. '  Having 
made  all  the  preperatious  necessary  to  perform  herni- 
otomy, should  that  operation  become  necessary,  I 
boldiv  administered  chloroform,  although  the  patient 
was  still  in  a  state  of  great  depression.  To  my  delight 
auiethesia  was  promptly  developed,  while  the  circula- 
tion improved  with  every  inspiration — just  as  I  have 
seen  it  improve  in  some  cases  of  shock  up<m  the  battle- 
tield.  Contiding  then  the  administration  of  the  chlo- 
roform to  the  French  physician,  above  referred  to,  I 
proceeded  to  examine  the  tumor  and  attempt  its  re- 
duction. I  found  an  immense  hydrocele  and  by  the 
side  of  it  a  hernia  of  no  unusual  dimensions — which  by 
rather  a  forcible  manipulation  I  completely  reduced, 
after  a  few  moments  of  effort.  By  this  time  the  sur- 
geons, unable  to  restrain  their  curiosity,  had  entered 
the  room  and  crowded  around  me,  anxiously  awaiting 
the  failure  which  they  had  so  blatantly  predicted. 
Turning  to  Mehemet-Ali-Bey — the  Professor  of  Sur- 
gery in  the  Medical  School  of  Cairo — I  said  to  him  : 
'  The  hernia  is  reduced,  as  you  can  see  by  pushing 
your  finger  into  the  external  ring.'  '  Excuse  me,'  said 
he,  in  the  most  supercilious  manner,  'you  have  under- 
taken to  cure  Kassim  Pasha  and  I  can  give  you  no 
help  in  the  matter.'  My  French  friend  immediatelv 
introduced  his  finger  into  the  ring  and  said:  'Gentle- 
men, he  needs  no  help  from  anyone;  the  hernia  is  re- 
duced and  the  Pasha  is  saved.'  The  doctors  slunk 
away  utterly  discomfitted ;  the  Eunuchs,  Pashas,  Beys, 


DR.  EDWARD  WARREN  fBEY). 


It 


and  officers  uttered  loud  cries  of  'Hamdallah  !  Ham- 
dallah  !  !  Kismet  !  Kismet !  !  Kismet  !  !  !  '  (Tliaiilc 
God  !  Thank  God  !  !  It  is  fate  !  It  it  fate  !  ! )  aud  the 
Harem  in  the  rear,  catching  the  inspiration  of  tlie 
scene,  sent  up  a  shout  of  joy  which  sounded  like  the 
war-lioop  of  a  vrliole  tribe  of  Indians.  In  a  moment  I 
•was  seized  by  the  Chief  Eunuch,  embraced  in  the  most 
impressive  manner  and  kissed  upon  either  cheek — an 
example  which  was  immediately  followed  by  a  num- 
ber of  those  present ; —  and  1  found  mj-self  suddeuly 
tlie  most  famous  man  in  tlie  country.  The  Pasha  at 
once  had  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Kliedive  narrating 
what  I  had  done  tor  him,  and  asking  that  I  might  be 
decorated  and  made  a  Bey.  His  Highness  sent  for  me, 
thanked  me  warmly  for  having  saved  the  lite  of  his 
favorite  Minister,  and  said  lie  was  happy  to  honor  one 
who  had  done  so  well  for  him  ;  the  Harem  of  the  pa- 
tient presented  me  with  a  beautiful  gold  watch  and 
chain  ;  my  house  was  thronged  afterwards  with  the 
highest  dignitaries  of  the  country  who  came  to  thank 
and  congratulate  me  ;  and  I  immediately  secured  an 
immense  practice  amongtbe  natives — including  nearly 
every  incurable  case  in  Cairo. 


The  spectacle  of  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land 
without  support,  undertaking  duties  which  had 
deeu  declined  by  others,  and  boldly  pushing 
forward,  in  spite  of  the  jealous  mutterings 
which  fell  upon  his  ears,  has  something  of  true 
sublimity  in  it,  and  should  make  us  appreciate 
the  benignant  nature  of  that  moral  and  ethical 
code  under  whose  guidance  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  acquired  that  devotion  to  duty  which 
enabled  him  to  dare  and  do.  For,  behold  the 
alternative,  which,  surely,  he  must  have  recog- 
nised :-had  he  failed,  and  had  the  Pasha  died, 
his  audacity  would  have  wrought  his  ruin, 
and  he  would  have  been  driven  from  the  land 
in  disgrace. 

As  it  was,  however  this  signal  triumph  re- 
sulted in  Dr.  Warren  being  made  the  ''Chief 
Surgeon  of  the  Egyptian  Army."  Colonel 
William  McE.  C.  Dye-formely  an  officer  in  the 
United  States  Army  and  late  a  Colonel  of  the 
Egyptian  Staff-  in  his  interesting  book  en- 
titled,  "Moslem  Egypt  and  Christian  Abyssinia,'" 
refers  in  the  following  terms  to  Dr.  Warren's 
career  in  Egypt:  "Dr.  Edward  Warren,  Chief 
Surgeon  of  the  Staff,  by  performing  a  surgical 
operation  on  the  Minister  of  War  for  a  com- 
plaint that  had  bafHed  the  skill  and  courage  of 
the  other  Cairo  surgeons,  and  by  his  energy 
in  the  erection  of  hospitals  aud  his  faithful 


discharge  of  other  duties,  established  a  repu- 
tation which  soon  lifted  him  into  place  as  Sur- 
geon-in-Chief  of  the  Army;"  and  the  London 
Lancet  chronicled  his  success  and  advancement 
in  these  terms:  "VVe  understand  that  M.  Ed- 
ward Warren  of  Cairo  has  l^een  promoted  by 
his  Highness  the  EHiedive  of  Egypt  to  the  po- 
sition of  Chief  Surgeon  of  the  Egyptian  Army. 
Mr.  Warren's  promotion  in  the  East  has  been 
exceptionally  rapid." 

In  1875,  having  obtained  a  furlough  for  six 
months,  he  visited  Paris  for  the  purpose  of  se- 
curing proper  treatment  for  his  eyes,  and,  on 
being  informed  by  the  leading  occulists  that  a 
longer  residence  in  Egypt  would  involve  the 
loss  of  his  left  eye,  he  obtained  an  honorable 
discharge  from  the  service  of  the  Khedive 
who,  in  view  of  the  services  which  Dr.  War- 
ren had  rendered  in  Egypt,  treated  him  with 
great  consideration  and  kindness. 

Through  the  influence  of  his  own  well-es- 
tablished reputation,  aided  by  the  cordial  en- 
dorsement of  his  friends,  Drs.  Charcot  and 
Ricord,  of  Paris  ;  Sir  James  Paget,  Alfred, 
Swain  Taylor,  and  Dr.  Stevenson,  of  London  ; 
Drs.  Fordyee  Barker  and  J.  J.  Crane,  of  New 
York;  Professors  Gross  and  Pancoast,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, he  was  soon  able  to  commence  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Paris  as  a  Licentiate  of 
the  University  of  France,  a  very  great  compli- 
ment in  itself,  and  one  rarely  paid  to  a  for- 
eigner. 

Dr.  Warren's  success  in  Paris  has  been  ex- 
ceptionally rapid  and  brilliant.  Practice  and 
honors  have  flowed  in  an  unbroken  stream 
upon  him.  Foreigners  of  all  nationlaities  and 
of  the  highest  titles  have  been  as  ready  to 
avail  themselves  of  his  professional  skill  as 
have  been  his  fellow-countrymen.  The  Lon- 
don Lancet  promptly  secured  him  as  its  "Spe- 
cial Correspondent."  The  Ottoman  Govern- 
ment confided  to  him  the  delicate  task  of  se- 
lecting surgeons  and  raising  contributions  for 


M 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


the  wounded  in  the  recent  war  with  Russia.  lie 
received  a  special  invitation  to  participate  in 
the  International  Medical  Congress  which  re- 
cently assembled  in  Philadelphiajlieing  the  only 
American  residing  abroad  who  was  thus  hon- 
ored. The  College  of  Physcians  and  Surgeons 
of  Baltimore  made  him  a  Master  nf  Surf/iTi/  at 
a  late  commencement.  The  Governor  of  North 
Carolina  made  him  a  'Special  Commissioner" 
to  the  Paris  Exposition  ;  while  the  Commis- 
sioner-General of  the  United  States  appointed 
him  the  Medical  Officer  of  his  Commission , 
and  the  French  Government  awarded  him  a 
"medal  of  merit"  for  the  services  which  he 
rendered  in  these  regards.  The  Spanish  Gov- 
crment,  in  1877,  created  him  a  Knight  of  the 
Order  of  Isabella  the  Catholic,  as  a  reward  for 
the  professional  skill  displayed  in  the  success- 
ful treatment  of  a  Spaniard  of  high  position. 
The  French  Government,  in  1879,  created  liiiu 
a  Chevalier  of  the  National  Order  of  the  Le. 
gion  of  Honor,  as  a  special  mark  of  distinction 
for  his  professional  devotion  and  work  in 
France.  The  Egyptian  Government,  in  1882,' 
made  him  a  "Commander  of  the  Imperial 
Order  of  the  Osmanlie/'  for  "valuable  and 
important  services  rendered  in  Egypt  and  for 
great  Medical  skill  displayed  in  Paris."  He 
has  recently  been  made  an  Officer  of  the  Order 
of  the  redemption  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  an 
Officer  of  the  Ro^-al  Order  of  the  Samaritan  of 
Geneva— all  as  rewards  for  professional  services 
and  successes.  He  was  also  selected  b}'  the 
American  Medical  Association  as  one  of  its 
delegates  to  the  International  Medical  Con- 
gress which  recently  assembled  in  London  and 
has  been  made  a  member  of  the  Historical  So- 
ciety of  Virginia  and  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Christian  Philosophy,  respectively,  and 
the  University  of  North  Carolina  at  the  last 
Commencement,  conferred  upon  him  the  title 
of  Doctor  of  Laws  (LL.  D.) 


The  following  letter  announces  the  accession 
of  tliis  lionor. 

Univkrsity  of  North  Carolina, 

Chapel  Hill,  N.  C,  June  20th  1884. 

Dr.  Edward  Wakren  (Bev). 

Sir: — In  recojjuition  ot  your  distinguished  abilitjr 
and  learning,  and  services  to  humanity,  the  Board  of 
Trustees  and  the  Faculty  of  the  University  of  North 
Carolina  have  unaninioiisly  conferred  on  you  tlie hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  [LL.  D.] 

Tliey  hope  tliat  you  will  accept  this  evidence  of  the 
regard  of  the  University  of  your  native  State. 

I  liave  the  honor  to  be,  your  obedient  servant. 

KEMP   P.  BATTLE,  President 

While  space  does  not  permit  the  publication 
in  this  connection  of  the  multitudinotis  essays, 
reports,  lectures,  letters,  addresses,  etc.,  which 
have  emanated  from  his  prolitic  pen  and  ac- 
tive brain,  enough  has  been  said  of  Dr.  War- 
ren to  justify  the  statement  with  which  a  distin- 
guished American  surgeon  (Professor  S.  D. 
Gross,  of  Philadelphia)  concludes  a  letter  in 
regard  to  him — viz.:  "from  these  facts  it  is 
plain  that  he  (Dr.  Warren)  has  performed  a 
great  deal  of  work,  that  he  is  a  man  of  indom- 
itable energy;  that  he  possesses  great  and  varied 
talents  ;  and  that  he  has  enjoyed  a  large  share 
of  professional  and  public  confidence."  Surely, 
no  North  Carolinian  has  had  a  more  brilliant 
and  remarkable  record,  or  one  which  the  State 
has  a  greater  right  to  regard  with  pride  and 
admiration. 

Dr.  Warren's  general  culture  and  his  great 
literary  ability  are  widely  known.  His  prose 
writings  are  lucid  and  chaste,  though  suf- 
ficiently ornate  to  be  very  attractive.  His  far- 
flights  into  the  domain  of  poesy  attest  a  ricli 
imagination,  and  considerable  knowledge  of 
rhythm  and  versification. 

In  politics  the  Warren  family  were  old  line 
Whigs,  and  the  Doctor's  affiliation  brought 
him  into  intimate  relations  with  North  Caro- 
lina's great  war  Governor,  Zebulon  B.  Vance, 
which  time  has  only  served  to  ripen  into  an 
afl'ectionate  and  endming  friendship. 


THE  BLOUNT  FAMILY. 


Ivii 


Genealogy  of  the   Blount  Family. 


The   late   Gov.  Henry  T.  Clark   considered 

this  the  oldest  of  North  Carolina  families.  No 
family,  he  believed,  whose  name  is  still  extant 
as  a  family-name  in  North  Carolina,  came  into 
the  Province  so  early  as  James  Blount,  who 
settled  in  Chowan  in  1669.  This  James 
Blount  is  said  to  have  been  a  younger  son  of 
Sir  Walter  Blount,  of  Sodington,  Worcester- 
shire, England,  and  a  Captain  in  Charles  I's 
Life  Guards.  His  Coat  of  Arms  engraved  on 
a  copper  plate,  which  he  brought  with  him, 
was  in  the  possession  of  his  descendants  until 
about  the  year  1840,  when  it  was  destroyed 
by  its  possessor,  the  late  James  B.  Shepard  of 
Raleigh.  A  cut  of  it  is  given  above,  taken 
from  an  impression  of  the  original  plate. 

For  convenience,  the  family  may  be  divided 
into  two  branches;  the  descendants  of  James, 
the  Chowan  Blounts,  and  the  descendants  of 
his  younger  brother  who  settled  about  Choc- 
owinity  in  Beaufort    County,   the   Taw  River 


*To  be  read  in  connection  with  pages  130-133. 


Blounts.  The  latter  is  much  the  more  numer- 
ous branch  of  the  family,  and  has  become  too 
extensively  spread  throughout  the  Southern 
and  South- Western  States,  to  be  fully  traced 
here.  This  brief  genealogy  is  complied  chief- 
ly from  the  family  Bible  of  the  Edenton  fam- 
ily of  Blounts,  and  from  a  Manuscript  by  the 
late  Thomas  H.  Blount  of  Beaufort,  and  is  as 
accurate  as  such  accounts  can  ordinarily  be 
made. 

THE    CHOWAN    BLOUNTS. 

James  Blount,  who  settled  in  Chowan  in 
1669,  on  a  tract  of  land  which  remained  in 
the  possession  of  his  descendants  until  the 
death  of  Clement  Hall  Blount  in  1842,  was  a 
man  of  some  prominence  in  his  day.  He  is 
spoken  of  in  contemporary  documents  as  a 
member  of  the  Governor's  Council,  as  one  of 
the  Burgesses  of  Chowan,  and  as  a  leading 
character  in  the  infant  and  very  disorderly 
Colony.     He  left  one  son,  John. 

This  John  Blount  (I)  born  1669:  died  1725, 


Iviii 


WIIEELEE'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


left  ten  children,  six  daughters  and  four  sons. 
Three  of  the  daughters  married  and  left  de- 
scendants in  Hyde  County  and  about  Roanoke 
Island.  They  are  the  "Worleys,  Midgets  and 
Manns.     The  sons  were — 

I.  John  (11)  born  1706,  married  and  left 
three  sons  and  two  daughters: 

(a)  JamesBlount,who  married  Ann  Hall  and 
and  left  three  children:  Clement  Hall  Blount 
(died  aninarried  in  1842);  Sarah,  left  no  issue; 
and  Frederick  Blount,  his  eldest  son  who  mar- 
ried Eachel  Bryan,  (nee  Herritage)  and  left 
among  others,  Frederick  S.  Blount,  who  moved 
to  Alabama  and  became  the  father  of  a  large 
family,  Alexander  Clement  Blount,  and 
Herritage  Wistar  Blount  of  Lenoir  County. 

(b)  Wilson  Blount. 

(c)  Fredrick  Blount,  whose  daughter  Mary 
(died  1856)  married  Wm.  Shepard  of  New 
Berne  and  bore  him  Wm.  B.,  Charles  B.,  and 
James  B.  Shepard,  Mrs.  John  H.  Bryan,  of 
Raleigh,  Mrs.  Ebenezer  Pettigrew,  and  several 
others. 

(d)Elizabeth,  married  J.  B.  Beasle3^ 
(e)  Marj^  married  Rev.  Charles  Pettigrew 
1st  Bishop  (elect)  of  N.  C.  and  left  two 
sons,  one  of  whom,  Ebenezer  became  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress;  married  Ann  Shepard  of 
New  Berne,  and  left  several  children :  the  Rev. 
William  S.  Pettigrew,  General  James  John- 
ston Pettigrew,  Chai'les  L.  Pettigrew  and  two 
daughters. 

II.  Thomas  born  1709,  left  one  daughter 
Winifred,  who  married  Hon.  Whitmel  Hill 
of  Martin.  Among  their  numerous  descendants 
are  Thomas  Blount  Hill  Esq.  of  Hillsboro'  and 
the  family  of  the  late  Whitmel  J.  Hill  of  Scot- 
land Neck. 

III.  James,  born  1710,  left  two  daughters; 
(a)  Nancy  married  Dempsey  Connor  (son  of 
Dempsey  Connor  and  Mary  Pendleton,  great- 
granddaughter  of  Governor  Archdale )  and  left 


one  daughter  Frances  Clark  Pollock  Connor, 
married  Ist,  Joseph  Blount  (III)  and  2nd, 
Wm.  Hill,  late  Secretary  of  State  of  North 
Carolina;  and  (b)  Betsy  who  was  married  to 
Jeremiah  Vail. 

IV.  Joseph  (I)  born  1715,  died  1777,  who 
married  1st,  Sarah  Durant,  born  1718,  died 
1751, (a  descendant  of  George  Durant,  the  first 
known  English  settler  in  N.  C. )  and  left  only 
one  child  Sarah,  (born  1747,  died  1807,)  who 
married  in  1771,  William  Littlejohn,by  whom 
she  became  the  mother  of  a  lai'ge  family,  well 
known  in  this  and  other  Southern  States.  Atter 
the  death  of  hisfirst  wife,  Joseph  Blount(I)mar- 
ried,  (1752)  Elizabeth  Suarboro,  by  whom  he 
had(besidesone  son,  Lemuel  Edwards,  drowned 
at  sea  in  1778)  one  son: 

Joseph  Blount  (II)  born  1755,  died  1794, 
who  married  1st,  (1775)  Lydia  Bonner,  and 
left  two  children : 

fa)  John  Bonner  Blount,  born  1777,  married 
Mary  Mutter:  they  were  the  parents  of  Thomas 
M.  Blount,  late  of  Washington  citj'  ( whose  son, 
Maj.  Thomas  M.  Blount  was  killed  at  Malvern 
Hill),  of  Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Blount,  Mrs.  Henry 
Hoyt  and  Mrs.  James  Treadwell  of  Washing- 
ton N.  C.  and  of  Mrs.  Henry  M.  Daniel,  of 
Tenn.  His  sons  Joseph  and  John  died  with- 
out issue. 

(b)  Mary  born  1779,  married  William  T. 
Muse,and  had  two  sons,  (I)  William  T.Muse,  late 
of  the  U.  S.  and  C.  S.  Navy,  who  mar- 
ried and  left  issue;  (2)  John  B.  Muse,died  un- 
married. 

For  a  second  wife  Joseph  Blount  (II)  in 
1782,  married  Ann  Gray(born  1757,  died  1814,) 
daugliter  of  Wm.  Gray  of  Bertie,  and  left  issue. 

(c)  Joseph  Blount  (III)  born  1785,  died 
1822,  who  married  (1808)  Frances  Clark  Pol- 
lock Connor,  and  left  one  son  Joseph  Blount 
(IV)  who  died  unmarried. 

(d)  Frances  Lee  married  Henderson  Standin. 
left  one  son,  William  II.  Standin. 


THE  BLOUNT  FAMILY. 


lix 


( e )  Sarah  Elizabeth  married  Thomas  Mor- 
gan but  left  no  issue. 

(f)  Ehzabeth  Ann,  [born  1790,  died  1869,) 
married  in  (1812)  John  Cheshire  (born  1769, 
died  1830,)  and  left  issue  the  Eev.  Joseph 
Blount  Cheshire,  D.  D.,  Mrs.E.  D.  Macnair,of 
Tawboro,  and  Mrs.  James  Webb  of  Hillsboro. 

(g)  Eleanor  Gray,  man-ied  John  Cox,  left 
one  daughter,  Ann  B.  P.,  married  Willie  J. 
Epps  of  Halifax. 

THE    TAW    RIVER    BLOUNTS. 

A  younger  brother  of  James  Blount  of  Cho- 
wan, is  thought  to  have  settled  on  Taw  or 
Pamplico  River  about  1673.  He  left  six  sons 
Thomas,  John,  James,  Benjamin,  Jacob  and 
Esau,  the  last  two  being  twins.  The  Tusca- 
rora  Chief,  King  Blount,  a  valuable  ally  of  the 
whites  in  the  Indian  war  of  1711,  is  said  to 
have  assumed  that  name  from  his  attachment 
to  one  of  these  brothers.  Nothing  is  known 
definitely  of  the  descendants  of  any  of  the  six, 
except  the  eldest,  Thomas. 

This  Thomas  Blount  married  Ann  Reading 
and  left  four  sons,  Reading,  James,  John  and 
Jacob.  All  of  these  left  families,  and  from 
•^hem  are  descended,  no  doubt,  man\'  persons  of 
this  name  in  Beaufort  and  the  adjacent  Count- 
ies ;  but  we  can  trace  the  descendants  of  the 
jast  named  only. 

Jacob  Blount  (born  1726,  died  1789)  was 
an  officer  under  Gov.  Tryon  in  the  battle  of 
Alamance;  a  member  of  the  Assembly  fre- 
Cjuentty,  and  of  the  Halifax  Congress  of  1776; 
married  1st,  (1748)  Barbara  Gray,  of  Bertie, 
sister  to  William  Gray,  mentioned  in  the  ge- 
nealogy of  the  Chowan  Blounts;  2nd,  Mrs. 
Hannah;  Baker  (nee  Salter);  3rd,  Mrs.  Mary 
Adams.  By  his  last  wife  he  had  no  children; 
by  his  wife,  Barbara  Gray,  he  left  among 
others — 

I.  William  Blount,  born  1749,  died  1800. 

II.  John  Gray  Blount,  born  1752,  died  1833. 

III.  Reading  Blount,  born  1757,  died  1807. 


IV.  Thomas Blount,born  1759, died  1812; 

V.  Jacob  Blount,  born  1760,  died . 

By  his  wife,  Hannah  Salter,  he  left : 

VI.  Willie  Blount,  born  1768,  died  1835. 
Vn.  Sharp  Blount,  born  1771,  died  1810. 
Of  these   William,    John     Gray,  Reading 

Thomas  and  Willie  became  prominent  and  dis- 
tinguished men;  among  the  most  eminent  in 
North  Carolina  and  Tennessee  for  their  high 
talents,  public  spirit,  enterprise  and  wealth. 
Their  marriages  and  descendants  were  as  fol- 
lows: 

L  William  Blount,  (born  1749,  died  1800,)  a 
Member  of  Congress  in  1782  and  1786;  of  the 
Constitutional   Convention  of   1787,   was   de- 
feated   for   the   TJ.    S.    Senate  by   Benjamin 
Hawkins,  on  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution in  1789;  appointed  by  Washington  in 
1790  Governor  of  the  Territory   south  of  the 
Ohio;     removed   to    Tennessee    and    founded 
the  city  of  Knoxville  ;wa8  chosen  one  of  the  first 
Senators  from  Tennessee.  In  1797,  he  was  ex- 
pelled by  a  vote  of  the  Senate,and  subsequenth' 
impeached  by  the  House  of  Representatives, 
for  alleged  treasonable  practices  in  endeavor- 
ing to  incite  the  Indian  tribes  on  our  South- 
western frontier    to  hostilities  against  Spain. 
The  articles  of  impeachment  were  after  argu- 
ment quashed  in  the  Senate.     On  his  return 
to  Knoxville  the  Speaker  of  the  State  Senate 
resigned,    and     William    Blount   was    unani- 
mously chosen  by  the  people  to  succeed  him 
in  the  Senate,  and  by  that  body  to   succeed 
him  in  the  Chair,  as  an   expression  of  popular 
confidence  and   affection.     His  death  early  in 
the    year    1800,    alone    prevented   him  from 
being  elected  Governor  of  Tennessee.  He  mar- 
ried (1778)  Mary  Grainger,  daughter  of  Col. 
Caleb  Grainger,  of  Wilmington,  and  left  issue: 
I.  Ann  married  1st,  Henry  I.  Toole  (II)  of 
Edgecombe,  to  whom  she  bore  Henry  I.  Toole 
(HI),  and  Mary  Eliza,    married   Dr.    Joseph 
Lawrence:  she  married  2nd,  Weeks  Hadley,of 


Ix 


WHEELER'S  REMESTISCENCES. 


Edgecombe,  by    whom  she  had  several  child- 
ren. 

2.  Mary  Louisa,  married  (1801)  Pleasant  M. 
Miller  and  left  a  large  family;  one  of  her 
daughters,  Barbara,  married  Hon.Wm.  H.  Ste- 
phens, late  of  Memphis,  now  of  Los  Angelos, 
California. 

3.  William  Grainger  Blount,  member  of 
Congress  from  Tennessee;  he  died  unmarried 
in  1827. 

4.  Richard  Blackledge  Blount,  married  and 
left  children  iti  Tennessee. 

5.  Barbara  married  Gen.  E.  P.  Gaines,  left 
one  son,  Edmund  Gaines  of  Washington  city, 
D.  C. 

6.  Eliza  married  Dr.  Edwin  Wiatt  and  left 
two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

n.  John  Gray  Blount  (I),  born  1752,  died 
1833,  in  his  youth  a  companion  of  Daniel  Boone 
in  the  early  explorations  of  Kentucky,  but  set- 
tled permanently  in  Washington,  jST.  C.  He 
was  frequently  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  and 
though  not  ambitious  of  political  oiBce,  prob- 
ably the  most  influential  man  in  his  section  of 
the  State.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  largest 
land-owner  in  North  Carolina.  He  married 
(1778),  Mary  Harvey,  daughter  of  Col.  Miles 
Harvey  of  Perquimans,  and  left  issue: 

1.  Thomas  Harvej'  Blount,  (born  1781,  died 
1850,)  who  married  1st:  (1810)  Ellen  Brown, 
by  whom  he  had  no  children,  2nd.  (1827) 
Elizabeth  M.  daughter  of  Jno.  Bonner  Blount, 
of  Edenton,  and  left  issue,  three  sons  and 
three  daughters:  Elizabeth  M.  (Geer),  Polly 
Ann  (Hatton),  John  Gray  Blount  (III),  Mary 
Bonner  (WilJard),  Thomas  Harvey  Blount 
and  Dr.  Wm.  Augustus  Blount. 

2.  John  Gray  Blount  (H),  born  1785,  died 
1828,  married  Sally  Haywood  but  left  no 
issue. 

3.  Polly  Ann,  (born  1787,  died  1821,)  mar- 
ried Wm.  Rodman  and  left  issue:  William 
Blount  Rodman,  late  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme 


Court  of  North  Carolina,  Mary  Marcia  Blount, 
and  Mary  Olivia  Blount  who  married  J.  G.  B. 
Myers. 

4.  William  Augustus  Blount,  married  1st 
Nancy  Haywood  and  2nd  Nancy  Littlejohn: 
For  him  and  his  family  see  post,  page  11, 
under  Beaufort  CountJ^ 

5.  Lucy  Olivia  (born  1799,  died  1854,)  mar- 
ried Bryan  Grimes,  and  left,  issue:  Mary, 
Annie,  Olivia,  and  John  Gray  Blount  Grimes. 

B  Patsy  Baker,  born  1802,  still  living  unmar- 
ried. 

IIL  Reading  Blount,  (born  1757,  died 
1807,)  a  Major  in  the  Revolutionary  War; 
married  Lucy  Harvey,  daughter  of  Col.  Miles 
Harvey,  and  left  five  children:' 

1.  Polly  who  married  John  Myers  and  left 
a  large  family  in  Washington,  N.  C. 

2.  Louisa,  married  Jos.  W.  Worthington,  of 
Maryland. 

3.  Willie  Blount,  married  Delia  Blakemore 
of  Tennessee. 

4.  Caroline  Jones,  married  Benjamin  Run- 
yan. 

5.  Reading  Blount,  married  Polly  Ann 
Clark,  and  left  one  sou,  Reading  Blount. 

IV.  Thomas  Blount  (born  1759,  died 
1812),  an  officer  of  distinction  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, Major  in  Col.  Buncombe's  Regiment.  Set- 
tled at  Tawboi'O;  was  frequently  a  member  of 
the  Assembly  from  Edgecombe;  a  member  of 
Congress  for  several  sessions,  and  died  in 
Washington  City  in  1812.  He  married  1st 
Patsy  Baker;  2nd  Jacky  Sumner  (afterwards 
known  as  Mrs.  Mary  Sumner  Blount)  daughter 
of  Gen.  Jethro  Sumner  of  Warren.  He  had 
no  children  by  either  marriage. 

V.  Jacob    Blount,    (born    1760    died ,') 

married  1st  (1789)  Ann  Collins,  daughter  of 
Josiah  Collins  of  Edenton,  by  whom  he  had 
two  daughters,(a)Ann;  and  (b)  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Jno.  W.  Littlejohn,  of  Edenton.  He 
afterwai'ds  married    Mrs.   Augustus   Harvey; 


THE  BLOUNT  FAMILY. 


Ixi 


but  had  no  children  by  the  second  marriage. 

VL  Willie  Blount  (born  1768:  died  1835) ; 
went  to  Tennessee  in  1790  as  private  Secre  . 
tary  to  his  eldest  brother  Gov.  William  Blount; 
was  elected  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  m 
1796;  Governor  from  1809  to  1815.  He  raised 
OH  his  private  credit  the  money  with  which  to 
equip  the  three  Tennessee  regiments  sent 
under  Andrew  Jackson  to  the  defense  of  New 
Orleans  during  the  war  of  1812.  In  recog- 
nition of  his  eminent  public  services,  the 
State  of  Tennessee  in  1877  erected  a  mon- 
ument to  his  memory  in  Clarksville,  Ten- 
nessee. He  married  Lucinda  Baker,  and  left 
two  daughters,  Mrs.  Dabney  and  Mrs.  Dortch, 
of  Tennessee.  For  his  second  wife  he  mar- 
ried the  widow  of  Judge  Hugh  Lawson 
White. 

VIL  Sharp  Blount  (born  1771;  died  1810,) 
married  Penelope  Little,  daughter  of  Col. 
George  Little  of  Hertford,  and  left  three  sons. 
(a)  William  Little  Blount,  (b)  Jacob  Blount, 


(c)  George  Little  Blount.  The  first  two  died 
without  issue.  George  Little  Blount  married 
a  Miss  Cannon  of  Pitt,  and  resided  at  Blount 
Hall  in  Pitt  County,  the  seat  of  his  grand- 
father Jacob  Blount. 

It  has  been  impossible  to  give  more  than  a 
summary  of  the  genealogy  of  this  extensive 
family.  It  is  hoped  that  the  above  is  suffi- 
cient to  enable  any  one  to  trace  the  connec- 
tions of  its  principal  branches. 

It  may  be  added  that  William  and  Willie 
Blount  were  both,  in  all  probability,  born 
at  Blount  Hall  in  Pitt  County,  and  not  in  Ber- 
tie, as  is  sometimes  stated,  and  as  is  inscribed 
on  the  monument  erected  by  the  State  of  Ten- 
nessee to  the  memory  of  the  latter.  There  is 
no  reason  to  suppose  that  their  father,  .Jacolj 
Blount,  ever  lived  in  Bertie.  Also  the  story 
of  the  absurd  mscription  on  the  stone  on  Mrs. 
Mary  Sumner  Blount's  grave  in  Tawboro,  is 
entirely  untrue. 


Genealogy  of  the  Barringer  Family, 


John  Paul  Barringer,  born  in  Germany  1721, 
came  to  America  1743;  settled  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  he  married^l )  Ann  Elizabeth  Iseman 
called  Aiyi  lis;  came  to  Mecklenburg  Co.  N.  C. 
about  1746,  and  there  married  (2)  Catherine 
Blackw elder.     He  died  in  1807. 

Issue:  I.  Catherine  married  1st  to  John  Phifer, 
one  of  the  signers  of  (20ch  of  May  1775)  Dec- 
laration of  Independence;  Issue  (a)  Paul,  who 
married  Jane  Alexander  and  had  George,  Mar- 
tin, John  N.,  Nelson  and  Caleb;  (b)  Margaret 
married  to  John  Simianer;  she  (Catherine) 
married  a  second  time  to  George  Savage  and 
had  (a)  Catherine,  who  married  Noah  Partee, 
and  Mary,  who  married  Richard  Harris. 


II.  John  (Mt.  Pleasant  family.) 

m.  Paul,  born  1778,  died  1844;  married  Eliz 
abeth  Brandon,  Ijorn  1783,  died  1844;  issue: 
(a)  Daniel  Moreau,  born  1806,  died  1873;  in 
legislature  1829  to  '34;  '39,  '54;  Member  of 
Congress  1843  to  1849;  U.  S.  Envoy  to  Spain, 
1849;  in  Peace  Congress  of  1861;  married  Eliz- 
abeth W  ithered,  of  Baltimore,  andhad(  1  )Lew- 
in,  born  1850;  University  of  Virginia;  married 
Miss  Miles;  (2)  DanielM.,  born  I860;  (b)  Mar- 
garet, married  1st  to  John  Boyd;  2nd  to  An- 
drew Grier;  (c)  Paul,  married  Carson ;  (d),\Iary, 
married  C.  W.  Harris;  (e)  Matthew;  (f)  Wil- 
liam, married  Alston,  and  had  John,  Paul.  Wil- 
liam, Charles,  Victor  and  Ella;  (g)  Elizabeth, 


Lxii 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


married  Edwin  R. Harris;  (li)  Alfred;  (i)  Rufus, 
Brig.  Gen.  C.  S.  A.,  married  1st  Eugenia  Mor- 
rison, and  had  Anna  and  Paul; '2nd,  Rosalie 
Chunn,  and  had  Rufus ;  3rd,  Margaret  Long, 
.  and  had  Osmond;  (k)  Catherine,  married  Gen. 
W".  C.  Means.  Issue:  Paul,  Robert,  James, 
William,  Bettie,  George  and  Aactor;  (1)  A^ic- 
tor,  legislature  of  I860;  Judge  of  International 
Court  in  Egypt;  married  Maria  Massie. 

IV.Matthias;  V.  Martin;  VI.  Elizabeth, mar- 
ried to  Ist,  George  Pitts;  2nd,  to  John  Boon, 


of  Guilford;  VII.  Sarah,  married  to  Jacob 
Brem,  of  Lincolnton;  VIII.  Esther,  married  to 
Thomas  r'larke,  of  Tennessee;  IX.  Daniel  L. 
Barringer,  born  1788;  died  1852;  legislature 
181.3-'19-'2.3;  in  Congress  1826  to  1835;  mar- 
ried   Miss White,  granddaughter   of 

Governor  Caswell;  removed  to  Tennessee,  and 
was  Speaker  of  the  House;  X.  Jacob,  married 
Mar^'  Ury;  XI.  Leah,  mai'ried  1st  David  Hol- 
ton,  2nd  Jacob  Smith;  XII.  Mary,  mari'ied  to 
Wesley  Harris,  of  Tennessee. 


Genealogy  of  the  Clark  Family. 


Christopher  Clai'k,  a  sea-captain,  and  mer- 
chant in  Edenton,  came  from  North  of  England 
about  1760.  After  some  jenrs  removed  to  Ber- 
tie_  County,  near  the  mouth  of  Salmon  Creek. 

He  married  1st,  Elizabeth ,  by  whom 

he  had  Elizabeth,  Mary  and  Sarah. 

I.  Elizabeth  Clark  married  Judge  Blake  Ba- 
ker, of  Tarboro',  and  left  no  issue. 

II.  Mary  Clark  married  George  West;  born 
1758,  died  1810,  and  left  issue:  [a]  Robert 
West,  who  married  Ann  Dortch,  by  whom  he 
had  Isaac  D.,  Robert,  George  Clark.  Martha, 
married  W.  B.  Johnson;  Mary,  married  Chas. 
Minor;  Arabella,  married  Q.  C.  Atkinson;  Ann; 
Laura,  married  Robert  McClure ;  Elizabeth  and 
Sarah. 

[b]  Mary  AVest,  married  Judge  P.  W.  Hum- 
phrey, and  left  Judge  West  H.  Humphrey, 
married  Pillow;  Elizabeth,  married  Baylis; 
Georgianna,  married  Powell;  Charles  and 
Robert. 

[c]  George  West  married  Ann  Lytle,  and 
left  Robert,  George,  Ann,  married  Gillespie. 

III.  Sarah  Clark  married  William  Clements, 
and  left: 

[a]  Sarah;  [b]  Arabella,  married  C.  Bay- 
lis; [c]  Alary,  married  R.  Collier;  [d]  Dr. 
Christopher  C;  [e]  John  H.,  and  [f]  RobeitW. 


After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Christopher 
Clark  married  about  1778  or  1779,  Hannah  Tur- 
ner, of  Bertie,  daughter  of  Thomas  Turner,  and 
left: 

IV.  .James  West  Clark,  born  1769,  died  1845, 
who  married  Arabella  E.  Toole,  born  1781,  died 
1860,  daughter  of  Henry  L  Toole,  of  Edge- 
combe, and  left  issue: 

[a]  Henry  Toole  Clark,  born  1808,  died  1874, 
University  of  North  Carolina,  1826;  North  Car- 
olina Senate,  1859-'60 ;  Governor,  1861 ;  he  mar- 
ried, 1850,  Mrs.  Maiy  Weeks  Hargrove  [nee 
Parker]  daughter  of  Theophilus  Parker,  of  Tar- 
boro', and  left  the  following  children:  Laura 
P.,  Haywood,  Henry  Irwin,  Alaria  T.  and  Ara- 
bella T. 

[b]  Maria  Toole,  born  1813,  died  1859;  mar- 
ried, 1852,  Alatt.  Waddell;  left  no  issue. 

[c]  Laura  Placidia,  born  1816,  died  1864; 
married,  1832,  John  AV.  Gotten,  and  left  Mar- 
garet E.,  married  J.  A.  Englehard ;  Arabella 
C,  married  Wni.  D.  Barnes;  Florida,  married 
Wm.  L.  Saunders,  and  John  AV.,  married  Eliz- 
abeth Frick. 

[d]  Mary  Sunmer,  born  1817,  married  Dr. 
Wm.  George  Thomas,  and  have  issue:  George 
G.,  Arabella  and  Jordan  T. 


THE  HAYWOOD  FAMILY. 


Isiii 


Genealogy  of  the  Haywood  Family 


John  Haywood,  the  founder  of  the  family 
in  North  Cai'oliua,  was  born  in  Christ  Church 
Parish,  near  St.  Michael's,  in  the  Island  of 
Bai'badoes.  He  was  the  son  of  John  Haywood, 
a  younger  brother  of  Sir  Henry  Haywood  a 
Knight  and  magistrate  in  the  old  country  and 
must  have  been  a  man  of  some  note  as  Evelyn 
in  his  Memoirs  speaks  of  having  met  him  at 
court  and  was  not  faverably  impressed  with 
his  arrogant  manner.  He  settled  in  1730  at 
the  mouth  of  Conecanarie  in  Halifax,  then  a 
part  of  the  great  county  of  Edgecombe.  He 
was  Treasurer  of  the  northern  counties  of  the 
Province  from  17{i2,  until  his  death  in  1758. 

He  married  Mary  Lovett,  by  whom  he  had 
six  children. 

I.  Elizabeth  married  Jesse  Hare,  she  died  in 
1774  and  had  issue:  [a]  Ann  married  Isaac 
Groom  and  his  son  Isaac  married  Sarah  Pear- 
son; [b]  Mary  married,  tirst  Richard  Croora 
and  second  to Hicks. 

II.  Mary  Haywood  married  to  the  Kev. 
Thomas  Burgess,  1761,  ^\■hose  son  Lovett,  mar- 
ried first  Elizabeth  Irwin,  second  Priscilla  Mon- 
nie,  third  Mrs.  Black;  to  the  last  named 
were  born  [a]  Maiy  married  to  Alston,  1824, 
[b]  Elizabtb  married,  1812,  to  Alston,  of  Bed- 
ford county,  Virginia;  [c]  Melissa  married  to 
Gen.  William  Williams,  whose  daughter,  Me- 
lissa, married  to  Col.  Joseph  John  Long  and 
their  daughter,  Ellen  married  to  Gen.  Junius 
Daniel,  who  was  killed  at  Chancellorsville; — 
[d]    John  married    Martha   Alston    and    [e] 


Thomas,    a  distinguished   lawyer   in    Halifax, 
who  left  no  issue. 

III.  Deborah  married  to  .John  Hardy  but 
had  no  issue. 

IV.  Col.  William  Haywood,  of  Edgecombe, 
married  Charity  Hare;  he  died  in  1779,  and 
bad  ten  children.  [1]  Jemima,  married  to 
John  Whitfield  of  Lenoir,  died  1837,  with 
following  issue;  [a]  William  H.  twice  married 
and  left  seven  children;  [b]  Constantine,  left 
five  children;  [c]  Sherwood,  unmarried;  [d] 
John  Walter,  left  three  children;  [e]  Jemima, 
left  six  children,  married  first  to  Middleton, 
second  to  Willams;  [f]  Mary  Baffin;  [g]  Kiz- 
iah  Arabella,  had  three  children;  [h]  Eachel 
Daniel,  married  John  Jones  and  had  five  chil- 
dren; [i]  George  Washington,  not  married. 

[2]  John  Haywood,  State  Treasurer  for  forty 
3'ears;  married  1st  Sarali  Leigh,  and  2nd  Eliza, 
daughter  of  John  Pugh  Williams  and  had  issue; 
by  last  marriage  [a]  .Tohn,  unmarried;  [b]  Geo. 
Washington,  unmarried;  [c]  Thomas  Burgess, 
unmarried,  [d]  Dr  .Fabius  Julius,  married  Mar- 
tha Whitaker  by  whom  he  had  issue;  Fabius  J., 
John  Pugh,  Joseph  and  Mary,  married  to  Judge 
Daniel  G.  Fowle;  [e]  Eliza  Eagles,  unmarried, 
[f]  Rebecca  married  to  Albert  G.  Hall,  of 
New  Hanover  County;  [g]  Frances,  unmar- 
ried; [b]  Edmund  Burke,  who  married  Lue\' 
Williams,  and  had  issue;  E.  Burke,  Alfred, 
Dr.  Hubert,  Ernest,  Edgar,  John  and  Eliza 
Eagles, married  to  Preston  Bridgers.  [3]  Ann, 
born  1760,  died  1842;  married  to  Dr.    Robert 


Ixiv 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


WilliamSj  surgeon  in  the  Continental  Army^ 
and  had  issue;  [a]  Eliza,  married  to  Rev.  Jolin 
Singletary,  issue;  three  sons:  Col.  George  B. 
killed  in  battle,  Col.  Richard,  and  Col.  Thomas, 
[b]  Dr.  Robert  Williams  jr.,  who  left  issue; 
[4]  Charity  married  to  Col.  Lawrence  of  Ala- 
bama and  had  three  children;  [5]  Mary  mar- 
ried to  Etheldred  Ruffin,  and  had  issue;  [a] 
Sarah,  married  to  Dr.  Henry  Haywood;  [b] 
Henry  J.  G.  Ruffin  who  married  Miss  Tart  and 
was  the  father  of  Col.  Sam.  and  also  of  Col. 
Thomas  Ruffin,  who  fell  at  Hamilton  Crossing, 
in  Virginia. 

[g]    Sherwood,  born  1762,  died  1829;  mar- 
ried Eleanor  Hawkins,  born  in  1776,  died  in 
1855,  issue;    [a]    Ann,  who  married   Wm.    A 
Blount;  their  issue  were  Major  Wm.  A.  Blount 
jr.  of  Raleigh  and  Ann,   widow  of  Gen.  L.  0' 
B.  Branch,  to  the  last  named  were  born  Susan 
0'  Bryan,  married  to  Robert  H.   Jones;   Will- 
iam A.  B.;  Ann  married  to  Armistead  Jones; 
Josephine  married  to  Kerr  Craige  of  Salisbury, 
[b]    Sarah  married  first  to  John  Gray  Blount, 
and  second  to  Gavin  Hogg,  she  left  no  issue;  [c] 
Delia,  married  first  to  Gen.  William  WiUiams, 
and  second  to  Hon.  George  E.   Badger,  issue 
to  the  first  marriage   Col.  Joseph    John   Will- 
iams of  Tallahassee,  Florida,  and  to  the  second 
marriage:    [1]    Mary  married  to  P.   M.   Hale; 
[2]    George,    [3]    Major  Richard  Cogdell,  [4] 
Thomas,  [5]    Sherwood,    [6]  Edward   Stanley 
[7]  Ann,  married  first   to    Bryan,  second  to 
Col.  Paul  Faison;  [d]  Dr.  Rufus  Haywood,  died 
unmarried;    [e]    Lucy,   married    to   John    S. 
Bryan  and   had  issue:  [1]  Mrs.    Basil  Manly, 
[2]  Mrs.  Thomas  Badger,   [3]  Mrs.    Wm.    H. 
Young,  and  [4]  John  S.  Bryan  of  Salisbury. 

[f]  Francis  P.,  married  first  Ann  Farrall, 
second  Mrs.  Martha  Austin,  daughter  of  Col. 
Andrew  Joyner  of  Halifax; 

[g]  Robert  W.  married  Mary  White  and 
left  one  child,  Mary; 

[h]   Maria  T.  unmarried. 


[i]  Dr.  Richard  B.,  married  Julia  Hicks, 
issue:  [1]  Sherwood,  [2]  Graham,  [3]  Effie, 
married  to  Col.  Carl  A.  Woodruff,  U.  S.  A., 
[4]  Lavinia,  [5]  Howard,  [6]  Marshall,  [7] 
Eleanor,  [8]  Marian. 

[7J  Elizabeth,  born  1758,  died  ]832;  married 
Henry  Irwin  Toole,  [I]  born  1750,  died  1791, 
of  Edgecombe,  and  left  issue:  Henry  I.  Toole 
[II]  born  1778,diedl816;  Arabella,  born  1782, 
died  1860,  and  Mary,  born  1787,  died  1858. 

Henry  I.  Toole  [II]  married  Ann  Blount, 
daughter  of  Gov.  Wm.  Blount,  of  Tenn.;  and 
left  issue:  [a]  Henry  I.  Toole  [HI]  born  1810, 
died  1850;  married  Margaret  Telfair ;  [b]  Mary 
Eliza,  born  1812,  died ;  married  Dr.  Jo- 
seph J.  Lawrence,  of  Tawboro'. 

Arabella  Toole,  married  to  the  Hon.  James 
West  Clark.  For  their  descendants  see  the 
Clark  Genealogy,  page  Ixii. 

Mary  Toole,  married  Theophilus  Parker,  born 
1775,  died  1849,  of  Tawboro',  and  had  issue: 
[a]  the  Rev.  John  Haywood  Parker,  born  1813, 
died  1858;  [b]  Catharine  C,  born  1817,  mar- 
ried 1st  John  Hargrave,  2nd  Rev,  Robert  B. 
Drane,  D.  D.;  [c]  Elizabeth T,,  born  1820,  mar- 
ried Rev.  Joseph  Blount  Cheshire,  D.  D.;  [d] 
Mary  W.,  born  1822,  married  1st  Frank  Har- 
grave, 2nd  Gov.  Henry  T.  Clark;  [e]  Col.  Fran- 
cis M.  Parker,  and   [f]  Arabella  C.  Parker. 

[8]  Wm.  Henry,  born  1770,died  1857,  mar- 
ried Anne  Shepherd,  issue;  [1]  Hon.  Wm.  H. 
Haywood,  born  1801;  IJ.  S.  Senator,  who  mar- 
ried Jane  Graham,  had  issue:  Wm.  H.  killed  at 
the  Wilderness,  Duncan  Cameron,  killed  at 
ColdHarbor;  Edward  G.;   Minerva,  married  to 

Baker;  Jane,  married  to  Hon.  Sion  H. 

Rogers;  Ann  married  to  Samuel  Ruffin;  Mar- 
garet married  to  Cameron;  Gertrude  married 
to  George  Trapier;  Elizabeth  unmarried.  [2] 
Charity,  daughter  of  Wm.  Henry  Haywood 
married  Governor  Charles  Manly,  and  left  issue: 
Col.  John  H., married  Caroline  Henry;  Langdon 
C;  Cora,  married  to  Col.  George  B.  Singletary; 


HAYWOOD  FAMILY 


Ixv 


Helen  married  to  John  Gnmes;  Julia,  married 
to  Col.  McDowell,  who    was  killed  in  battle; 
Sophia  married  to  Harding;  Ida  married  to  Dr 
Jos.  Baker  of  Tarboro,  and  Basil,  commander 
of  Manly's  Battei'y,  married  Lucy  Br^-an. 

[9]  Stephen  born  1772,  died  1824,  married, 
first  Miss  Lane  1798,  by  whom  he  had  Dr.  John 
Leigh  Haywood  and  Beiijaman  Fi-anklin  Ha}^- 
wood;  married  second  Delia  Hawkins  1809,  by 
whom  he  had  Wm.  Dallas,married  Mary  Cannon 
Margaret  Craven  married  to  George  Little,  Lu- 
cinda,  married  to  Sasser;  and  Sarah;  and  Phil- 
emon H.  Haywood,  U.  S.  Navy. 

[10]   Elizabeth,  married  to  Governor  Dud- 
ley, died  1840,  and  had  issue:  Edward  B.;  Wro 
Henry,  married  Baker;  Christopher;  Eliza  Ann, 
married  to  Purnell;  Jane,  married  to  Johnson, 
Margaret  married    Col.  Mcllhenny. 

V.  Sherwood  [son  of  John  Haywood  of  Con. 
ecanarie,] married  Hannah  Gray  and  had  Adam 
John,  who  married  his  cousin,  Sarah  the  daugh- 
ter of  Egbert,  issue:  one  daughter  .Margaret, 
(died  1874,)  who  became  the  wife  of  Hon. 
Louis  D.  Henry,  born  1788,  died  1840,  and  had 
Virginia,  married  to  Col. Duncan  K  McRae ;  Car- 
oline married  to  Col.  John  H.  Manly;  Augusta, 
wife  of  R.  P.  Waring;  Margaret,  married  to  Col. 
Ed'.  G.  Haywood;  Mary,  married  to  Matt.  P. 
Taylor;  Malvina,  to  Douglas  Bell,  and  Louis  D.^ 
married  Virginia  Massenburg. 


Since  the  aforesaid,  sketch  of  tlie  Haywood  family 
had  been  put  in  "forms,"  a  note  from  Dr.  E.  Burke 
Haywood,  of  Raleis:li,  was  received,  in  wliich  he  cor 
lec'ts  tlie  sketch  in  these  particulars:  The  cliildien  of 
John  Haywood,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Noitli 
Carolina,  slionld  be  sketched  in  tlie  following  order: 

I.  William  Haywood,  of  Edgecombe;  11.  Sherwood; 
III.  Mary,  wife  of  Rev.  Thomas  Burgess:  IV.  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Jesse  Have;  V.  Deabora;  VI.  Egbert, 
and  VII.  John,  who  died  unmarried. 


VI.  Egbert,  the  sixth  child  of  John  Hay- 
wood, died  1801,  married  Sarah  Ware  and  had 
issue:  [a]  Sarah,  married  Adam  John  Hay- 
wood, [b]  John,  a  Judge  in  Xorth  Carolina  and 
in  Tennessee,  the  historian,  died  in  1826;  [c] 
Dr.  Henry,  who  married  Sarah  Ruffin,  [d] 
Mary  married  Robert  Bell,  and  Jiad  [1]  Mar- 
garet, married  to  Duffy,  [2]  Dr.  E.  H.  Bell. 
[3]  Col  W.  H.  Bell,  [4]  Admiral  Henry  H. 
Bell  U.  S.  NavyyJe']  Betsy  married  to  Will- 
iam Shepperd  and  had  issue:  [1]  Sarah  married 
to  Hon.  Wm.  B  Grove  of  Fayetteville,  a 
Member  of  Congress,  1791-1802;  [4]  Betsy 
married  Col.  Saml.  Ashe,  born  1763  died  1835, 
and  to  the  last  named  were  born  Betsy,  mar- 
ried to  Owen  Holmes;  Mary  Porter  married  to 
Dr.  S.  G.  Moses  of  St.  Louis;  Hon.  John  B. 
Ashe,  Member  of  Congress  from  Tennessee, 
married  his  cousin  Eliza  Hay,  and  moved  to 
Texas;  Hon.  Wm.  S.,  married  Sarah  Ann 
Green;  Thomas  married  Rosa  Hill;  Richard 
Porter  of  San  Francisco,  married  Lina  Loyal; 
Susan  married  to  her  cousin  David  Grove; 
Sarah  married  Judge  Samuel  Hall  of  Georgia. 

[3]   Susan  Shep[ierd  married  David  Hay; 

[4]  Mary  married  Samuel  P.  Ashe  of  Halifax ; 

[5]   ^Largaret  married  Dr.  John  Rogers; 

[61   William,  [7]  Egbert  and  [8]  Henry. 
[See  ante  jiage  336.] 

VII.  John,  who  died  unmarried. 

The  children  of  John  Haywood,  (State  Treasurer  for 
forty  years,  after  whom  Haywood  County  and  the 
town  of  Haywood  Were  named,)  the  second  child  of 
William  and  Charity  Hare,  should  be  named  in  the 
following  order: 

[a]  Eliza  Eacrles;  [b]  John  Steele;  fc]  George  Wash- 
ington; [d]Fabius  Julius;  [e]  Alfred  Moore;  [f]  Thos. 
Burgess;  [g]  Rebecca;  [hj  William  Davie;  [i]  Benja- 
min Rush;  [k]  Frances  Ann;  [11  Sarah  Wool;  [m]  Ed- 
mund Burke. 


>lrt 


I 


tf 


'^«W- 


Ixvi 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Genealogy  of  the  Phifer  Family. 


The  name  Pfeiffer  is  an  old  and  honored 
one  in  Germany.  Very  many  of  the  name 
have  held  high  and  honored  positions  in  the 
management  of  the  Civil  and  Military  aftairs 
of  the  Empire.  A  copy  of  the  recoi'ds  of  State, 
together  with  information  sutHcient  to  estab- 
lish the  identity- of  the  American  branch  of  the 
house  has  been  elicited  by  a  recent  correspon- 
dence with  branches  of  the  family  at  Berne, 
Switzerland,  and  in  Breslau,  Germany. 

The  two  brothers,  .John  and  Martin  Pfeiffer 
who  came  to  America,  were  descendants  from 
the  famil}'  of  "Pfeifters  of  Pfeiffersburgh." 

The  records  show  the  family  to  be  "Pfeiffer 
of  Pfeiffersburgh,  knights  of  the  order  of 
Hereditary  Austrian  Knighthood;  with  armo- 
rial bearings  as  follows:  Shield,  lengthwise 
divi'-'ed;  the  right  in  silver,  with  a  black, 
crowned  Eagle  looking  to  the  right;  the  left 
in  blue,  from  lower  part  of  quarter  ascending 
a  white  rock,  with  five  summits,  over  the  cen- 
ter one  an  eight-pointed  star  pendant.  (Schild 
der  Lange  getheiit;  reehts  in  Silber  ein 
rechtsselhender,  gekronter,  Schwarz  Adler 
und  links  in  Blau  ein  auc  dem  Feldesfusse 
aufsteigender,  Weisser  Fels  mit  fiinf  Spitzen 
uber  desen  mittlerer  ein  achtstahliger,  gold- 
ener  Stern    Schwebt.)     They  were  descended 


fi'om  Pfeiffer  Von  Heisselburgh.  A  diploma 
(patent,)  of  nobility  was  issued  to  Martin 
Caspar  Pfeiff"er  and  Mathias  Pfeiffer  in  1590, 
with  armorial  bearings  of  Knights  of  Heis- 
selburg  order  of  Nobility  of  the  Empire. 
Johnn  Baptist  Pfeiffer  Von  Pfeiffersburg, 
Knight,  with  armorial  bearings  as  above  stated 
was  descendant  of  Knights  of  Heisselburgh  and, 
hereditary  heir  of  Pfeiffersburgh;  Achenranian 
Mining  and  Smelting  works;  with  exclusive 
privilege  granted  by  the  Crown,  to  trade  in 
the  "Brass  of  Achenrain  and  Copper  of  Schwatz_ 
A  diploma  was  issued  to  him  May  10th,  1721_ 
He  received  an  jncrease  of  arms  on  the  4th 
of  March  1785,  (right  field  and  second  helmet.) 
The  pedigree  flourished,  and  a  great-grand- 
son of  Johnn  Baptist  Pfeiffer,  Knight  of  Pfeiff- 
ersburg; Leopold  .Vlaria,  Knight  of  Pfeiffers- 
burgh, born  1785,  possessor  of  Hannsburg,  coun- 
ty Hallein.  was  matriculated  into  the  nobility 
of  the  Kingdom  of  Bavaria  after  the  invest- 
ment of  the  same." 

"  Caspar  Pfeiffer  Von  Pfeiffersburg, Knight, 
second  brother  to  Johnn  Baptist  Pfeiffer, 
Knight  of  Pfeiffersburg,  possessor  of  Treeher- 
witz,  County  Oels,  Germany,  lived  in  the  year 
1713  on  his  estates.  In  1725  he  permanently 
located    in  Berne,  Switzerland,  and    had  con- 


THE  PHIFER  FAMILY. 


Ixvii 


trol  of  the  sale  of  brass  and  copper  from  the 
Achenranian  mines.  He  had  two  sons  to  come 
to  America  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1737. 
John  PfeifFer  and  Martin  PfeifFer." 

Martin  Pfeiffer  carried  on  quite  an  extensive 
coirespondence  with  his  rehitives  in  Berne 
and  in  Germany.  All  these  letters,  together 
with  an  immense  quantity  of  his  son's( Martin 
l^hifer  Jr.)  correspondence  with  the  family 
in  Berne  and  elsewhere;  and  all  the  records 
which  Martin  Pfeiffer  and  all  his  sons  placed 
so  much  value  upon  and  which  had  been  so 
carefully  preserved  by  the  first  members  of  the 
family,  seem  to  have  fallen  into  disfavor  with 
Jolm  Phifer  (born  1779.)  Tliey  were  packed 
away  in  trunks  and  kept  up  in  the  garret  at 
the  "  Black  Jacks.  " 

All  the  members  of  the  family  had  spoken 
German  up  to  the  time  of  John  Phifer  (1779.) 
He  never  spoke  German  to  any  of  his  children. 
It  was  with  him  the  change  in  spelling  the 
name  to  Phifer  occurred. 

The  papers  were  consequently  unknown  to 
any  of  the  various  children  who,  when  at  play 
in  the  large  old  garret,  saw  them.  These  pa- 
pers were  all  destroyed  by  the  burning  of 
George  Locke  Phifer's  house. 

An  old  gold  watch  set  around  with  diamonds, 
and  thought  to  liear  the  arms  of  the  family, 
together  with  various  old  trinkets,  were  also 
destroyed. 

The  sketch  of  this  family  is  writtsn  from 
knowledge  communicated  by  different  mem- 
bers of  the  family. 

The  will  of  Mart  in  Pfeiffer,  sr.,  was  kept  until 
the  year  1865,  when  it  was  lost.  Some  of  the  Bi- 
bles of  the  family  have  also  been  lost.  The  pres- 
ent historj'  however  is  accurate  and  can  be  relied 
upon  in  every  respect.  The  information  in 
regard  to  the  family  in  Germany  has  been  ob- 
tained by  recent  correspondence  with  a  branch 
of  the  family  in  Berne,Switzorland  and  in  Bres- 
lau,  Germany.     Great  pains   have  been  taken 


that  every  thing  should  be  exact,  and  in  many 
instances,  the  preparation  of  this  paper  has 
been  delayed  for  months  that  a  date  should  be 
correct.  To  the  sketch  of  the  life  of  John  Phi- 
fer, the  first  son  of  Martin  Pfeiffer,  sr.,  a  great 
deal  of  valuable  aid  was  aiforded  by  Mr.  Victor 
C.  Barringer. 

The  Phifer  family  has  been  for  five  genera- 
tions the  most  wealthy  and  prominent  in  Ca- 
barrus County.  For  many  successive  years  they 
have  been  appointed  to  places  of  honor  and 
responsibility  by  the  people  of  the  Counties  of 
Cabarrus  and  Mecklenburg,  some  in  each  gen- 
eration have  occupied  prominent  positions  in 
the  legislative  halls  of  the  State.  Their  love 
for  truth,  honor  and  justice,  their  liberality  of 
opinion  and  their  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and 
of  heart  have  necessarily  made  them  leaders  of 
the  people  for  generations.  The}-  have  exercised 
great  influence  in  directing  the  political  and 
social  development  of  their  county  and  State. 
Not  one  single  instance  can  be  found  of  a  fam- 
ily quarrel,  the  contesting  of  a  will  or  any 
bankrupt  proceeding  by  which  the  name  could 
suffer.  The  men  have  all  been  noble  men,  the 
women  have  all  been  good  and  pure,  and  have 
well  sustained  the  good  and  ancient  name. 

Martin  Pfeiffer  was  an  educated  man,  and 
must  have  come  to  America  rather  well  pro- 
vided with  money,  as  he  immediately  became 
possessed  of  large  tracts  of  land ;  and  became  a 
prominent  and  influential  man,  a  very  short 
time  after  he  settled  in  the  State.  The  prom- 
inent place  taken  by  his  son  John,  as  a  leader, 
and  as  an  orator  in  the  early  days  also  goes  to 
show  that  his  father  must  have  been  a  man  of 
unusual  ability  and  distinction. 

John  PfeifFer  the  younger  of  the  two 
brothers  who  came  to  America  in  1738,  from 
Berne,  settled  in  what  is  now  known  as  Eow- 
an  County,  N.  C.  Very  little  is  known  of  his 
life.  He  died  some  years  before  his  brother 
Martin  Pfeifter.     He  left  his  home  in  the  up- 


Ixviii 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


per  portion  of  Rowan  county,  to  come  down 
and  visit  his  brother;  after  he  had  been  gone 
for  a  week  his  family  became  alarmed  about 
him  and  a  messenger  was  sent  to  Martin  Pfei- 
ffer's.  It  was  found  that  he  had  not  reached 
that  point.  The  neighborhood  was  aroused 
and  search  was  made  for  him.  His  body  was 
found  a  day  or  so  afterwards  near  the  main 
road  in  an  advanced  state  of  decomposition. 
He  is  supposed  to  have  become  ill,  to  have 
fallen  from  his  horse  and  died,  as  no  marks  of 
violence  were  found  on  his  person.  He  had 
it  is  supposed,  only  two  children;  a  son  Math- 
ias  and  a  daughter  who  married  a  Mr.  Webb' 
Mathias  Pfeiffer  jr.  had  one  child,  Paul,  who 
was  a  Baptist  preacher  and  had  one  daughter 
whose  name  is  now  unknown. 

The  above  is  all  the  information  available 
as  to  this  branch  of  the  family.  Their  otf- 
spring  does  not  seem  to  have  been  very  num- 
erous, and  the  tAvo  branches  appear  to  have 
drifted  apart. 

-  Alartin  Pfeifl'er,  born  October  18th,  1720, 
in  Switzerland,  died  January'  18th,  1791,  at 
"Cold  Water,"  Cabarrus  county,  N.  C.  Reached 
America  in  1738;  in  Legislature  of  1777  from 
Mecklenburg  county;  married  1745,  Margaret 
Blackwelder,  who  was  born  1722,  died  1803. 
Issue  three  sons:  (I)  John;    (II)   Calel);    (III) 

Martin 

I. 

John  born  at  -''Cold  Water,"  March  22nd, 
1747;  died  at  "Red  Hill,"  1778;  married  1768 
Catherine,  daughter  of  Paul  Barringer,  (who 
was  born  1750,  died  1829;  after  John  Phifer's 
death  she  married  Savage  ef  Rowan  county,) 
as  a  member  of  the  Charlotte  convention, 
John  Phifer  signed  the  Declaration  of  May 
20th,  1775;  member  of  Provincial  Assembly 
at  Hillsboro,  August  21st,  1775,  and  at  Hali- 
fax April  4th,  1776,  and  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  November  12th,  1776; 
commissioned  Lieutenant  Colonel,  in  Colonel 


Griffith  Rutherford's  Regiment  December  21st, 
1776;  served  in  the  campaign  against  the  Cher- 
okee Indians  and  the  Scovelite  Tories.  Bro- 
ken down  by  exposure  and  his  own  tireless 
energy,  he  fell  an  early  sacrifice  in  the  cause 
of  freedom. 

A  man  of  distinguished  character  and  super- 
ior attainments,  and  appeal's  to  have  beeiT  one 
of  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  remarkable  men 
who  figured  in  the  foreground  cf  the  move- 
ment which  resulted  in  the  independence.  His 
burning  and  fervid  eloquence  did  much  to  ig- 
nite the  flames  of  indignation  against  the  usur- 
pations of  the  mother  country.  He  left  the  fol- 
lowing issue:  (A)  Paul,  born  at  Red  Hill,  Nov. 
14th,  1770;  died  May  20th,  1801;  educated  at 
"Queen's  Museum"  afterwards  "Liberty  Hall" 
in  Charlotte;  married  1799  Jane  Alexander, 
born  1750,  who,  after  his  death  married  Mr. 
Means  of  Mecklenburg. 

Issue:  (I)  Martin  jr.,  born  1792,  died  in 
childhood,  (II)  George  Alexander,  born  1794, 
died  1868;  at  the  University;  in  1885  moved  to 
Bedford  county,  Tennessee,  then  to  LTnion 
county,  Arkansas,  where  he  died.  Four  of 
his  sons  were  killed  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 
In  1820  he  married  Elizabeth  Beard  of  Burke 
county,  N.  C.  Issue:  (a)George;  (b)  Margaret 
married  to  Mr.  Pool;  (c)  Andrew  Beard ;(d) 
William;  (e)  Locke;  (f)  John:  (g)  Paul;  (h) 
Mary  Locke. 

(Ill)  John  N.,  born  March  19th  1795,  died 
September 7th,  1856,  married  (June  10th  1822) 
Ann  Phifer,  the  daughter  of  Caleb  Phifer; 
moved  to  Tennessee,  then  to  Coffeeville,  Miss- 
issippi, where  he  died.  Issue:  (a)Paul,died  in 
youth;  (b)  Caleb  same;  (c)  Barbara  Ann,  who 
married  Dr.  Phillips  of  Alabama;  (d)  Sarah 
Jane;  (e)  Charles  W.,  at  the  University;  2;rad- 
uated  at  West  Point  Military  Academy;  com- 
missioned Lieutenant  of  Dragoons  and  sent  to 
Texas.  Entered  C.  S.  Arm}^  as  a  Captain,  pro- 
moted, for  gallantry  at  Shiloh,  to  be  Colonel; 


THE  PHIFER  FAMILY. 


Ixix 


in  1864  made  Brigadier  General;  the  young- 
est General  officer  of  the  Confederacy;  (f) 
Josephine, 

(IV)  Nelson  born  December  1797. 

[B]  Margaret, born  1772,  died  1806,  second 
child  of  John  Phifer;  she  married  John  Sirn- 
ianer,  who  for  many  years  was  Clerk  of  the 
Court,  they  had  one  child,  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Adolphus  Erwin  of  Burke  County  and 
to  them  were  born  seven  children;  (1)  Sim- 
ianer,  (2)  Bulow  married  and  had  a  family 
(3)Matilda;  (4)  Alfred;  (5)  Mary  Ann;  (6) 
Harriet,  married  to  Colonel  J.  B.  Rankin 
and  has  a  family;  (7)  Louisa,  married  James 
W. '■Wilson,  and  has  a  family. 

II- 

Caleb,  born  at  Cold  Water,  April  8th,  1749; 
died  July  3rd,  1811;  in  legislature  1778  to 
1792  from  Mecklenburg;  Senator  from  Ca- 
barrus 1793  to  1801  Colonel  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  served  with  distinction,  married 
Barbara  Fulenweider,  born  1754;  died  1815. 
Issue;  seven  daughters  and  one  son:  (A)  Esther, 
married  April  10, 1793,to  Nathaniel  Alexander^ 
issue  ten  children:  (1)  Margaret,  married 
Robert  Smith  and  had  only  one  child,  Sarah_ 
who  married  Wm.  F.  Phifer,  and  they  had  only 
one  child,  Sarah,  who  married  John  Morehead 
and  had  Annie,  Margaret,  William,  Louisa  and 
John.  (2)  Caleb,  married  Lunda  Chisholni; 
moved  to  West Tennesse  and  there  died.  They 
had  Charles  and  John,  both  now  dead;  (3) 
Jane,  married  1st  to  Geo.  F.  Graham,  and  had 
one  child,  Ann  Eliza,  who  married  to  Col. 
Wm.  Johnson;  2nd  to  Dr.  Stanhope  Harris 
and  had  Sarah,  who  married  Jno.  Moss;  Jane 
married  to  Dr.  Bingham,  and  Henrietta  mar- 
ried to  Caldwell. 

(4)  Eliza  married  tirst,  February  19th,  1821, 
to  James  A.  Means  and  2nd,  to  Dr.  Elim  Harris, 

( 5. )  Sarah  niai-ried  ( 1825 )  to  Francis  Locke 
moved  to  Montgomery  Co.  N.C., issue  to  them: 
Caroline,  married  to  Dr.  Ingram;  James  killed 


in   the  civil  war;  Elizabeth  married  to  Under- 
wood and  has  a  family. 

(6)  Mary,  married  to  Dr.  Elim  Harris, 
removed  to  Missouri,  and  there  both  died. 

(7)  Nancy,  born  1810,  married  1833  to  John 
Moss,  of  Montgomery  County,  N.  C,  issue: 
Esther,  wife  of  Adolphus  Gibson;  Maiy,  wife 
of  D.  F.  Cannon;  Margaret,  wife  of  James 
Erwin;  Edward;  John. 

(8)  Esther,   married  to  Dr.  James  Gilmer. 

(9)  Charles,  moved  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and 
acquired  great  wealth,  died  unmarried. 

(10)  John  moved  to  Tenn.,  but  died  in 
Cuba. 

(B)  Margaret,  second  child  of  Caleb,  born 
Nov.  14,  1777,  died  Aug.  14,  1799;  married  in 
[1794]  to  .Matthew  Locke  of  Rowan  Co.,  had 
one  son,  John,  who  married  Miss  Bouchelle, 
but  left  no  issue. 

[C]  Elizabeth,  born  1781,  married  [1802,] 
to  Dr.  Wm.  M.  Moore, Salisbury;  on  liis  death 
moved  to  Bedford  Co.,  Tenn.,  then  to  Mar- 
shall Co.,  Miss.,  there  died  in  1845.  Issue  [1] 
Abigail  died  in  infancy;  (2)  Moses  W.,  born 
Jan.  7,  1807,  died  1851;  married  Rebecca  Mc- 
Kenzie,  [1840,]  moved  to  Washington  Co.? 
Texas.  Issue:  William;  Sarah,  who  married  to 
Dr  Ferrill,of  Anderson,  Texas;  they  had  three 
children,  Bertie;  Elizabeth  andRobert;[3]  Mar- 
garet E.,  born  at  Salisbury,  Feb.  14, 1809,  mar- 
ried 1824,  to  Edward  Cross,  who  was  born  at 
Chestnut  Hill,  Penn.,  1804,  died  1833:  moved 
to  LaFayette  Co.,  Tenn.  Issue;  seven  children : 
(a)  Caroline  V.,  born  1826,  married  1849  to 
Wm. Sledge  of  Panolacounty,Mississippi,  moved 
to  Washington  county,  Texas  in  1851,  then  to 
Memphis,  Tennessee  in  1872.  They  hadWm. 
M.  born  1850:  Margaret  E.,born  1853  and  Ed- 
ward C.  born  1854. 

(b)  Elizabeth  M.,  born  at  Salisbury,  1827; 
married  (1843)  Samuel  P.  Badhget,  died  in 
Texas  in  1866;  issue:  Ophelia,died  in  infancy 


Ixx 


WHEELER'S  REMIOTSCENCES. 


(c)  Daniel  F.,died  in  infancy,  as  did(d)Susan- 
nah. 

(e)  Edward  born  April  1st,  1833,  lives  in 
Austin,  Texas: 

(f)  Mary  An  a  born  1835  in  Lafayette  county, 
Tennessee,  married  first,  1856,  to  Leonidas  B. 
Lemay  of  Wake  county ,E".C. ;  in  1862  to  Col.  Al- 
len Lewis  of  Maine,  who  was  lost  at  sea  in 
1870.  Issue:  Ida,  Elizabeth,  Mary  Ann  who 
are  dead;  Leonidas  B.  Lemay,  born  January 
2l8t,  1857  and  Allen  Lewis,who  are  living  in 
Memphis,  Tennessee. 

(D.)  Sarah,  the  fourth  child  of  Caleb  Phi- 
fer,  married  Dr.  Wm.  Houston  of  Mecklenburg, 
a  successful  practitioner  of  great  wealth.  They 
moved  to  Bedford  County,  Tennessee.  Issue: 
Lydia  married  1823  to  Dr.  Wm.  Rhoan,  they 
moved  to  Tennessee  and  reared  a  large  family; 
Caleb  married  and  has  a  family,  lives  at  Shel- 
byville,  Tennessee;  Wm.  married  Miss  Steele 
and  has  a  family;  Louisa  married  and  has  a 
family. 

(E.)  Barbara  born  1770,  died  1819;  married 
(1809)  Abram  C.  McRee  of  Cabarrus.  Issue: 
(1)  Cornelius,  married  Margaret  Means  and 
moved  to  Alabama,  where  they  reared  a  fam- 
ily; (2)  Mary  Ann  married  to  Dr.  Robert 
Means,  and  had  one  child,  Poindexter,  they 
live  in  Alabama;  (3) Margaret,  and  (4)  Phifer 
who  married  Miss  Burt  of  Alabama  and  has 
a  family. 

(F)  Mary,  married  Dr.  Robert  McKenzie, 
an  eminent  physician  of  Chai'lotte;  removed 
to  Bedford  county,  Tennessee,  then  to  Mis- 
sissippi,"'Lousiana  and  finally  settled  in  Grimes 
county,  Texas,  where  they  died  and  were 
buried  on  the  same  day.  Issue:  (1)  Rebecca, 
wife  of  Dr.  Moses  W.  Moore  (see  ante  page 
Ixix.)  (2)  Joseph,  unmarried;  (3)  John,  mar- 
ried and  has  three  children ;(4)  Mary,  died  in 
infancy;  (5)  Lucy  married  Pinkston,  living  in 
Gnmes  county,  Texas,  has  a  family  of  tour 
children. 


(G)  Ann,  as  has  been  stated  became  the 
wife  of  John  N.  Phifer. 

(H.)  John  Kulenwider,  born  17S6,  died 
1826;  educated  at  Dr.  Robertson's  school,  at 
Poplar  Tent;  entered  the  University;  married 
Louisa  Morrison  of  Lancaster  S.  C. Issue:  a  son 
and  a  daughter,  who  died  in  infancy,  and 
Caleb,  born  1825,  died  1844,  distinguished  for 
scholarship  at  school,  and  afterwards  at  Pnnce 
ton;  then  read  law  with  Judge  Pearson.  So 
young  and  full  of  high  promises  of  usefulness, 
he  died  in  his  19th  year,  and  so  the  Caleb 
Phifer  branch  of  the  f.imily  became  extinct,  as 
he  was  the  last  male  mend)er  of  that  branch 

III.        .  • 

Martin  jr.  born  at  "Cold  Water,"  March 
25t.h,  1756,  died  at  the  "Black  Jacks,"  Nov- 
ember 12th,  1837;  married  (1778)  Elizabeth 
Locke,  who  was  born  1758,  died  1791;  he  was 
Colonel  of  a  Regiment  of  horse,  on  duty  at 
Philadelphia,  and  was  distinguished  for  gallan- 
try in  the  field.  And  received  high  mention 
for  his  personal  braverj-  in  the  papers  of  State. 
He  was  the  largest  land-owner  in  the  State, 
and  had  a  great  number  of  slaves.  Had  issue: 
John,  George,  Mary,  Margaret  and  Ann. 

Issue :( A)  John,  born  at  Cold  Water,  Sept- 
ember 1st,  1779;  died  October  18th,  1845;  en- 
tered at  Dr.  McCorckle's  school  at  Thytira 
church  in  Rowan  county:  at  the  University  in 
the  first  year  of  that  institution,  graduated  in 
1799,  with  first  honors;  married  August  27, 
1805,  Esther  Fulen wider,  a  daughter  of  John 
Fulenwider  of  "High  Shoals,"  Lincoln  county 
K  C,  who  was  born  1784,  died  1846. 
Member  of  the  Legislature  1803  to  1806;  in 
House  of  Commons  1810  to  1819;  and  in  the 
Senate  in  1824.  Defeated  by  Forney  for  Con- 
gress by  twenty-five  majority.  "He  lived  a 
blessing,  and  his  name  will  ever  remain  an 
honor  to  his  family,  his  county  and  his  State." 

He  was  one  of  the  most  intellectual  and 
highly  cultivated  men  of  his  time.  His  speeches 


THE  FHIFER  FAMILY. 


Ixxi 


ID  the  House  and  Senate  show  remarkable  abil- 
ity. His  public  career,  which  promised  to  be 
one  of  unusual  brilliancy,  was  cut  off"  by  the 
failure  of  his  eye-sight.  He  became  almost  to- 
tally blind  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life.  He 
was  noted  for  his  wonderful  popularity,  his 
great  decision  of  character,  and  his  eloquence 
as  a  speaker. 

Had  issue:  Martin,  John  Fulenwider,  Caleb, 
Elizabeth,  Mary  Simianer,  George  Locke,  Sarah 
Ann,  Margaret  Locke,  Esther  Louisa,  Mary 
Burton.  (1)  Martin,  born  December  30th, 
1806,  died  September  11th,  1852;  married  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Ramseur,  of  Lincolnton,  N. 
C;  had  no  issue.  (2)  John  Fulenwider,  born 
August  13,  1808,  died  January  10,  1850;  edu- 
cated hy  Dr.  Wilsnn  near  Rocky  River  church; 
a  merchant  and  planter,  died  unmarried.  (3} 
Caleb,  born  June  16, 1810 ;  died  March  11, 1878; 
educated  at  Dr.  Wilson's,  most  prominent  in 
financial  and  manufacturing  schemes;  director 
of  N.  C.  R.  R.  for  years.  Memljer  of  House  of 
Commons  in  1844;  and  of  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1861-62.  He  was  a  student  all  dur- 
ing his  life,  and  was  well  posted  in  both  the 
scientific  and  current  literature  of  the  day.  He 
married  [1838]  Mary  Adeline,  third  child  of 
David  Ramseur,  of  Lincolnton,  who  was  born 
Aug.  5th,  1817,  died  Sept.  20th,  1881.  Issue: 
[a]  Esther,  born  December  23, 1840,  died  Sep- 
tember 5th,  1857;  [b]  David  Ramseur.  born 
April  14th,  1839;  a  graduate  of  Davidson  and 
of  William  and  Maiy  in  Virginia;  served  in 
the  C.  S.  Army;  became  a  merchant  in  New- 
berry; married  Sarah  Wbitmire;  had  issue: 
Mary,  Henry,  Martin  and  Elizabeth. 

[d]  John  Locke,  born  October  28th,  1842, 
died  January  26th,  1880:  was  educated  in 
Philadelphia;  served  in  20th,  N.  C.  Vols.; 
became  a  most  sucessfnl  merchant;  [e]  Char- 
les Henry,  born  September  28th  1847;  served 
in  the  Confederate  Artillery;  then  graduated 
at  Davidson  College  (1866);  a  civil  engineer 


by  education.  Xow  successful  as  a  merchant; 
[f]  Robert  Fulenwider,  born  November  17th, 
1849;  graduate  of  Davidson  [1866]  successful 
as  a  planter  and  cotton  buyer;  [g]  Martin, 
born  June  26th,  1855,  died  March  10th  1881; 
[h]  Sarah  Wilfong,  born  February  26th,  1859, 
married  [1883]  to  .Marshall  N.  WiUiamson  in 
Winston. 

[4]  Elizabeth,  fourt,  child  of  John  Phi- 
fer  born  April  20th,  1812,  married  Dr.  Edmund 
R.  Gibson  at  the '-Black  Jacks,"  February  25th, 
1885.  Dr.  Gibson  was  born  July  6th,  1809, 
died  May  28th,  1872,  in  Rowan  County,  an 
eminent  physician,  of  large  estate.  Issue: 
[a] Esther  Margaret,  born  1836,  died  an  infant; 
[b]  "William  Henry  born  June  2nd,  1837,  kill- 
ed at  Gettysburg,  1863;  [c]  John  Phifer  born 
January  5th,  1839;  served  as  Lieutenant  in 
the  civil  war;  nnirried  Martha  .M.  Kirkpatrick, 
[1864,]  and  had  .Mary  Grace.  Now  a  mer- 
chant of  Concord;  [d]  James  Cunningham, 
born  November  10th,  1840,  served  in  the  Con- 
federate Army,  also  Clerk  of  Court;  married 
Elizalierh  Puryear  [1876]  and  has  Elizabeth, 
William  Henry,  Richard  Puryear  and  Jennie 
Marshall;  [e]  George  Locke,  born  .March  15th, 
1844,  died  lS77;[f]  Robert  Erwin,  born  March 
15th,  1844,  married  [1876]  Emily  Magruderof 
Winchester,  Virginia,  issue:  Emil}'  .Magruder 
and  Robert  .Magruder;  successful  merchant  in 
Concord. 

(5)   .Mary  Simianer,  fifth  child  of  John  Phi 
fer,  born   December  7th,  1814,  died  an  infant. 

[6]  George  Locke,  sixth  child;  born  June 
7th,  1817,  died  June  6th,  1879;  entered  the 
school  of  Robert  I.  McDowell,  and  then  at 
Greensboro;  a  planter;  married  [1847]  Rosa 
Allen  Pen  nick,  daughter  of  Rev.  Daniel  Pen- 
nick,of  the  Virginia  Presbytery;  issue:  [a]  Ag- 
nes Tinsley  born  August  24th,  1850,  married 
[1876]to  Albert  Heilig  of  Rowan,  had  George. 

[b]  Esther  Louisa  born  May  24th,  1852. 

[c]  Sarah  Maria  born  July  25th,  1854. 


Ixxii 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


[d]  Annie  Rosa  born  March  29th,  1857. 

[e]  Marj  Elizabeth  born  July  11th,  1859, 
died  August  25th,  1882  married  [1881]  Will- 
Ramseur  of  Newton. 

[f]  Daniel  Pennick  born  December  14th, 
1861. 

[g]  John  Young,  born  June  5th,  1864. 

[h]   George  Willis  born  February  1st,  1868. 

[i]  Emma  Garland,  born  September  4th, 
1869. 

[7]  Sarah  Ann,  born  October  23rd,  1819; 
married  May  31st,  1842,  to  Robert  W.  Allison 
of  Cabarrus,  who  was  born  April  24th,  1806, 
a  man  of  prominence,  chairman  of  CQunty  Com- 
missioners, in  legislature  of  1865-66;  delegate 
to  Convention  of  1875. 

IsaaeT[a]  Esther  Phifer,  born  November  27th 
1843,  married  [1866]  Samuel  White  of  York 
county  S.  C,  Capt.  7th  N.  C.  Vols.,  C.  S.  A. 
issue:  four  children,  Grace  Allison,  the  only 
one  living. 

[b]  Joseph  Young,  born  July  16th,  1846, 
educated  at  the  University  of  Virginia;  read 
law  with  Chief  Justice  Pearson,  became  apres- 
byterian  clergyman,  married  [1876]  Sarah  Cave 
Durant. 

[c]  John  Phifer,  bom  August  22d,  1848;  a 
merchant  in  Concord;  married  [1880]  Annie 
Erwin,  daughter  of  Hon.  Burton  Ci'aige. 

[d]  Mary  Louisa,  born  March  27th,  1850, 
died  1878. 

[e]  Elizabeth  Adeline,  born  March  26th, 
1852,  married  [1875]  to  John  M  White  of 
Fort  Mills,  S.  C. ;  he  was  Colonel  6th  S.  C. 
Vols.  C.  S.  A.,  and  died  1877.  She  lives  near 
Fort  Mills. 

[f]  William  Henry,  born  February  26th, 
1854,  died  in  infancy  as  did  the  throe  follow- 
ing. 

[g]  Caroline  Jane,  born  October  23d,  1855. 
[h]   Annie   Susan,    born     December     16th 

1557.    [i]  Robert  Washington  born  March  15th 
1862. 


[8]  Margaret  Locke,  eighth  child  of  John 
Phifer,  born  December  7th,  1821,  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

[9]  Esther  Louisa,  born  May  31st,  1824; 
married  to  Robert  Young  of  Cabarrus,  Capt. 
C.  S.  A.;  killed  July  1864;  she  died  .July  9th, 
1865;  had  John  Young,  Capt  C.  S.  A.,  killed 
at  Chaucellorsville,  May  3d,  1863, 

[10]  Mary  Burton,  tenth  child  of  John  Phi- 
fer, born  November  10th,  1826;  educated  in 
Philadelphia,  married  [1850]  John  A.  Brad- 
shaw  of  Rowan,  now  lives  in  New  York.  Is- 
sue: Harriet  Ellis,  Mary  Grace,  Annie,  Eliza- 
beth, John  who  died  1866. 

[B]  George,  second  child  of  Martin  Phifer, 
jr.,  was  born  February  24th,  1782,  died  Jan- 
uary 23d,  1819;  merchant  and  planter;  Clerk 
of  the  Court;  married  [1808]  Sarah,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Fulenwider  of  High  Shoals, 
Lincoln  county,  N.  C.  She  was  born  1786,  and 
and  after  the  death  of  George  Phifer  married 
Joseph  Young,whom  she  survived,  and  died 
January  24th,  1868,  at  Hon.  J.  H.  Wilson's 
house  in  Charlotte. 

Issue  to  George  and  Sarah  Phifer:  [a]  Will- 
iam Fulenwider,  born  February  13th,  1809; 
graduate  of  Hampden-Sidney  College;  mer- 
chant at  Concord;  married  [1833]  Sarah  Smith, 
and  had  Sarah,  wife  of  John  Morehead;  who 
had  Annie,  Margaret,  William,  Louisa  and 
John.  On  the  death  of  his  wife,  William  [a] 
removed  to  Lownds  County,  Alabama;  cotton 
planter  there;  returned  to  North  Carolina  and 
married  [1849]  Martha  White,  issue:  [1]  Wil- 
liam; [2]  Robert  Smith,  educated  in  Germany; 
remarkable  musical  talent,he  married  Bella  Mc. 
Ghee  of  Caswell  county,  and  has  Wilhelmine, 
Thomas  Mc.  Ghee  and  Robert;  [3]  George; 
[4]  Mary  married  [1882]  to  .M.  C.  Quinn; 
[5]  Cordelia;  [6}  Josephine  married  [1880] 
William  G.  Durant  of  Fort  Mills,  S.  C,  they 
have  Mary  and  William  Gilmore;  [7]  Edward. 


THE  PHIFER  FAMILY. 


Ixxiii 


[b]  John  Fuleuwider,  born  May  1st,  1810, 
married  [1839]  Elizabeth  Caroline,  a  daughter 
of  David  Ramseur,  she  was  born  1819;  re- 
moved to  Lownds  count}^  Alabama;  returned 
to  Lincolnton.  Issue:  [1]  George,  born  Febru- 
arj'  10th,  1811;  educated  at  Davidson;  served 
with  distinction  as  Captain  in  the  line,  [C.  S 
Army,]  and  afterwards  on  General  R.F.  Hoke's 
staff;  married  [1879]  Martha  Avery  of  Burke 
county ;  issue :  John ;  Moulton ;  George ;  Edward ; 
Isaac;  Walton;  Maud;  Waightstill.  He  is  a 
cotton  manufacturer  at  Lincolnton;  [2]  Will- 
iam Locke,  born  February  17th,  1843,  killed 
at  Chickamauga,  Tennessee,  September  20th, 
1863;  [3] Edward  born  May  8th  1844;  Cap- 
tain C.  S.  Vols.  He  died  from  wounds  received 
before  Petersburg,  June  18th,  1864;  [4]  Mary 
Wilfong  born  December  2.5th,  1856,  married 
[1881]  to  Stephen  Smith  of  Livingston,  Ala- 
bama, has  one  child  Stephen. 

[c]  Mary  Louisa,  born    December  3d,  1814: 
married  [1846]  to   Hon.  Joseph  Harvey  Wil- 

*  We  copy  from  the  Ealeifjh  Ncws-Obserrer,  ot  Sept- 
ember 15tli,  1884,  the  following  notice  of  Hou.  Josepli 
Harvey  Wilsou,  who  was  born  in  the  county  of 
Mecklenburg.  His  father,  the  Rev.  Jolin  Mc- 
Kaniey  Wilson,  was  a  Scotch  Presbjterian,  and  a  di- 
vine of  considerable  intluence  in  tliat  section  of  the 
State.  The  son  inherited  the  talents  and  sterlins:qu:i'- 
ities  of  tlie  father,  and  was  early  imbued  witli  the  fa- 
ther's piety  and  he  had  been  since  his  e.nly  iiianhuod 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyteiiaii  cliurcli 

He  was  admitted  to  tlie  bar  and  bejraii  tlie  practice 
of  the  law  in  Charlotte  soon  after  he  became  of  afre, 
and  for  about  fifty  years  he  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive practice  iu  Mecklenburg  and  tlie  surrounding 
counties.  After  the  retirement  of  Wiltiani  Julius  Alex- 
ander and  the  death  of  his  contemporaries  of  a  ])ast 
generation,  Mr.  Wilson  and  the  late  Judge  Osborne, 
who  were  nearly  of  the  same  age  and  always  friends, 
contested  the  leadership  of  the  profession  iii  Mecklen- 
burg, though  Mr.  Wilson,  on  account  of  his  painstak- 
ing industry,  always  commanded  a  larger  share  of  the 
routine  and  remunerative  business  of  the  county.  He 
never  found  it  advisable  to  take  an  extended  circuit 
as  was  the  rule  among  the  lawyers  before  the  war; 
but  in  Union,  Cabarrus  and  Gaston  counties  he  en- 
joyed a  leading  business  aud  was  generally  on  one 
side  or  the  other  of  every  important  case.  Ever  dili- 
gent and  careful  in  the  preparation  of  his  cases,  and 
eminently  faithful  to  the  interests  of  his  clients,  of 
sound  judgment  and  thoroughly  versed  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  law,  that  he  was  a  v  ery  successful  prac- 
tioner  is  not  remarkable.  Probably.no  lawyer  of  his 
day  reaped  larger  rewards  in  the  legitimate  prosecu- 
tion of  the  legal  profession  in  the  State;  and  being 
ecnomical  in  the  proper  sense  of  tlie  term,  while  lie 
was  at  the  same  time  liberal  when  calls  upon  his  charity 


sou*;  issue :[1] George  married  Bessie  Wither- 
spoon  of  Sumter,  S.  C,  who  have  Mary  Louise, 
Hamilton,  and  Annie  Witherspoon.  He  grad- 
uated at  Davidson  and  at  the  University  of 
Vii-ginia;  [2]  Mary  married  Charles  E.  John- 
ston, who  have  Mary  Wilson  aud  Charles. 

[d]  Elizabeth  Ann,  the  twin  sister  of  Mary 
Louisa;  educated  at  Hillsboro;  married  [1837] 
to  E.  Jones  Erwin  of  Burke,  who  died  in  1871. 
Issue:  Phifer  married  [1875]  Corrinna  More- 
head  Avery;  and  have  Annie  Phifer;  Corrinna 
Morehead  and  Addie  Avery;  [2]  Mary  Jones 
married  (1874)to  Mitchell  Rogers  and  have 
one  child  Francis;  [3]  Sallie  married  [1882]  to 
Dr.  Moran  and  have  one  child,  Annie  Rankin. 

[e]  Martin  Locke  born  January  25th,  1818, 
died  March  9th,  1853;  educated  at  Bingham's 
school;  removed  to  Lownds  county,  Alabama; 
a  planter.  Returned  to  N.  C.  [1848]  married 
Sarah  C.  Hoyle  of  Gastoncounty.  Left  no  issue 

[C]  Mary  Phifer,  third  child  of  Martin  Phi- 
fer, jr.,  b;jrn  December  1st,  1774;  died  1860, 

and  public  spirit  commended  themselves  to  his  judg- 
ment, he  succeeded  iu  aceuuiulatiug  a  consideraiile 
fortune,  of  which  he  continued  iu  jjossessiou  to  liis 
death.  In  his  success  in  his  profession,  as  the  result 
of  patient,  honest,  faithful  work,  without  any  of  the 
shining  qualities  of  the  genius,  Mr.  Wilson  is  one  of 
the  liest  examides  to  the  younger  niemlicrs  of  the  iiar. 
He  proved  to  the  satisi  action  of  ali  uliii  Un^w  liui 
that  a  lawyer  can  be  a  good  Chrlstiin  .in.lathi  - .  .i 
time  a  successful  business  man.  While  he  cv^  :  iO'.u 
a  lively  and  patriotic  inteiest  in  puiilir  alf.in^  he 
could  never  be  seduced  from  the  pio^ei  utinii  i.i  ,i,. 
profession  by  the  ofler  of  political  place  or  oltic  ,  iumI 
he  persistently  refused  even  to  serve  his  people  in  the 
State  legislature  until  he  was  foiced  [by  a  sense  of 
public  duty]  to  represent  his  county  iu  the  Senate  in 
18(i6-67  when  he  was  elected  president  of  that  body, 
a  rare  compliment  to  one  who  had  never  before  ser 
ved  in  a  legislative  body.  It  sliowed  the  very  high 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  in  the  State. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  twice  married,  his  tirst  wife  being 
Miss  Patton.of  Buncombe,  and  the  second,  .Miss  Phifer 
of  Cabarrus,  who  survives  him,  and  he  leaves  three 
children  of  the  first  marriage  and  two  of  the  second,  one 
of  whom,  George  E.  Wilson  Esq.,  was  his  partner  at  the 
bar,  and  an  other  is  the  wife  of  our  esteemed  neigli- 
bor,  Mr.  Charles  E.  Johnson,  of  this  city.  Besideshis 
widow  and  children,  a  large  circle  of  loving  friends 
niourn  his  departure.  He  died  September  13th,  1884, 
in  the  fullness  of  years  and  maturity  of  time,  the 
loss  of  but  few  citizens  in  the  State  could  create  a 
more  profound  sensation  iu  the  commuuities  in 
which  they  respectively  live  than  did  the  death  of 
this  good  .and  honored  man  in  the  county  of  Meck- 
lenburg. The  whole  community  were  his  friends;  we 
doubt  it  he  left  an  enemy. 


Izxiv 


WHEELER'S  REMDsISCENCES. 


and  18  buried  at  Tuscaloosa,  Ala.  Married 
[1803]  to  William  Crawford,  of  Lancaster,  S. 
C.  Issue:  Elizabeth  and  William.  After  Mr. 
Crawford's  death  she  married  James  Childers, 
of  N.  C,  and  moved  to  Tuscaloosa.     Issue: 

(a)  Elizabeth  Crawford  married  John  Doby, 
and  had  [1]  Joseph,  who  married  Margaret 
Harris  and  has  a  family;  [2]  Martin  married 
Sallie  Grier,  and  had  one  child;  on  her  deatli 
he  married  Sallie  Sadler;  [3]  James  married 
Mary  Walker  and  has  a  family;  [4]  WilUam 
married  Altonia  Grier,  and  had  children. 

(b)  William  Crawford  married  Lncretia  Mull, 
and  had  [1]  Thomas,  married  Ist  Mary  Price, 
2nd  Mrs. Klutz,  and  has  a  family;  [2]  William 
married  Miss  Smith,  and  has  a  family;  [3] 
James  married  Sallie  Ileilig,  and  have  children ; 
[4]  Robert  married  Miss  Crawford,  and  tliey 
have  children;  [5]  Lee  married  Miss  Peeden, 
and  has  children. 

(c)  Ann  Childers  married  to Walker; 

issue;  (1)  Mary;  (2) ;(3)  Martin;  (4) . 

(d)  Susan  Childers  married  Reed,  but  has  no 
issue. 

(e)  Jas  Childers,  married,  and  has  a  family'. 
(D)  Margaret,  fourth  child  of  Martin  Phifer, 

jr.,  born  December  7t.h,  1786;  married  [January 
7th,1808,]  James Erwm of  Burke,  Co.,X.C.  Is- 
sue, seven  children:  [1]  William,  married  Ma- 
tilda Walton,  and  the}'  had  five  children ;  mer- 
chant in  Morganton;  his  second  wife  was  Mrs. 
Gaston,  but  had  no  issue;  after  her  death  he 
married  Kate  Ilappoldt,  and  to  them  were  born 
two  children.  His  children  are  [a]  Clara,  mar- 
ried to  Mclnt^-re,  and  has  a  family,  the  oldest 
named  Matilda;  [b]  Anna,  married  Robert  Mc- 
Connehe}',  and  they  have  children;  [c]  Laura, 
married  to  M.  Jones, but  hadno  issue;  [d]  Hen- 
rietta, married  to  GrayBynum;  [e]  Ella  mar- 
ried George  Greene,  and  they  have  three  child- 
ren. By  his  third  wife  he  had  [f]  Margaret 
and  (g^  Evelyn. 

(2)  Joseph  Erwin.  married  Elvira  Holt.   He 


has  been  in  the  Legislature  several  terms,  and 
once  served  as  clerk  of  the  court.  Issue:  Mary 
L.;  Matilda;  Margaret,  married  to  Lawrence 
Holt,  of  Companj'  Shops,  and  have  five  child- 
ren; Cora,  married  John  Grant,  of  Alamance 
Co.  [3]  Martin,  married  .Jane  Huie,  of  Salisbury, 
issue:  five  children;  then  to  Miss  Blackmann; 
issue:  tb'-ee  children;  moved  to  Maury  Co., 
Tenu.,  and  there  died.  (4]  George,  married 
Margaret  Hinson,  of  Burke  Co.,  moved  to 
Tenn.;  they  have  nine  children. 

(5)  Elizabeth,  married  Hon.  Burton  Craige, 
of  Salisbury;  issue:  [a]  James;  [!)]  Kerr,  a 
prominent  lawyer,  in  Legislature  from  Rowan, 
declined  nomination  for  Congress;  married  Jo- 
sephine, daughter  of  Geii.  L.  O'B.  Brancli,  an  d 
theii-  children  are  Nannie,  Burton,  Branch,  Jo- 
sephine, Bessie  and  Kerr;  [c]  Frank,  married 
[1877]-  Fannie  Williams,  of  Williamsport, 
Tenn.,  have  three  children;  [d]  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, married  Alfred  Young,  of  Cabarrus,  and 
have  Lizzie,  Fannie,  Annie  and  Mary;  [e]  An- 
nie, married  to  .John  P.  Allison,  of  Concord. 

(7)  Alexander. 

(6)  Sarah,  married  Johti  McDowell,  of 
Burke;  they  have  seven  children,  none  of  whom 
are  married;  James  F].,  Margaret,  John,  Wil- 
liam, Frank  Elizabeth  and  Kate. 

[E]  Ann,  the  fifth  and  last  child  of  Martin 
Phifer,  jr.,  born  March  8th,  1788,  died  at 
Lancaster,  S.  C,  .July  1st,  1855;  married  John 
Crawford,  of  Lancaster,  brother  of  William, 
who  married  her  sister  Mary. 

Issue:  [1]  Martin  married  Alice  Harris,  they 
had  four  children:  Charles  Harris,  married  Sa- 
die Baskins;  Anne,  James  and  John. 

[2]  Elizabeth,  married  George  Witherspoou, 

a  lawyer  of  Lancaster,  S.  C,  where  they  live, 

they  have  four  children:  John,  who  married 

Addie  White,  of  Rock  Hill,  S.  C;  James,  An- 
nie and  George. 

[3]  Robert,  married  Malivia  Massey,  and 
have  three  children:  Martin,  Robert  and  Ella. 
They  live  in  Lancaster,  S.  C. 


CHAPTER   I. 
ALAMANCE  COUNTY. 


apfSfoHIS  COUXTY  preserves  the  memories  printed."     These  princi[)les   were   derided  by 

Wi^.  of  the  first  eontlict   of  arms  between  the  imperious  Tryon,  and   terminated  in  open 

jl^^B  the  Royal  Troops  of  Enghmd,  [16th  conflict  of   arms.     The  Regulators  were  van- 

^']\^  May,  1771,]    and    the  people  of  the  quished  b}-  superior  force  and  discipline,  but 

gjl  Colonies.     Then  and  there    was  the  the   great    germs    of   right    and  liberty  were 

"f  first    blood   of  the  Coloni.'^ts  spilled  in  the  firml\' planted  in  their  minds,  and  a  few  years 

J    United  States,  in  resistance  to   the  appres-  Liter  bore  the  fruits  of  victory  and  indepeiul- 

sions  of  the  English   Government  atid   the  ence.     Had  this  battle  terminated  diii'erentl}^ 

exactions  of  its  unscrupulous  agents.     Tryon,  (and  undcrskilfulieaders,andata  laterperiod, 

the  R(jyal  Governor  of  the  Province  of  North  this  would  h:ivc  been    the   case,)  the  banks  of 

Carolina,  exhibited   in  his  administration  the  the    Alamance    would    have   rivaled    Bunker 

bloodthirsty  temper  of  "  the  great  wolf,"  as  he  Hill  and   Lexington;  and  the  name  of  Hus- 

was  so  appropriately  termed  liy  the  Indians  of  bands,  Merrill  and  Caldwell  would  have  ranked 

the  State.  with    the    Warrens  and   Putnanjs  of   a    later 

The  officers  of  the  Government,  by  exactions  day. 
in  the  shape  of  fees  and  taxes,  grieviously  op-         A  writer  on  Xorth   Carolina  History,  as  to 
pressed  an  industrious  and  needy  people.     The  this  revolt,  states  that  "  the  cause  of  the  Reg- 
people  liore  these  exactions  with  patience;  re-  ulators  has  been  the  subject  of  riiuch  unmerited 
monstrating  in  their  public  meetings,  in    re-  obloquy,  clouded  as  it  has   been  l)y  the  heav\- 
spectful  but  decided  terms.  Thissimple-minded  pages  of  Williamson   and   Martin,  and  the  ig- 
people,   without    aid    fi'om    much    learning  or  norant   disquisitions    of    uritutored   scribblers, 
books,  knew  and  laid  down   the  great   funda-  Although   on    the    occasion    the\'    were    over-' 
mental  principles  of  good  government,  '-that  thrown,  their  principles  were  intimately  con- 
taxation  and  representation  should  go  together,  nected  with  the  chain  of  events  that  directly 
that  the  people  had   the   right   to  resist  taxa-  led  to    the    Revolution,  and   struck  out  that^ 
tion  when  not  imposed   by  their   legal   repre-  spark  of  independence  which  soon  blazed  from 
sentatives.  and  also  the  right  to  know  for  what  Massachusetts    to     Georgia."    (Jos.    Seawell 
purpose  taxes  were  imposed,  and  how  appro-  Jones'  Defence  of  North  Carolina.) 


WHEELER'S   RE^^^^SCEXCES. 


For  Time  at  last  sets  all  things  even, 
And  if  \ve  do  but  watcli  tlie  hour, 

There  never  yet  was  human  power. 
That  could  evade  if  unforgiven. 

The  patient  search,  the  vigil  long, 

Of  him  who  treasures  up  a  wrong. 

I  copied  from  the  Rolls  Office  when  in  Eng- 
land, a  dispatch  from  the  Ro^'al  Governor  of 
North  Carolina,  (Martin)  dated  Hillshoro, 
30th  August,  1772,  never  before  published. 
The  Governor  describes  his  journey  to  the 
western  part  of  North  Carolina,  through  the 
Moravian  settlements,  which  he  pronounces 
"  models  of  industry,"  to  Salisbur}'.  He 
passed  through  the  region  of  the  late  disturb- 
ances. He  records: "  My  eyes  have  been  opened 
in  regard  to  these  commotions.  These  people 
have  been  provoked  by  the  insolence  and 
cruel  advantages  taken  of  their  ignorance  by 
mercenary,  tricking  attorneys,  clerks,  and  other 
little  officers,  who  have  practiced  upon  them 
every  sort  of  rapine  and  extortion.  The  re- 
sentment of  the  Government  was  craftily 
worked  up  against  the  oppressed;  protection 
denied  to  them,  when  tliey  expected  to 
tind  it,  and  drove  them  to  desperation,  which 
ended  in  bloodshed.  My  indignation  is  not 
only  disarmed,  but    con^'erted  into  pity." 

Thus  by  the  highest  cotemporaneous  au- 
thority are  the  acts  and  principles  of  the  Reg- 
ulators fully  justified.  These  acts  were  but  con- 
necting links  in  the  chain  of  events  which  led 
to  the  Revolution.  Soon  followed  the  events 
on  the  Cape  Fear  in  1772-73  and  '74,  then  the 
Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independence  of 
20th  May,  1775,  then  the  actual  conflict  of  arms 
at  Moore's  Creek  in  February,  1776.  All  acts 
done  in  North  Carolina,  with  few  exceptions, 
before  any  similar  events  had  occurred  else- 
where in  this  country.  How  bright  are  such 
glorious  records  and  how  proud  are  we  of  the 
memories  of  the  people  who  present  them  to 
coming  posterity  ! 


-.    They  never  fail  who  die 


In  a  great  cause: 


Though  years 
Elapse,  and  others  share  as  dark  a  doom. 
They  but  augment  the  deep  and  sweeping  thoughts 
Which  overpower  all  others,  and  conduct 
The  world  at  last  to  freedom.  " — 

[Btron.] 

This  county  was  long  the  residence  of 
Thomas  Ruffin.     [Born  1787— Died  1870.] 

On  entering  the  Supreme  Court  room  of 
North  Carolina,  now  more  than  fifty  years 
ago,  we  observed  on  the  bench  of  this  exalted 
tribunal  the  conmianding  person  of  Thomas 
Ruffin,  for  twenty  3'ears  one  of  the  Justices  of 
that  Court,  and  for  many  years  its  Chief  Jus- 
tice. During  this  long  period  he  was  called 
upon  to  decide  questions  involving  the  life  and 
interest  of  individuals,  and  complicated  and 
intricate  points  of  constitutional,  common  and 
statute  law.  The  able  opinions  delivered  by 
him  have  established  hie  reputation  as  one  of 
the  first  jurists  of  his  age  in  this  or  any  other 
country.  His  opinions  are  models  of  learning 
and  logic,  and  are  quoted  as  authority  not  only 
in  our  own  courts  but  in  those  of  other  coun- 
tries. Recently  one  of  the  Justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  on  read- 
ing one  of  Judge  Ruffin's  opinions,  pronounced 
him  "  one  of  the  ablest  common  law -jurists  in 
America." 

In  his  ministration  of  the  law  he  was  by 
some  considered  stringent  and  at  times  severe, 
but  he  was  always  conscientious  and  inflexibly 
just. 

He  was  not  demonstrative  in  his  feelings, 
but  was  cautious  in  his  words  and  acts,  select 
and  sincere  in  his  friendships,  and  steadfast  in 
his  attachments. 

In  his  finances  he  was  prudent  even  to  rigid 
economy.  This  he  adopted  as  a  principle,  not 
believing  in  wastefulness  or  extravagance. 
His  house  was  open  to  his  friends  and  was  well 
known  as  the  abode  of  unstinted  hospitality. 
He  was  exact  and  precise  in  his  engagements, 
and  punctual  in  performance. 

In  person  he  was  spare,  uniform  and  neat  in 


m 


ALAMANCE  COUNTY. 


his  dress,  of  a  presence  at  once  striking,  com-  Court  the  served  his  fellow  citizens  as  presiding 

manding  and  venerable.     To  many  who  knew  Judge  of  the  county  court.     In  the  Spring  of 

them  both,  he  resembled,  not  only  in  mental  18G1,  he  attended  that  barren    convention  at 

qualifications  but  in  person,  Thomas  Jefferson;  Washington,    "The    Peace    Congress,"    with 

both  highly  educated;  both  of  the  sameprofes-  John  M.  Morehead,  David  S.  Reid,  Daniel  M. 

sion;both  of  thesame  political faith;both, in  all  Barringer,  and  George  Davis  as  colleagues, 

the  domestic  relations  of  life,  devoted  and  af-  "  The  judicial  ermine  so  long  and  so  worthily 

fectionate,and  both  natives  of  the  same  State;  worn,"  says  Mrs.  Spencer,  "  not  only  shielded 

and  in  person  about  same  height,  same  colored  him,  but  absolutely  forbade  all  active  partici- 

hair,  and  the  same  expression  of  countenance,  pation  in  party  politics."     But  he  was  no  idle 

indicating  great  energy,  resolution  anddecision  or  uninterested   spectator  of  the  current   of 

of  character.  events.     He  was  opposed  to    nullification   in 

Not  only  as  a  jurist  was  Judge  Ruffin  dis-  1832,  and  did  not  believe  in  the  rights   of  se- 

tinguished,  but  as  an  able  financier,  and  skilful  cession  in  1860.  In  private  circles  he  combatted 

and  successful  as  an  agriculturist.  both  heresies  with  ail  that  "  inexorable  logic  " 

He  was  born  in  King  and   Queen   county,  which  the  London  Tiwies  declared  to  be  charac- 

Virginia,  17th  November,  1787,  the  eldest  son  tcristic  of  his  judicial  opinions.     He  declared 

of  Sterling  and  Alice  Rufiin.     He  graduated  "  the  sacred  right  of  revolution  "  as  the  remedy 

at    Princeton,    1805.     Read  law  with  David  for  the  redress  of  our  grievances. 

Robinson,  an  eminent  lawyer  in   Petersburg,  But  the  cloud  in  the  political  horizon  grew 

in  same  office  at  the  same  time  with  Winfield  thicker  and  heavier.     When  tlie  State  took 

Scott.     Ho    came  to  N£)rth  Carolina  in  1807  the  final  step   of  secession,  he   felt  it  to  be  a 

with  his  father  and  settled  at  Hillsboro,  where  duty  to  follow  her  fortunes, 

he  married  on  7th  December,  1809,  Ann,  eldest  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Convention  at 

daughter  of  William  Kirkland,  by  whom  he  Raleigh,  and  voted   for  the  Ordinance  of   Se- 

had     a     large   family    of     thirteen    children,  cession.     Then  was  his  last  public  service, 

among  them  was  William  Kirkland,  (recently  He  was   a  communicant    of   the    Episcopal 

deceased;)    Sterling;  Peter  Brown;  Thomas;  Church,  and  warmly  attached  to  that  aiode  and 

John,  doctor;  Mrs.  Roulhac;  Ann,   who    raar-  form  of  worship;  but   liberal  and  tolerant  to 

ried  Paul  C.   Cameron;  Alice  died  unmarried;  the  worth  and  virtues  of  other  denominations, 

Mrs.  Brodnax;    Mrs.    Edmund  Ruffin;  Patty,  and  in  the  consolations  of  Christian  faith  and 

(unmarried;)  Sally  married  Upton  B.Gynn,  Jr.  hopes  of  its  promises,  in  the  full  possession  of 

He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  from  his  mental  faculties,  in  charity  and  peace  with 
Hillsboro  in  1813,  1815  and  1816;  the  latter  all,  he  died  on  l.'^th  January,  1870,  at  Hills- 
year  he  was  chosen  Speaker;  and  the  same  year  boro,  loved  and  lamented  by  all  who  knew 
elected  Judge  of  the  Superior   Court,  which  him. 

after  two  years'  service  he  resigned.     In  1825  sure  the  end  of  the  good  man  is  peace, 

he  was  again  elected  Judge,  and  in  1829  was  |?Z.^  m^^^Uy  ^ot^  Sad 
elected  one  of   the    Justices  of   the   Supreme  Nor  weary,  worn  out  winds  e.xpire  more  soft. 
Court,  to  till   the   vacancy  occasioned  by  the  Rufus   Yancy     McAden     represented  Ala- 
death  of  Judge  Taylor,  which  in  1852  he  re-  mance  County  in  1865,  and  was  elected  Speaker 
signed.     He  was  again   elected   in  1856,  and  of  the  House. 

again  resigned  in  1858.  For  several  years  after  He    graduated    at    Wake    Forest    College, 

his  retiring   from  the  bench  of  the   Supreme  studied  ^w  and  achieved  prominence  and  posi- 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


tion  at  the  bar;  but  his  fame  rests  chiefly  on 
his  reputation  as  a  skilful  financier.  He  is  the 
grandson  of  the  distinguished  statesman  and 
orator,  Bartlet  Yancy,  and  inherits  much  of 
the  ability  of  his  distinguished  ancestor.- 

Thomas  Michael  Holt  was  born  in  Orange 
Count}-,  now  Alamance  County,  on  17th  Octo- 
ber, 1855 ;  is  bj'  occupation  a  farmer  and  a  man- 
ufacturer. 

He  is  the  President  of  the  State  Agricultural 
Societ}'  since  1872.  He  is  the  principal  owner 
of  the  "Haw  River  Mills,"  which  has  done 
much  to  encourage  the  cotton  manufactories 


in  the  South.  They  are  an  ornament  to  the 
State.  He  was  elected  President  of  the 
North  Carolina  Railroad  in  1874;  and  sena- 
tor from  Alamance  and  Orange  in  Novem- 
ber, 187G.  He  is  by  all  acknowledged  to  be 
afarmer  of  unequalled  success;  a  manufacturer 
of  great  skill,  and  a  friend  and  patron  of  in- 
ternal improvement,  believing  with  the  poet 
that  — 

Art,  commerce  and  fair  science,  three. 

And  sisters  linked  in  love, 
Thej'  traverse  sky,  land  and  sea. 

Protected  from  above. 


CHAPTER   11. 
ANSON    COUNTY. 


Anson  at  one  time  [1749]  comprehended 
the  whole  western  part  of  the  State.  Its  earl^' 
history  is  full  of  incident,  of  the  sturdj'  oppo- 
sition of  her  sons  to  oppression,  and  sj'mpathy 
with  the  Regulators  of  Orange  County  against 
the  unrighteous  exactions  of  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Government  officers,  which  rose  to 
such  a  height  that  the  people  in  1768  entered 
the  court  house  and  b}'  force  violently  expelled 
the  officers  of  the  court,  and  each  took  an  oath 
of  self-defence  and  mutual  protection. 

I  copied  from  the  Rolls  Office  in  England 
the  oath  prescribed,  transmitted  to  the  Earl 
of  Hillsboro  by  Gov.  Ti-yon,  in  a  dispatch 
dated 

•    "  Brunswick,  24:th  Bee,  1768. 

"  I  do  solemnly  swear  that  if  any  officer  or 
an}^  other  person  do  make  distress  of  any  goods 
or  any  other  estate  of  any  person  sworne  here- 
in, being   a   subscriber,   for   non-payment    of 


taxes,  that  I  will,  with  sufficient  assistance,  go 
and  take,  if  in  my  power,  the  goods  or  other 
property  thus  distressed,  and  restore  the  same 
to  tlie  party  from  whom  the  same  was  taken. 
And  in  case  anyone  concerned  heroin  should 
be  imprisoned,  or  under  arrest,  I  will  immedi- 
atel}'  do  my  best  endeavours  to  raise  as  man}- 
of  the  said  subscribers  as  will  be  a  force  sutH- 
cient  to  set  said  person  and  his  estate  ;it  lib- 
erty. If  any  of  our  company  for  such  acts  be 
put  to  any  expense  or  confinement,  I  will  bear 
an  eiioal  share  to  make  up  the  losses  to  the 
sufierer. 

"All  tliese  I  do  promise,  and  subscribe  my 
name." 

This  piiper  has  never  before  been  published. 

In  a  memorial  of  the  people  of  Anson  County- 
to  Gov.  Tryon,  they  comi>lain  of  the  conduct 
of  "  Col."  Samuel  Spancer,  the  clerk  and  mem- 
ber of  the  county,  who  purchased  his  office  of 
Col.  Frohawk,  and  gave  i'lSO  for  it,  and  they 
allege  that  the  people  should  not  be  taxed  but 
by  consent  of  themselves   or   their  delegates, 


ANSON  COUJS^T. 


5 


and    they  recommend   that    the    magistrates, 
clerk,  and  sherift'should  be  elected  by  the  people* 

What  an  early  and  rapid  stride  did  these 
patriol.ie  men  take,  at  this  early  day,  in  the 
right  of  the  people  to  govern  themselves,  and 
declare  a  principle  that  fiftj-  years  after  became 
the  law  of  the  land! 

I  find  among  the  early  records  the  name 
James  Gotten,  and  from  curiosit3'more  than  a 
hope  that  the  memory'  of  such  a  man  maj"  be 
useful,  \\Q  present  his  infamous  conduct.  We 
could  wish  in  describing  the  men  of  our  State, 
to  present  only  the  patriotic,  the  virtuous,  and 
the  good;  and,  like  the  motto  of  the  Koman 
sun-dial — 

"  Non  uumero  horas,  uisi  Serenas." 

But  truth  demands  that  we  should  present 
facts.  Such  men  as  Gotten,  in  these  perilous 
times,  were  only 

"  Vermin  gendered  on  the  Lion's  mane —  " 
whose  acts  consign  them  to  contempt. 

Among  the  Golonial  records  in  London,  I 
find  the  following  letter: 

"Cruiser  Sloop  of  War, 

"  21  July,  1775. 
"  I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  15th 
inst.,  by  Mr.  Gunninghara,  and  highly  approve 
of  your  proper  and  spirited  conduct,  while  I 
cannot  sufficiently  express  my  indignation  and 
contempt  of  the  proceedings  of  Gaptain-Gen- 
eral  Spencer  and  his  unworthy  confederates. 
You  and  other  friends  of  the  Government 
have  only  to  stand  yonv  ground  firmly  ! 

"  Major  Snead  may  be  assured  of  my  atten- 
tions to  all  his  wishes. 

"  I  beg  my  compliments  may  be  presented 
to  Golonel  MacDonald. 
"  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  humble  servant, 

"Jo.  Martin. 
"  To  Lt.  Gol.  James  Gotten, 

"Anson  Go.,  N.  G." 

I  found,  also,  among  the  Golonial  records  in 
London,  the    deposition    of    James    Gotten, 


*  For  copy  of  this  memorial,  see  Wheeler's  History 
of  N.  C,  II,  21. 


taken  14th  Aug.,  1775,  on  board  of  Uis  Majes- 
ty's sloop  of  war,  the  "  Gruiser,"  where  he  had 
been  for  succor  and  for  safetj'.  Anson  Gounty 
had  become  rather  too  hot  for  him,  which 
proves  the  determined  spirits  of  the  patriots, 
and  whose  names  should  be  cherished  in  his- 
tory.    This  deposition  states — 

"  I  was  called  before  the  committee  for 
Anson  Gounty;  and  Samuel  Spencer,  the  chair- 
man, stated  that  they  had  sent  for  me  as  one 
of  the  burgesses  of  tlie  county,  to  know  if  I 
would  sign  and  appi'ove  of  the  resolves  of  the 
Gontinental  Gongress,  which  were  read  to  me 
by  Mr.  Thomas  AV^ide.  I  refused.  They  said 
that  they  should  proceed  against  me,  and  gave 
me  two  weeks  to  consider. 

"  On  the  Tuesday  fi)llowiug,  David  Love, 
accompanied  b^'  William  Love,  Samuel  Curtis, 
William  Covington,  and  another,  all  armed, 
came  to  my  house  and  took  me,  nolens  nolens, 
towards  Mask's  Ferry,  on  the  Pedee. 

"  I  escaped  from  them,  traveling  as  secretly 
as  possible,  sleeping  in  the  woods  at  night, 
and  reached  this  vessel  on  Sunday  night  last." 

Deposition  of  Samuel  Williams,  who  es- 
caped with  Colonel  Gotten,  taken  at  the  same 
time  and  place: 

From  dispatch  of  Gov.  Martin,  dated — 

"  New  York,  15(h  Sept.,  1777. 

"  Two  vessels  have  arrived  here  from  North 
(]Iarolina,  bringing  I'efugecs. 

"A  Mr.  James  Gotten,  of  No.  Ca.,  who  went 
hence  some  time  ago,  will  probably  have  waited 
on  \-our  Lordship). 

"  He  is  a  man  of  vulgar  life  and  character, 
and  is  a  native  of  New  EngUuul,  and  I  do  not 
estimate  him  very  highly." 

We  now  will  bid  "  Good-bye  to  James." 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  Sanmel  Spencer. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Assembly 
at  an  early  day,  and  in  1774  elected  to  the 
Provincial  Gongress  at  New  Berne,  which  was 
the  first  organized  movement  of  the  people  in 
a  legislative  capacity  in  open  opposition,  and 
independent  of  the  Royal  Government.  This 
body  sent  delegates  to  the  Gontinental  Con- 
gress at  Philadelphia. 


WHEELEH'S   KEMINISCEXCES. 


It  may  be  interesting  for  reference,  to  note     ding  and  the  red  cap  for  a  challenge  to  bat- 


the  Provincial  Congresses,  the  place  and  time 
from  the  first  to  the  last,  which  formed  the 
Constitution. 

1st  met  on  25th  August,  1774,  New  Berne; 
2d  met  on  4th  April,  1775,  New  iJerne;  3d 
met  on  21st  August,  1775,  Ilillsboro;  4th  met 
on  12th  April,  1776,  Halifax;  5th  met  on  12th 
November,  1776,  Halifax;  which  latter  body 
formed  the  Ci)nstitution  on  18th  December, 
1776. 

He  was  repeatedly  elected  to  the  State 
Congresses,  and  in  1777  was  chosen  one  of  the 
three  judges  of  the  Superior  Courts,  fir.st 
elected  undei'  the  State  Constitution,  which 
elevated  position  he  held  until  his  death. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  ctmvention  at 
Hillsboro,  in  July,  1788,  to  deliberate  upon 
the  Federal  Cjnstitufcioii,  its  able  and  active 
opponent,  and  contributed  greatly  to  its  I'e- 
jection. 

Of  his  character  and  career  as  a  judge  (since 
of  this  early  day  there  do  not  exist  any 
reports  of  the  decisions  of  tlie  courts)  we 
know  but  little;  but  from  his  long  exercise 
of  this  high  otHce  with  the  approbation  and 
respect  of  his  associates,  he  was  esteemed  a 
faithtnl  and  able  jurist.  He  died  in  1794. 
The  account  of  the  sinu-ular  cause  of  his  death. 


tie,  made  so  violent  and  unexpected  an  attack 
on  his  Honor,  that  he  was  thrown  out  of  his 
chair  on  the  floor,  and  befoi-e  he  could  get  any 
assistance,  so  beat  and  bruised  him  that  he 
died  in  a  few  days." 

A  Philadelphia  paper,  at  the  time,  as  to  this 
occurence,  makes  the  following  ;'<.«  iVe'-pvlt. 

In  this  deseiieiate  ase, 

WIi:it  hosts  ol  knaves  ensjage. 
And  do  all  they  can 

To  fetter  braver  iiieii; 
Breading  they  should  be  free. 

Leagued  with  the  scoundrel  laok, 
-'Even  turkey  cocks  attack 

The  red  cap  of  Liberty. 

Tn  this  county  resides  Thomas  Samuel  Ashe, 
one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  North  Carolina. 

The  maxim  is  correct  in  history  as  in  o'hcr 
matters,  "Vivrntes  von  li.-d  mminm  luulurr'.." 
But  our  Reaiiniscencos  of  the  State  wonld 
be  incomplete  without  a  sketch  of  tiii^  woi-thy 
citizen.  In  doing  so,  however,  the  advice  of 
Othello  will  be  observed  : 

-Speak  of  me  as  I  am; 


Nothing  extenuate,  or  set  down  aught  in  malice. 

There  is  no  name  more  familiar  to  the  peo- 
ple of  North  Carolina,  or  more  highly  appreei- 
ated  by  tliem,  than  tliat  of  xYshe.  In  every 
contest  fir  libcrt}',  from  the  earliest  pci'iol  of 
our  histor}-,  ^vhetller  on  the  tield  of  actual  bat- 


as  stated   in    my   History  of  North    Carolina,     tie   or  in  the  conflicts  of  politics,  there  is  no 


having   been   doubted,   we    extract   fVom    the 
Fayetteville  G.tzctte  of  1794  the  following: 


"  Died. — At  his  seat  in  Anson  County  on  the 
20tli  ulto.,  the  Honorable  Samuel  Spencer, 
L.  L.  D.,  and  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supeiior 
Courts  of  tliis  State.  His  Honor's  health  had 
been  declining  for  about  two  years,  Ijut  he 
performed  the  last  circuit  three  months  since, 
and  we  understand  intended  to  have  left  iiome 
in  a  few  days  for  this  town,  where  the  Superior 
Court  is  now  sitting,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
following  accident  which  it  is  thought  hast- 
ened his  death. 

"  He  was  sitting  on  the  piazza  with  a  red  cap     their  valor. 
on  his  he;id, when  he  attracted  the  attention  (jf 
a  large  turkey  gobbler.  The  judge  being  sleepy     " 
began  to  nod;  the  turkey  mistaking  the  nod-        -  Asheville  and  Ashboro 


peri, id  when  persons  of  this  name  have  not 
been  first  and  foremost  in  the  defence  of  our 
country's  rights  and  iil)erty,  and  in  the  prompt 
resistance  to  opjircssion.  In  gi'atefnl  ap[ireci- 
ation,  the  State  he.s  preserved  t'ne  name  of 
Ashe,  by  inscriiiing  it  on  one  of  iier  counties 
and  on  two  of  her  m  ist  ilonrisliing  towns.* 
Surely,  then,  lujne  of  u.^  of  the  pres  nt  age, 
who  have  i'l'iciited  the  rich  lega:-}'  v.mii  liy 
their  eti'orts  and  their  bhuul^  can  refuse  the 
ies',.ect  and  honor  dae  to   their   s.icrifices  and 


A^SOX   COUXTY. 


The  ancest;)!-  of  this  name,  John  Ba[itista 
Ashe,  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  [17-30,]  op- 
pD^eil  the  ab'.iseri  and  nsurpations  of  the  Ruy.il 
Go\ernor  Burringtwi,  hy  whniu  he  was  op- 
pre&sc(]  and  iniiiri.soned.  His  ehlest  son,  in 
the  oa'.liest  d;i\vn  of  our  Rcvohition,  was  the 
decided  advocate  and  ch-fender  of  popular 
rij;lits,  and  tlie  rcsukite  and  unyielding  oppo- 
nent of  tyranny  and  olhcial  aliuse.  lie  w-.is 
the  daring  piatriot  tliat  '"'  lje;;rde(l  tlic  iHuig- 
las  in  his  castle,"  aiul  defied  "  the  widf  of  tlie 
State,"  Go\'.  Tiyon,  to  execute  the  infamous 
Stamp  Alt  of  his  master.  lie  seized,  in  liis 
very  presence,  the  stamp  master,  ancl  com- 
pelled him  to  pledge  hini.~e!f  n.t  to  execute 
thv'  odii-.us  enactment.  It  was  he  that  drove 
the  !a-t  of  tliL'  lioyal  Goviriior^  from  his  pal- 
ace, destroyed  Ids  foi-t,  and  e 'in^udied  him  to 
soek  refuge  on  hoard  of  the  English  man-of- 
war  in  t'le  C  ipc  Fe '.r  Kiver.  ]''or  these  acts 
he  v.-as  (h.mnunrc.l  hy  the  Go\'ernment  in  a 
Royal  pro  lamation.  In  the  cause  of  p>i  ular 
rights  lie  v.-as  wi'ling  "  to  .spend  and  he  spent," 
and  did  spL-nd  his  su'istance,  and  wa.S  ready  to 
lay  dov.-n  hi  i  lil'e  in  the  cause  of  the  [icoplc. 
Iliscoiirse  and  condact  received,  as  it  descr\-od, 
the  sujiport  of  the  pjoplj.  '•  They  loved  him 
hccause  he  first  lo\-i d  them."  '•  Xone  fear..'d 
to  foil  w  wliei'e  a.i  Ashj  h'd."  So  fai'  from 
heeding  o:'  fo.i-ir.g  the  i'uhiiinations  of  power, 
he  resigned  t!ie  commission  he  had  held  in  the 
Royal  s;rvice,  and  hy  pie  Igin  i,-  his  e>t  ite  he 
soon  raised  a  regiment,  wdiich  he  was  iinini- 
mously  called  to  eominand,  and  rendeed  im- 
port uit  services  in  the  Revolutionary  War  to 
the  day  ol'  his  d   ath. 

"This  family,"  .;iys  .Mr.  bavi;,  in  lils  ad- 
dress at  the  University,  [1855,]  '•  contrilmted 
largely  to  the  cause  of  the  country  in  the 
Revolution— c-.'ery  gi- )wn  mile  of  the  fim- 
ily."  Deep,  then,  should  he  our  i;-ratitude. 
They  and  their  descendants  have  since  per- 
vaded our  countiy,  from  the  Cape  Fear  to  the 
mountains;  to  TViinessce,  Califcnmia,  Mi.ssonri, 


and  elsewhere.  Wherever  they  have  gone 
they  are  respected  fi)r  their  virtues,  and  es- 
teemed for  their  abilities.  They  have  occu- 
pied, in  their  adopte  1  h;nn_'S,  positions  of 
honor,  trust,  and  [irotit,  illustrated  and  ele- 
vated such  [lositions,  as  Jones,  in  his  Defence, 
has  cxpre.ssed  it,  •'  by  genius,  talent,  and  ac- 
complishments." 

Another  son  of  John  l>aptista  Ashe,  and 
who.-e  patror.omic  the  subject  of  our  sketch 
bears,  was  his  <lirect  ancestor. 

Judge  Ashe  was  liorn  in  June,  1812,  at  llav,-- 
fields,  then  Orange  County,  now  A'amance. 
He  received  his  education  from  William  Riivi:- 
ham,  the  eldei',  and  at  the  University  of  the 
State,  where  he  gra<luated  with  high  honors 
in  1832,  in  the  s  ime  class  with  TIiouils  L. 
Clingman,  James  C.  Dohbin,  John  11.  Uaugh- 
ton,  ('adwallader  Jones,  and  others.  Those 
wh  1  knowth'se  names,  and  tlieir  splendid  en- 
d  Avmcnts,  and  tlieir  hriliiant  career  in  life, 
will  appreciate  the  honor  attained  in  such 
conqietiti  ui.  lie  read  law  with  Judge  Ruflin. 
with  wdiom  he  always  was  a  spndd  favorite. 
After  being  licensed  to  [iractice  law,  by  tlie 
Supreme  Court,  he  settled  at  Wadesljoro, 
where  he  now  resides,  lie  was  eleetod  a 
member  of  the  House  of  C<immons  in  1842. 
and  a  member  of  the  Senate  in  18')4. 

In  the  triu'ilcd  times  of  the  civil  war,  lie 
was  elected  a  niembei-  of  the  Confederate 
Congress,  and  in  18  J4,  a  member  of  the  Con- 
federate Senate,  but  never  took  his  seat. 

In  1  68,  be  was  nominated  t(^  lead  a  forlorn 
hope,  as  the  Deme.cratic  candidate  for  Governor, 
in  ojipnsition  to  Governor  Ilolden,  and  made  a 
gallant,  but  unsuccesd'ul,  campaign.  In  1872, 
lie  received  the  u  lexpected  and  unsolicited 
nominati  )ii  ['nv  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States;  and  again  i.i  1874.  IL;  was  trinm[ih- 
aiit ly  clecte  I,  and  sjived  faithfully  and  use- 
fully. Xu  member  of  either  pii  ty  stood  higher 
in  CiMigress  for  integrity,  intelligence,  and 
fidelitj-  to  the    Constitution.     A    member   of 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


one  of  the  most  important  committees  (the  BurgAvin,  and  has  a  large  and  interesting  fam- 
ily. He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
and  a  consistent  and  sincere  follower  of  its 
sacred  tenets. 

We  conclude  our  feeble  sketch  in  the  words 
of  Cardinal  Wolsey  of  Sir  Thomas  More  : 


Judiciary),  he  commanded  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  his  associates,  and  many  of  their 
most  important  reports  were  the  results  of  his 
acumen  and  patient  investigation.  He  was 
most  attentive  to  these  onerous  duties;  al- 
ways punctual  in  bis  attendance,  and  rendered 
essential  service  in  their  deliberations. 

After  four  years'  service  in  Congress,  to  the 
universal  and  profound  regret  of  his  associ- 
ates, he  was  retired  from  Congress  b}  the 
nominating  con\'ention  of  his  district,  and  he 
returned  to  his  profession,  which  was  far  more 
germane  to  his  tastes  and  his  talents  than  the 
bustle  and  excitement  of  political  strife.     It  is 


-He  is  u  learned  man! 


May  he  continue  long  in  the  people's  favor, 

And  do  justice  for  truth's  sake  and  his  conscience; 

That  his  bones,  when  he  has  done  his  course  and  sleeps 

in  blessings, 
May  have  a  tomb  of  orphans'  tears  wept  over  them. 

[See    Appendix,    Genealogy    of  the   Ashe 
Family.] 


Richard    Tyler    Bennett    was    born     near 
Wadesboro.     He  was  prepared  for  college  by 
well  remembered  b}' the  writer  of  this  sketch,     the  Anson   Institute,  under  the  superintend- 


how  universal  and  sincere,  in  Congress  and  out 
of  it,  were  the  expressions  of  regret  at  his  re- 
tirement. The  prediction  was  then  made 
which  soon  became  prophecy,  that  "  North 
Carolina  was  too  proud  of  such  a  son  to  allow 


ence  of  Professor  Mclver,  and  was  for  a  time 
a  student  at  the   University.     He  read   law 
under  Chief  Justice  Pearson,  and  finished  his 
legal  studies  at  Lebanon  College,  Tennessee. 
He  ardently  entered  the  Confederate  service 


him   to  remain  long  in  retirement;  that  soon  in  the  Civil  War  as  a  private, refusing  the  po- 

hc  would  he   called  on   to  occupy  other  and  sition  of  an  officer  ;  but  afterwards,  from  his 

more  elevated  positions."    This  prediction  has  gallantrj'  and  usefulness,  was  promoted  to  a 

been  verified;  for,  without  any  intimation  or  colonelcy.     He  was  engaged  in  several  battles, 

exertion   on  his  part,  in   June,  1878,  he  was  severely  wounded,  and  finally  taken  prisoner, 

nominated  by  the   State   Convention,  on  the  and  confined  in  Fort  Dela\vare  until  the  close 


first  ballot,  as  one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  in  preference  to  a  score  of 
the  ablest  lawyers  of  the  State. 

He  was  triumphantly  elected,  at  the  head 
of  the  ticket,  by  the  people  at  the  polls,  and 
we  predict,  again,  that  the  ermine  worn   so 


of  the  war. 

Since  the  war  he  has  continually^  resided  at 
Wadesboro,  and  for  some  years  was  the  part- 
ner of  Hon.  Thomas  S.  Ashe. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  of 
1875,  and  of  the  House  in  1873-'74:.     He  was 


long  and  so  gracefully  by  our  Hall,  Hender-  selected  as  elector  for  this  [7th]  district  ou 

son,  Taylor,  Ruflin,  Daniel,  Gaston  and  others  the  Hancock  ticket,  and  was  doing  j'eoman's 

will  suffer  no  detriment  from  Judge  Ashe.  service  in   this  position  when  he  was  nomi- 

Judge  Ashe  is  now  in  the  meridian  of  life,  nated  as  Superior  Court  Judge,  in    place  of 

and  there  are  years  of  strength  and  usefulness  Judge  Buxton,  resigned,  in  August,  1880. 

yet  to  be  employed  by  him  in  the  interest  of  "He  is,"  says  the  Charlotte   Democrat,  "a 

the  people  of  a  State  that  love  and  honor  him.  gifted  advocate,  and  highly  esteemed  by  the 

He  married  a  daughter  of   the   late    George  profession." 


BEAUFORT   COUSTY. 

CHAPTER  III. 

BEAUFORT  COUNTY. 


Beaufort  County  preserves  the  naine  Heniy 
Somerset,  Duke  of  Beaufort,  and  although  it 
is  Dot  within  our  proposed  project,  yet 
we  cannot  refrain  from  recording,  in  a 
sliort  note,  the  worth  and  character  of  tlais  il- 
lustrious statesman. 

We  copy  from  the  "  Gentleman's  Maga- 
zine," (London,  1803,  vol.  73,  994,)  as  a  beau- 
tiful description  of  a  model  gentleman: 

"  Died. — At  his  seat  Radmenton,  Count}'  of 
Gloucester,  on  11  Oct.,  1803,  in  his  59th  year, 
the  most  noble,  Henry  Sommerset,  Duke  of 
Beaufort. 

"  His  Grace  will  be  much  lan.iented  by  his 
family,  friends,  and  liis  numerous  tenantry. 
He  maintained  the  dignity  of  iiis  station 
rather  by  the  noide  simplicity  of  his  manners, 
and  his  provei'bial  hospitality,  than  bj-any  at- 
tention to  exterior  splendor  or  display  of  fash- 
ion. It  was  not  his  taste  to  solicit  notice  by 
an}'  of  those  attractions  at  which  the  public 
gaze  with  temporary  admiration. 

"  In  politics,  he  supported  a  tranquil,  digni- 
fied inclependenee,  and  the  support  he  gener- 
ally gave  to  His  Majesties'  Ministers,  could 
never  be  attributed  to  any  motives  but  such 
as  were  perfectl}' consistent  with  the  integritj' 
wliicli  distinguished  Ids  life." 

He  was  a  distinguished  Free  Mason;  was 
Grand  Master  of  England,  and  as  sach  com- 
missioned Grand  Master  Mont  ford,  of  ^S^ortli 
Carolina,  in  1771,  to  establish  lodges  in  Amer- 
ica, and  from  whom  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
North  Carolina  holds  its  charter.  He  became, 
b}'  purchase  of  the  Dulce  of  Alliemarle,  pos- 
sessed of  the  right  as  one  of  the  Lord's  Pro- 
prietors of  the  Province,  which  in  1729,  re- 
vested in  the  crown.  Worthy  is  the  name 
preserved  in  our  State. 

The  capital  of  Beaufort  preserves  the  name 
[clarum  et  venerable)  of  the  immortal  Wasli- 
ington. 

This  name  has  been  so  frequently  the  sub- 
ject of  eulogy  and  admiratiou,  that  any  at- 


tempt to  enlarge  on  his  character  and  services 
would  be  ridiculous  excess.  But  we  car, not 
refi'ain  from  printing  and  preserving  tire  ex- 
quisite and  truthful  extiact  from  Mr.  Jeifcr- 
son's  works: 

Jep'erson's   Character  of  Wasliwgton.  * 

Letter  from  Jefferson  to  Dr.  Walter  Jones, 
2d  Jan.,  1814: 

"I  think  I  knew  General  Wa-shington  inti- 
matel}'  and  thoroughly.  His  mind  was  gi'eat 
and  powerful  without  being  of  the  ver}'  first 
order;  his  penetration  sti'ong,  though  not  so 
acute  as  that  of  a  aSTewton,  Bacon,  or  Locke, 
and  as  far  as  he  saw,  no  judgment  was  e\'cr 
sounder;  it  was  slow  in  operation,  being  little 
aided  by  invention  or  imagination,  but  sure  in 
conclusion,  hence  the  common  remark  of  his 
officers  of  the  advantage  he  derived  from 
councils  of  war,  where,  hearing  all  suggestions, 
he  selected  whatever  was  best,  and  certainly 
no  General  ever  phmned  his  battles  nmre  ju- 
diciously. But  if  deranged  during  the  course 
of  action,  if  any  member  of  his  plan  was  dis- 
located by  sudden  circumstances,  he  was  slow 
in  a  readjustment.  The  consequence  was  that 
he  often  failed  in  the  field,  as  at  Monmouth, 
but  rarely  against  an  enemy  in  station,  as  at 
Boston  and  York.  He  was  incapable  of  fe.ir, 
meeting  personal  danger  with  the  calmest  un- 
concern. Perhaps  the  strongest  feature  in  his 
character  was  [)rudence;  never  acting  until 
every  circumstance,  eveiy  co:isideration,  was 
maturely  weighed,  refraining  if  he  sav,'  a 
doubt;  but,  when  once  decided, going  through 
with  his  purpose  whatever  obstacles  opposed. 
His  integrity  was  most  pure;  his  justice  most 
inflexible  I  have  never  known;  no  motives  of 
interest,  or  consanguinity  of  friendship  or 
hatred,  being  able  to  bias  his  decision.  He 
was,  indeed,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  a 
wise,  a  good,  and  a  great  man.  His  temper 
was  naturally  irritable  and  high-toned;  but 
reflection  and  resolution  had  obtained  a  fii'ui 
and  habitual  ascendency  over  it;,  if  ever, 
however,  it    broke  its  bounds,  he  "was  most 


*rrom  the  Domestic  Life  of  Tbos.  Jefferson,  by  his 
fCi-aiidaugliter  Sarah  N.  Lianclolph;  New  York,  Harper 
&  Brothers,  1872,  p.  356. 


10 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


tremendous  in  his  wrath.  In  his  expenses  lie 
was  honorable,  but  exact;  liberal  in  contribu- 
tion to  whatever  promised  utility',  but  frown- 
ing and  unyielding  on  all  visionar}'  projects, 
and  all  unworthy  calls  on  his  charity.  His 
heart  was  not  warm  in  its  aft'ections;  but  he 
exactly  calculated  every  man's  value  and  gave 
him  solid  esteem  proportioned  to  it.  His 
presence,  yon  know,  was  fine;  his  stature  ex- 
actly what  one  could  wish.  His  deportment 
was  easj',  erect,  and  noble;  the  best  horseman 
of  his  age,  and  the  most  graceful  figure  that 
could  be  seen  on  horseback. 

"  Although  in  the  circle  of  his  friends, 
where  he  might  be  unreserved  in  safety,  he 
took  a  free  share  in  conversation,  his  collo- 
quial talents  were  not  above  mediocrity,  pos- 
sessing neither  copiousness  of  ideas  nor  fluency 
of  words.  In  public,  when  called  on  for  a 
sudden  opinion,  he  was  unready, short,  and  em- 
barrassed; yet  he  wrote  readily,  rather  dif- 
fusely, in  an  easy,  correct  style.  This  he  had 
acquired  by  conversation  with  the  woi-ld,  for 
his  education  was  merel}'  reading,  writing, 
and  common  arithmetic,  to  which  he  added 
surveying  at  a  later  day. 

"  His  time  was  employed  in  action  chiefly, 
reading  little,  and  that  only  iu  agriculture  and 
English  history.  His  correspondence  became 
necessarily  extensive,  and  with  journalizing 
his  agricultural  proceedings,  occupied  most  of 
his  leisure  hours  within  doors. 

"  On  the  whole,  his  character  was,  in  its 
hiass,  perfect;  in  nothing  bad;  in  a  few  points 
inditf'erent,  and  it  may  truly  be  said,  that  never 
did  nature  and  fortune  combine  more  perfectly 
to  make  a  man  great,  and  to  place  in  the  same 
constellation  with  whatever  worthies  have 
merited  from  man  an  everlasting  remembrance, 
for  his  was  the  singular  destiny  and  merit  of 
leading  the  armies  of  his  country  successfully 
through  an  arduous  war  to  the  establishment 
of  its  independence;  of  conducting  its  coun- 
cils through  the  birth  of  a  CTOvernineut,  new 
in  its  forms  and  principles,  until  it  settled 
down  into  a  quiet  and  orderly  train,  and  of 
scrupulously  obeying  the  laws  through  the 
whole  of  his  career,  civil  and  military,  of 
which  the  history  of  the  world  furnishes  no 
other  example. 

"  He  has  often  declared  to  me  that  he  con- 
sidered our  new  Constitution  as  an  experiment 
on  the  practicability  of  republican  govern- 
ment, and  with  what  dose  of  liberty  man  could 
be  trusted  with  for  his  own  good ;  that  he  was 


determined  the  experiment  should  have  a  fair 
trial,  and  would  lose  the  last  drop  of  his  blood 
in  support  of  it." 

To  a  friend,  on  one  occasion,  Mr.  Jefl'ersou 
exclaimed,  in  a  burst  of  enthusiasm,  "  Wash- 
ington's fame  will  go  on  increasing  until  the 
brightest  constellation  in  yonder  heavens  shall 
be  called  by  his  name." 

'  His  memory  sparkles  o'er  the  fountain, ' 
His  name's  inscribed  on  loftiest  mountain — 
The  gentle  rill,  the  mightiest  river, 
Rolls  mingled  with  his  name  forever  ! 

Washington,  like  the  great  patromia  of  Beau- 
fort, was  an  enthusiastic  Mason. 

In  the  language  of  Mr.  Knapp,  in  his  admira- 
ble sketch  of  Judge  Gridlej',  Grand  Master 
of  Massachusetts — 

"  It  was  fortunate  for  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity that  a  man  of  such  fine  elements  should 
become  engaged  at  this  early  period  in  the 
cause  of  tlie  craft;  his  weight  of  character,  his 
zeal  and  his  ability  to  defend  and  support  its 
cause,  was  important,  and  did  much  to  diffuse 
Masonic  light  and  knowledge.  This  order  of 
benevolence  had  just  been  established  in  this 
new  world  when  he  was  appointed  its  Grand 
Master,  and  he  wore  its  honors  unsullied  to 
the  last  hour  of  his  life.  His  coadjutor  in 
planting  and  cultivating  this  exuberant  vine 
of  charity,  with  whose  fruit  all  nations  have 
been  blessed,  was  the  sage  and  patriotic  Frank- 
lin, under  whose  hand.s,by  the  smiles  of  Prov- 
idence, its  roots  have  struck  deeper  and 
deeper,  and  its  branches  spread  higher  and 
wider;  while  the  fondest  hopes  of  philanthropy 
have  been  more  than  realized  in  the  perma- 
nency and  the  prosperity  of  our  country  and 
our  craft.  If  their  spirits  could  revisit  the  earth 
and  take  note  of  what  is  doing  here,  with 
what  joy  would  they  witness  the  extension  and 
progress  of  every  branch  of  knowledge  among 
their  descendants;  and  with  what  [ileasure 
would  they  count  the  number  of  charitable  in- 
stitutions which,  like  the  dews  of  Heaven,  so 
gently  spread  their  blissful  influences  and  shed 
their  healing  balsams  upon  the  wounds  of 
life. 

"The  history  of  benevolent  and  useful  in- 
titutions  are  as  valuable  to  the  community  as 
are  the  lives  of  eminent  men.  These  institu- 
tions are  like  rivers  wliich  spring  from  remote 
and  hidden  fountains,  and  are  in  their  course 


BEAUFORT  COUNTY. 


11 


enlarged  by  a  thousand  tributary  streams, 
which  all  unite  in  one  grand  current,  to  swell 
the  amount  of  human  happiness  and  lessen  the 
ills  which  flesh  is  heir  to." 

This  truthful  eulogium  may  well  be  applied 
to  North  Carolina,  for  the  men  who  fought 
for  and  framed  her  Constitution  were  earliest 
and  devoted  friends  to  the  cause  of  Free  Ma- 
sonry. Among  her  Grand  Masters  were  Sam- 
uel Johnston,  [1788,]  Richard  Caswell,  [from 
1789  to  -92,]  Wm.  R.  Davie,  ['92  to  1799,] 
William  Polk,  [1800  to  1802,]  John  Louis 
Taylor,  [1803,]  John  Hall,  [1801,]  Robert 
Strange,  [1824,]  Edwin  G.  Reade,  [1865,] 
Robert  B.  Vance,  [1866.] 

These  distinguished  men  were  proud  to  lay 
aside  for  a  time  the  sword  of  the  soldier,  the 
ermine  of  the  judge,  and  the  laurels  of  the 
statesman,  to  labor  as  fellow-crafts  in  the 
cause  of  "  Free  and  Accepted  Masons." 

The  craft  is  in  a  flourishing  condition  in 
North  Carolina.  There  are  now  about  400 
Lodges  and  about  12,000  members,  sustaining 
in  asylums  at  Oxford  and  Mars  Hill  134  or- 
phans, and  advocated  bj'  the  Orphans' 
Friend,  a  periodical. 

An  incident  worthy  of  record  as  to  the  hu- 
manizing influence  of  Masonry,  even  in  the 
face  of  •'  grim-visaged  war,"  occurred  at  the 
battle  of  Manassas.  A  gallant  Georgia  oflicer 
was  shot  down  as  he  was  forming  his  company 
in  line  of  battle.  He  refused  to  be  taken  from 
the  field.  His  regiment,  under  an  overwhelm- 
ing charge  ot  tlie  enemy,  was  compelled  to 
fall  back,  and  the  poor  fellow,  unable  to  move, 
was  made  prisoner.  He  was  about  to  be  bay- 
oneted, when  he  gave  the  Masonic  sign  of  dis- 
tress. The  uplifted  weapon  fell  harmless,  and 
he  was  taken  up  by  brotherly  hands,  his 
wounds  attended  to,  and  his  sufi"erings  allevi- 
ated. This  was  Orderly  Sergeant  0.  B.  Eve, 
of  the  Miller  Rifles,  of  Rome,  Georgia. 

Many  such  incidents  occurred  at  other 
times  and  places,  proving  the  influence  and 
value  of  Masonry. 


The  Blouxts  of  Beaufort.* 

As  early  as  1782,  General  John  Gray  Blount 
represented  the  county  of  Beaufort  in  the 
Legislature.  He  was  enterprising  and  success- 
ful in  business,  and  a  large  land  owner.  His 
father  was  Jacob  Blount,  who  was  an  oSicer 
at  the  battle  of  Alamance  and  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  Jacob  was  also  the  father  of 
Governor  "William  Blount,  (for  sketch  of 
whom  see  Craven,)  who  was  Governor  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  of  Thomas,  who  was  a  volunteer 
in  the  Revolutionary  army  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, and  commanded  as  major  at  the  battle 
of  Eutaw;  was  a  member  of  Congress  in  1793- 
'99  and  180o-'09,  and  died  at  Washington 
City  1812.  Jacob  was  also  the  father  of  Wil- 
lie Blount,  Governor  of  Tennessee  from  1809 
to  '15. 

General  William  A.  Blount,  born  1794,  died 
1867,  was  the  son  of  General  John  Gray 
Blount,  and  was  well  known  in  North  Caro- 
lina, and  much  esteemed  for  his  genial  quali- 
ties, his  extended  and  varied  abilities,  and  his 
public  services.  At  the  early  age  of  eighteen 
he  entered  the  arm}'  of  the  United  States  as 
a  subaltern,  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  continued 
in  the  army  until  the  war  was  over.  Such 
were  his  faithful  services  that  he  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  captain. 

On  his  return  from  the  a"my  he  was  elected 
major-general  of  the  third  division  of  North 
Carolina  militia,  a  position  at  that  time,  in  the 
unsettled  condition  of  our  affairs,  of  much 
distinction  and  responsibility.  His  next  pub- 
lic service  was  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
from  Beaufort  County,  in  1825,  and  sucli  was 
the  acceptability  of  his  course  that  he  was  re- 
elected in  1826  and  '27. 

When  in  the  public  councils,  he  advocated 
the   most  liberal  system  of  public  improve- 


*\Ve  present  under  Craven  County  a  careful  and  elab- 
orate genealogy  of  the  Blount  family,  which  will,  we 
trust,  be  acceptable  for  reference  and  worthy  of 
study. 


12 


WHEPJLER'S   REMINISCEK'CES. 


meuts,  and  was  for  years  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Internal  Improvements.  He  was  the 
devoted  friend  of  public  schoolSj  and  for  a 
long  time  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
[appointed  1825]  of  the  Universitj-;  its  stead3-, 
active,  and  consistent  friend. 

He  was  intensely  southern  in  his  whole 
course  of  life;  the  active  opponent  of  all  pro- 
tection and  class  legislation;  the  devoted  ad- 
vocate of  free  trade  and  the  rights  of  the 
States.  His  course  in  the  Free  Trade  Conven- 
tion at  i'hiladelphia,  one  of  the  ablest  bodies 
that  ever  assembled  in  this  country',  proves  his 
ardent  devotion  to  principle. 

But  it  was  at  home,  in  the  exercise  of  the 
kindly  charities  of  life,thea'ft'ectiouate  parent, 
the  obliging  and  symphathizing  neighbor,  the 
sincere  and  uncaleulating  friend,  his  open- 
handed    charity — 

Charity  that  feels  for  another's  woes, 
And  hides  the  faults  that  we  see; — 

that  specially  marked  the  life  and  character  of 
General  William  A.  Blount. 

None  that  knew  him  (and  the  writer  knew 
him  long  and  well)  can  ever  cease  to  remem- 
ber his  genial  manner,  his  commanding  pres- 
ence, and  his  knightly  bearing. 

His  conversatioual  powers  were  unrivaled; 
though  often  incisive,  pointed  and  witty,  they 
were  never  coarse  or  oifensive.  These  quali- 
ties made  him  always  a  welcome  guest,  and 
"the  flashes  of  his  wit  often  set  the  table  in 
a  roar." 

Of  him  may  be  trulj-  said  as  Anthony  uf  tlie 

noble  Brutus — 

flis  life  was  gentle;  and  the  elements 

So  mixed  in  him,  that  nature  might  stand  up 
And  say  to  all  the  world,  this  was  a  Man. 

[Julius  Cresar,  Y,  s.] 

He  was  twice  married;  first  to  E"ancy  Hay- 
wood, and  second  to  MissLittlejohn.  By  the 
first  he  left  a  son,  Major  Wm.  A.  Blount, 
and  a  daughter,  iNTancy,  who  still  resides  at 
Raleigh,  and  who  married  the  lamented  Gen. 
L.  O'B.  Branch. 


"  Being  thus  fathered  and  thus  husbanded" 
is  the  peerless  rival  of  the  Portias  of  ancient 
Rome. 

ilr.  Cambreling,  of  New  York,  born  1786, 
died  1862. 

Although  the  public  services  of  Churchill 
Caldom  Cambreling  have  redounded  to  the 
fame  of  another  State,  yet  he  is  a  native  son  of 
North  Carolina;  and  we  believe  in  the  divine 
injunction,  to  "give  unto  C;esar  the  things 
that  are  Csesar's."  We  intend  to  claim  the 
merits,  character,  and  services  of  every  son  of 
North  Carolina,  wherever  we  can  find  them. 

The  follov.'ing  is  a  partial  list  of  the  native 
sous  of  North  Caroliua  who  have  distinguished 
thenrselves  as  citizens  of  other  States: 

Allen,    William,    (Ohio,)     born    in     Chowan 

County. 
Ashe,   John  B.,   (of  Tenu.,)    New  Hanover. 

Bj'num,  Jesse,  (La.,)  Halifax. 
Benton,  Thns.  H.,  (of  Mo.,)  Orange. 
Bragg,  John,  (Ala.,)  Warren. 
Blounts,  VvHUiam,  (Tenn.,)   Craven. 
Willie,  (Tenn  ,)   Bertie. 

Cannon,  Newton,  (Tenn.,)  Guilford. 

Daniel,  J.  R.  J.,  (La.,)  Halifax. 

Dargan,  (Ala.,)  Anson. 

Darby,  (Miss.) 

Dixon,  Archibald,  (Ky.,)   Caswell. 

Eaton,  John  IL,  (Tenn.,)  Halifax. 
Etheridge,  (of  Tenn.,)   Currituck. 

Foruey,  W.  H.,  (Ala.,)  Lincoln. 

Gentry,  Meredith  P.,  Tennessee. 
Gause,  (of  Ark.,)  Brunswick. 
Grant,  James,  (Iowa,)  Halifax. 

Handey,  J.  R.,  (Conn.,)  Richmond. 
Hawks,   F.  L.,  (N.  Y.,)  Craven. 
Bishop,  (Mo.,)   Craven. 

Jackson,  Andrew,  (Tenn.,)  Hnion. 
Johnson,  Andrew,  (Tenn.,)  Wake. 

King,  Wm.  R.,  (Ala.,)  Sampson. 

Moore,  Gabriel,  (Ala.) 
Mosely,  W.  D.,  (Fla.,)  Lenoir. 

Pickens,  Israel,  (Ala.,)  Mecklenburg. 
Polk,  Jas.  K.,  (Tenn.,)  Mecklenburg. 


BEAUFOET   COUXTY. 


13 


Eabuni,  Wm.,  (of  Georgia,)   Halifax. 

Steele,  J.  H.,  (K  H.,)  Eowaii. 
StokeSj  Montforcl,  (Ark.,) 
Wni.  B.,  (Tenn.,) 

White,  Hugh  L.,  (Tenti.,)  Iredell. 
Williams,  Thomas,  CAliss.,)  Surry. 

Beijjamin,      (Ala.,)  Surry. 
Marmuduke,  (Ala.,)  Surry. 
Wiley,   J.    Caleb,  born    in  Cabarrus   County; 
member  of  Congress  from  Alabama. 

Ill  every  portion  of  our  nation  may  be  found 
some  native  sons  of  the  State,  who,  although 
separated,  have  never  ceased  to  love  their 
dear  old  mother;  and  who  cherished  to  the 
last  an  abiding  affection  for  her — a  love  un- 
surpassing  the  love'of  woman. 

AVe  can  say  with  ^Eneas  to  his  fdas  Acha- 
tes— 

Quis  jam  locus? 

Qnx  regis  in  terris  uostri,  non  plena  laboris.* 

Nor  has  Xorth  Carolina  been  selfish  or  churl- 
ish to  those  of  other  States  who  have  settled 
and  made  her  borders  their  home. 

Of  the  members  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress Burke  was  from  Ireland;  Caswell  from 
Maryland;  Hooper  from  Massacliusetts;  Penn 
from  Virginia;  Williamson  from  Penns^dvaT 
nia. 

ISTeither  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  for  North  Carolina  was  a  native 
of  the  State.  Ilewes  was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey;  Hooper,  of  Massachusetts;,  Penn,  of 
Virginia. 

Penn,  of  Virginia,  also  signed  the  Constitu- 
tion as  a  Delegate  from  North  Carolina. 

Of  the  1st  Congress,  [1789  to  1791,]  Samuel 
Johnston  was  a  native  of  Scotland;  Hugh 
Williamson,  of  Pennsylvania. 

Of  the  6th  Congress,  [1799-1801,]  William 
H.  Hill  v/as  a  native  of  Massachusetts. 

Of  the  10th  Congress,  James  Turner  v/as  a 
native  of  Virginia. 


*What  place,  wliat  country,  on  the  globe  is  not  f  uU 
of  our  labors — Virgil  I,  459. 


Felix  Walker  of  Virginia  was  a  member  of 
the  15th,  [1817-'19,]  16th,  ['19-'21,]  and  17th, 
['21-'23]  Congresses. 

Henry  W.  Connor,  of  Virginia,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  19th,  20th,  21st,  22d,  23d,  24th, 
25th,  and  26Lh  Congresses. 

Abram  AV.  Venable,  of  Virginia,  was  a 
member  of  the  30th,  [1847-49,]  31st,  and  32d, 
Congresses. 

Eicliard  C.  Puryear,  of  A'irginia,  was  a  ntem- 
ber  of  the  33d  [18o3-'55]  Congress. 

H.  M.  .  Shaw,  of  Ehode  Island,  was  a 
member  of  the  3oth  Congress. 

Xathaniid  Boyden,  of  ^lassachusetts,  David 
Ileaton,  of  Ohio;  John  T.  Deweese,  of  Arkan- 
sas, and  John  E.  French,  of  New  Hampshire, 
were  members  of  the  40th  [1867-'69]  Con- 
gress. 

James  C.  Harper,  of  Pennsylvania  was  a 
member  of  the  41st  [1871-73]  Congress. 

And  these  are  distinguished  wherever  they 
roam  Ijy  their  intrinsic  worth,  their  unobtru- 
sive demeanor,  their  aibhorence  of  vice  and 
love  of  virtue,  their  fidelity  to  their  promises 
and  contracts,  tiieir  obedience  and  respect  to 
law.  And  ^vhen  elevated  by  an  appreciative 
[icople,  have  been  always  equal  to  and  no\'er 
above  or  below  the  position  they  occupied, 
but  discharged  every  duty  with  integrity,  in- 
telligence, to  the  satisfacti(_m  and  approbation 
of  their  constitutents,  and  honor  to  the 
country. 

To  return  to  our  subject:  Mr.  Candjreling 
was  a  member  of  Congress  from  New  York 
City  from  1821  to  1839;  chairman  of  the 
C>)mmitteeof  Ways  and  Means  at  one  time 
and  of  Foreign  Affairs,  which  important  posts 
were  evidence  of  the  high  appreciation  of  his 
transcendent  abilit}-  as  a  statesman.  In  1840 
he  was  appointed  Minister  to  Eussia. 

His  name  was  derived  from  his  great- 
grandfather, Cliurchill  Caldom,  whose  father 
caxne  from  Scotland  and  settled  on  Pamlico 
Eiver.     On    the    nuiternal   line    he    was  the 


14 


WHEELER'S   KEMIXISCEXCES. 


graudsoii  of  John  Pattoii,  a  gallant  officer  of 
the  Revolution,  major  of  2d  Regiment  of  the 
X.  C.  Line  in  the  Continental  Army,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  hattles  of  Brandywine, 
Germantown  and  Monmouth.  He  was  horn 
in  Washington,  Beaufort  County,  N.  C, 
and  educated  in  'Sew  Berne.  From  the 
situation  of  his  family,  for  he  was  early 
an  orphan,  he  left  schocd  before-  his  edu- 
cation was  complete,  and  went  into  a  store  as 
a  clerk.  He  moved  in  1802  to  Xew  York,  and 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  with  John 
Jacob  Astor,and  as  his  confidential  clerktrav-., 
eled  extensively  over  the  world.  His  reports 
in  Congress,  especially  on  commerce  and  navi- 
gation, were  models  of  research  and  logic,  and 
were  republislied  in  England.  He  died  at 
AVest  Neck,  New  York,  on  30th  April,  1862. 
(See  "Demo.  Review,"  VII,  No.  11— "  Lan- 
man's  Biographical  Annals.") 

George  E.  B.  Singletary. — On  the  5th  June, 
1862,  in  a  skirmish  which  ensued  across  Tran- 
ter's Creek,  near  Washington,  in  this  county, 
between  the  44th  Xortli  Carolina  and  a  heavy 
force  of  Union  troops,  fell  the  gallant  com- 
mander of  the  Xorth  Carolina  troops.  Colonel 
Singletary. 

Colonel  Singletary  was  an  experienced  and 
gallant  officer,  and  had  seen  some  service  in 
the  war  with  Mexico. 

Colonel  S.  was  the  oldest  son  of  an  Episco- 
pal clergyman,  and  much  esteemed  for  his 
legal  acquirements  and  his  genial  social 
temper. 

He  had  married  Cora,  eldest  daughter  of 
Governor  Alanly. 

He  was  succeeded  by  hisj'ounger  brother  in 
command  of  the  regiment. 

Captain  John  Julius  Guthrie  who  was 
drowned  near  Nag's  Head  in  November,  1877, 
while  endeavoring  to  succor  the  passengers 
and  crew  of  the  U.  S.  Steamship  "Huron," 
was  a  native  of  the  town  of  Washington,  the 
son   of  Dr.  John   W.   Guthrie  and    his   wife 


Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Captain    William  ?ilc- 
Daniel. 

Capitain  Guthrie  was  no  ordinary  man,  and 
well  deserves  remembrance  for  his  virtues  in 
private  life,  and  his  heoric  gallantry.  His 
education  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Dr.  Wm, 
McPheeters  at  Raleigh,  and  in  1833  he  was 
appointed  a  cadet  at  West  Point;  but  prefer- 
ing  the  adventurous  life  of  a  sailor,  after  one 
year's  probation  at  West  Point,  his  friends 
procured  in  1834  a  midshipman's  warrant  in 
the  Navy.  He  served  with  great  acceptability 
at  home  and  abroad,  especially  in  the  war 
with  Mexico,  and  in  the  Anglo-French  war 
in  China ;  when  our  flag  was  insulted,  displayed 
great  gallantry  and  captured  Barrier  Forts, 
hauling  down  the  China  flag,  which  trophy  he 
presented  to  the  State,  and  for  which  he  re- 
ceived the  thanks  of  the  Legislature. 

The  following  is  a  copj'  of  the  letter  of  the 
Governor,  and  of  the  resolutions  of  the  Legis- 
lature: 

Testimoxt  to  Gallantry. 


[Oommunicated  to  the  National  Intelligencer.] 

Executive  Department, 

Raleigh,  Aug.  23,  1859. 

Sir:  I  have  this  day  received  from  Capt.  A. 
J.  Lawrence  a  Chinese  flag,  taken  by  you  in 
an  assault  upon  the  barrier  forts  in  the  Canton 
river  in  November,  1856,  bj^  the  forces  of  the 
United  States  ships  "San  Jacinto,"  "i''orts- 
mouth,"  and  "Levant,"  as  a  present  in  j-our 
name  to  the  State  of  North  Carolina. 

Having  been  apprised  of  your  desire  to 
make  this  disposition  of  the  flag,  the  last  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  by  resolutions,  authorized  me 
to  receive  it  from  yo\i  in  behalf  of  the  State, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  express  to  you  the 
high  appreciation  of  that  body  of  your  gal- 
lantry on  the  occasion  referred  to,  and  of  this 
evidence  of  your  veneration  for  the  State  of 
3'our  birth. 

Believing  that  I  cannot  discharge  this  pleas- 
ing duty  in  a  more  acceptable  manner  than  by 
transmitting  these  highly  complimentary  reso- 
lutions, I  herewith  enclose  a  copy  of  them  as 
transcribed  from  the  statute  book. 

These  resolutions,  I  am  well  assured,  are 


BEAUFORT  COUJSn'T. 


lo 


none  the  less  expressive  of  the  sentiments  of 
the  people  of  the  State  than  of  their  repre- 
seiitatives  who  enacted  theni;  for  they  have 
ever  manifested  a  lively  pleasure  at  the  hon- 
orable distinctions  achieved  by  the  sons  of 
North  Carolina  in  every  department  of  the 
public  service.  Every  distinguished  action  of 
the  citizens  proves  useful  to  the  State  in  the 
example  it  affords  to  the  youths  of  the 
country,  who  are  thus  apprised  of  the  gratify- 
ing rewards  that  ever  await  a  faithful  dis- 
charge of  duty. 

This  flag,  so  gallantly  taken  by  3'ou  in  the 
maintainance  of  the  rights  and  protection  of 
the  pei'sons  of  American  citizens  in  a  distant 
land,  will  be  placed  among  the  valued  treasures 
of  the  State,  and  will  be  looked  upon  by 
posterity,  impressing  all  who  may  see  it  with 
the  sentiments  of  esteem  in  which  are  held 
the  brave  conduct  of  the  faithful  soldier  in 
the  service  of  his  country;  and  to  our  youths, 
to  wliom  from  time  to  time  the  stor}'  of  its 
capture  may  be  narrated,  will  be  told  that  it 
is  a  trophy  for  which  the  State  is  indebted  to 
one  of  her  courageous  sons  who  entered  the 
service  of  the  country  when  a  mere  boy,  and 
who,  without  the  aid  of  fortune  or  the  in- 
fluence of  powerful  friends,  won  his  way  to 
honorable  distinction  by  his  own  upright 
deportment  and  gallant  spirit.  Thus,  sir,  will 
a  valuable  lesson  be  taught  them,  exciting  in 
their  bosoms  a  laudable  ambition  to  emulate 
like  honorable  a^jtions. 

Trusting  that  your  career  will  prove  one  of 
continued  usefuhiess  to  the  country  and  dis- 
tinction to  yourself,  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 
verj'  respectfully,  yours,  &c., 

JOHN  W.  ELLIS. 

Lieut.  John  Julius  Guthrie,  U.  S.  Navy. 


Besoltitions  antlioriziug  the  CTOvernor  of  tlie  State 
to  receive  a  flag  tendered  to  the  State  of  North 
Carolina  by  Lieut.  Guthrie,  of  the  U.  S.  Navy. 

Y/hereas  John  JuUus  Guthrie,  a  lieutenant 
in  the  United  States  Navy  and  a  native  of  the 
State  of  North  Carolina,  now  on  oflicial  duty 
at  the  National  Observatoi'y,  Washinarton, 
D.  C,  did,  on  the  20th  day  of  November,  1856, 
capture  and  carry  off  as  a  trophy  of  war  a 
Chinese  flag  from  the  first  of  four  barrier  forts 
captured  in  a  combined  engagement  by  the 
"San  Jacinto,"  -'Portsmouth,"  and"Levaiit,"on 
the  part  of  the  American  naval  force,  and  other 
vessels  under  the  command  of  Rear  Admiral 
Seymore,  on  the  part,  of  the  English,  in  the 
Canton  River-. 


And  whereas  the  chastisement  inflicted  on 
that  occasion  was  in  defence  of  American  and 
English  citizens  residing  in  that  localitj-,  and 
had  the  happy  etiect  of  securing  to  them 
immunity  from  violence  and  insult  to  their 
persons  and  property: 

And  whereas  said  Lieut.  Guthrie  has  been 
induced  by  his  friends  in  the  city  of  Raleigh 
and  elsewhere  to  express  a  willingness  to 
tender  this  flag  to  his  native  State,-  with  a 
desire  that  she  would  accept  it  as  an  humble 
evidence  of  filial  sentiments  and  affectionate 
recollection:     Therefore — 

Resolved:  That  the  Governor  of  the  State 
be  authorized  and  requested  to  accept  the  flag 
thus  tendered  by  Lieut.  Guthrie  at  such  time 
and  place  and  in  such  way  and  manner  as  may 
appear  suitable  and  proper. 

Resob-^d  further:  That  he  be  requested,  in 
behalf  of  this  General  Assembly,  to  express  to 
Lieut.  Guthrie  its  high  appreciation  of  his 
gallantry  on  that  occasion  aiid  this  evidence 
of  his  venGration  for  the  State  of  his  birth. 

Resolved  tlurdly:  That  the  Governor  be  far- 
ther requested  to  make  such  disposition  of  the 
flag,  when  received,  as  he  may  think  this 
trophy  of  her  son  deserves. 

Ratified  February  1.5,  1859. 

True  cop3'  from  the  original. 

Grauaji  Daves, 
Private  Secretary. 

Raleigh,  August  22,  1859. 

After  service  of  nearly  thirty  ye.irs,  when 
the  civil  war  broke  out,  he  was  under  the 
necessity  of  resigning,  and  entered  into  the 
Confederate  service,  where  he  did  eflicient 
and  active  duty  at  New  Orleans  and  elsewhere. 
He  was  at  one  time  in  command  of  the 
"Advance, "running the blockadebetween  Wil- 
mington and  the  Bermudas.  After  the  war  was 
over,  he  removed  with  his  familj-  to  Ports- 
mouth, Va.,  and  in  the  Fall  of  1865  was 
pardoned  by  the  President,  (Johnson.)  lieing 
the  first  officer  of  the  regular  service  who  had 
received  Executive  clemenc3\  His  disabilities 
being  removed  by  a  unanimous  reconmrenda- 
tion  from  tlie  memboi's  of  Congress,  he  was -ap- 
pointed by  General  Grant  to  the  "Superin- 
tendency  of  the  Life-Saving  Stations  from 
Cape  Henry  to  Cape  ILatteras,"  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  of  which  he  lost  his  life. 


16 


WHEELER'S  KEMINISCENCES. 


He  left  a  ■'.vife  (Louisa,  dangbter  of  Benjamin 
Spratiy,)  and  children  to  mourn  his  loss.  It 
was  near  the  dreaded  Cape  Ilatteras  so  often 
l.eforc  and  since  the  death-place  of  the  brave, 
did  the  gallant  Guthrie  meet  his  death. 

This  fearful  spot  has  been  beautifully  and 
fearfully  depicted  in  poetrj-  by  another  son  of 
North  Carolina,  now,  too,  no  more: 

HATTEKA.S. 

The  Wind  King  from  the  North  came  down. 
Kor  stopped  by  river,  mount,  or  town; 
But  like  a  boisterous  god  at  play, 
liesistless,  bounding  on  his  way, 
He  shook  the  lake  and  tore  tlie  wood, 
And  flapjied  his  wings  in  merry  mood, 
Nor  furled  them,  till  he  spied  afar. 
The  white  caps  flash  on  Hatteras  Bar, 
■Where  fierce  Atlantic  landward  bowls, 
O'er  treacherous  sands  and  hidden  shoals. 

He  paused,  then  wreathed  his  horn  of  cloud. 
And  hleAv  defiance  long  and  loudj 
"Come  up!    Come  up,  tlion  torrid  sod, 

That  rul'st  the  Southern  Sea! 
Ho!  lightning'-eyed  and  thunder-shod, 

Come  wrestle  here  with  me! 
As  losset  thou  the  tangled  cane 
111  hurl  thee  o'er  the  boiling  main.'' 

The  angry  heavens  hung  dark  and  still. 
Like  Arctic  night  on  Ilecla's  hill; 
The  mermaids  sporting  on  the  waves. 
Affrighted,  fled  to  coral  caves; 
The  billow  cliecked  its  curling  crest, 
And,  trembling,  sank  to  sudden  rest; 
-  All  ocean  stilled  its  heaving  breast. 
Keflected  darkness,  weird  and  dread. 
An  inky  plain  the  \Yaters  spread — 
So  motionless,  since  life  w;is  fled! 

Amid  this  elemental  lull, 

'.\  hen  uatu)-e  died,  and  death  lay  dull. 

As  though  itself  were  sleeping  there — 

Becalmed  upon  that  dismal  Hood. 

Ten  fated  vessels  idly  stood. 

And  not  a  timber  creaked! 

"Come  up!    Come  up,  thou  torrid  god. 
Thou  lightning-eyed  and  thunder-shod. 
And  wrestle  here  with  mel" 
Twas  heard  and  ansvi'cred:  "Lo!  I  come 

From  azure  Carribee, 
To  drive  thee,  cowering,  to  thy  home. 
And  melt  its  walls  of  frozen  foam." 

From  every  isle  and  mountain  dell. 

Prom  plains  of  pathless  chaparral. 

From  tide  built  bars,  where  sea-birds  dwell, 

He  drew  !■■  ilurid  legions  forth — 

Andspr'    ^  to  meet  the  white-plumed  North 

Can  mortal ,  ngue  in  song  convey 
The  fiu'y  of  that  fearful  fray? 
How  ships  were  splintered  at  a  blow — 
Sails  shivered  into  slireds  of  snow— 
And  seamen  hurled  to  death  below! 
Two  gods  commingling,  l.iolt  and  blast, 
'Ihe  huge  waves  on  each  other  cast, 


And  bellowed  o'er  the  raging  waste; 
Then  S]ied.  like  harnessed  steeds,  afar, 
T  hat  drag  a  shattered  battle-car 
Amid  the  midnight  din  of  war! 

Smile  on.  smile  on,  thou  watery  hell. 
And  toss  those  skulls  upon  thy  shore; 
The  Failor's  widow  knows  thee  well; 
His  children  beg  from  door  to  door. 
And  shi^■er,  while  they  strive  to  tell 
How  thou  hast  rolibed  the  wretched  poor! 

[Jos.   ^y.   HOLDEN.] 

This  theme  has  also  inspired   the  pen  of  an 
earlier  poet: 

■^THE  PILOT  OF  HATTERAS. 

[From    the  National  Gazette,  Philadelphia,  ilonday, 
January  16,  1792.] 

In  fathoms  five,  the  anchor  gone, 

AVhile  here  we  furl  the  sail. 
No  longer  vainly  laboring  on 

Against  the  western  gale; 
NVhile  here  thy  bare  and  barren  cliffs, 

O  Hatteras,  I  survey. 
And  shallow  grounds  and  broken  reefs; 

\^  hat  shall'amuse  my  stay"? 

The  Pilot  comes.     From  yonder  sands 

He  shoves  his  barque  so  frarl. 
And  hurrying  on,  with  busy  hands, 

Emjiloys  both  oar  and  sail. 
Beneath  this  rude,  unsettled  sky 

Condemn 'd  to  pass  his  years; 
No  other  shores  delight  his  eye. 

No  foe  alarms  his  fears. 

In  depths  of  woods  his  hut  he  builds, 

Whei'e  ocean  round  him  flows. 
And  blooming  in  the  barren  t.ilds 

His  simple  garden  gruws. 
His  wedded  nymph,  of  sallow  hue, 

N  0  mingled  colors  grace. 
For  her  he  toils,  to  her  is  true. 

The  captive  of  her  face. 

Kind  nature  here,  to  make  him  blest, 

No  quiet  harbor  plann'd. 
And  poverty,  his  constant  guest, 

Restrains  the  pirate  band. 
His  hopes  are  all  in  yonder  flock 

Or  some  few  hives  of  bees. 
Except,  when  bound  for  Ocracock,t 

Some  gliding  barque  he  sees; 

His  Marian  then  he  quits  with  grief. 

And  spreads  his  tottering  sails, 
While,  waving  high  her  handkerchief. 

Her  commodore  she  hails. 
She  grieves,  and  fears  to  see  no  more 

The  sail  that  now  forsakes. 
From  Hatteras' sauds  to  banks  of  Core, 

Such  tedious  journeys  takes. 

Fond  nymph!  your  sighs  are  breath'd  in  vain. 

Restrain  those  idle  fears. 
Can  yon.  that  should  relieve  his  pain, 

Thus  kill  hiui  with  your  tearsV 
Can  absence  thus  beget  regard. 

Or  does  it  only  seem? 
He  comes  to  meet  a  wandering  bauri 

That  seeks  fair  Ashley's  stream. 


BEAUFORT   COUNTY. 


17 


TIio' disappointed  in  his  views, 

Not  joyless  will  we  piu't; 
Nor  shall  the  god  of  mirth  refuse 

The  balsam  of  the  heart. 
No  niggard  key  shall  lock  up  joy; 

I'll  give  him  half  my  store, 
Will  he  but  half  his  skill  employ 

To  guard  us  from  your  shore. 

Where  western  gales  once  more  awake 

What  dangers  will  be  near. 
Alas  1  I  see'the  billows  break. 

Alas  !  why  came  I  here  ? 
With  quarts  of  rum  and  pints  of  gin, 

(to.  pilot,  seek  the  land, 
And  drink  till  you  and  all  your  kin 

Can  neither  sit  nor  stand. 

SINBAD. 


*  Written  off  the  Cape,  .July,  1789,  on  a  voyage  to 
South  Carolina,  being  detained  sixteen  days  with  strong 
gales  ahead. 

t  All  vessels  from  the  northward  tha^  pass  witliin 
Hatteras  Shoals,  bound  for  New  Berne  and  other  places 
on  Pimlico  Sound,  commonly,  in  favorable  weather, 
take  a  Hatteras  pilot  to  conduct  them  over  the  danger- 
ous bar  of  Ocracock.  eleven  leagues  \V.  S.  \V.  of  the 
Cape. 

Edward  Stanle3'  I'epresented  Beaufort  Coun- 
ty in  1844-'46  and  '48,  and  was  often  Speaker 
of  the  House. 

He  was  elected  Attornej-Genei'al  in  1847, 
and  a  member  of  Congress  from  1837  to  1843 
and  from  1849  to  1853.  He  removed  then 
[1853]  to  California,  to  practice  his  profes- 
sion. 

In  1857  he  was  the  Bepablican  candidate 
for  Governor,  and  was  defeated,  receiving 
21,040  votes  to  53,122  for  the  Democratic  can- 
didate, Weller. 

After  the  capture  of  New  Berne  [14tii  March, 
1862,]  he  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Lincoln  Mili- 
tary Governor  of  North  Carolina,  which,  after 
a  few  months,  he  resigned,  and  returned  to 
San  Francisco,  where  he  died,  on  the  12th 
July,  1872. 

We  would  fain  tread  lightly  on  the  ashes  of 
the  dead,  but  faithful  history  demands,  like 
Cromwell  of  his  artist,  "Paint  me  as  I  am, 
warts  and  all." 

Mr.  Stanley  was  considered  as  a  decided 
party  leader  in  Congress,  and  acquired  an  un- 
happy reputation  for  an  over-indulgence  in 
vindictive  feelings  and  ultra  denunciation  of 
his  political  opponents.     This  'inhappy  trait 


of  character,  as  was  to  be  expected,  involved 
him  in  frequent  diffieulties,  political  and  per- 
sonal. Perhaps  it  was  constitutional,  and  a 
fatal  inheritance;  for  his  fatiiei  had,  in  a 
political  quarrel,  killed  Governor  Spaight,  and 
was  considered  aggressive  and  violent  in  his 
political  conduct.  Inheriting  this  trait,  Mr. 
Stanley  had,  in  Congress,  involved  himself  in  a 
violent  personal  altercation  with  his  colleague, 
Hon.  Thomas  L.  Clingman;  another  with 
Hon.  Mr.  Inge,  of  Alabama,  which  terminated 
in  a  duel,  and  with  Governor  Wise,  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  applied  a  riding-whip  to  his  shoul- 
ders. 

His  career  as  .Military  C4ovei'nor  of  North 
Carolina  was  a  failure,  not  meeting  the  ap- 
probation of  those  who  sent  him,  and  destroy- 
ing his  reputation  with  those  with  whom  he 
was  reared,  and  by  whom  he  had  been  hon- 
ored. The  most'  notable  achievement  of  his 
mission  was  his  letter  to  General  D.  H.  Hill, 
of  24th  March,  1802,  abounding  in  bitterness, 
in  which  he  declared  that  he  "  preferred  serv- 
ing in  a  brigade  of  negroes  "  than  to  belong 
to  the  troops  commandad  by  General  Hill, 
who  then  was  defending  Mr.  Stanley's  native 
land. 

Whatever  motives  influenced  Mr.  Stanley  to 
undertake  so  hopeless   a  mission,  all   his  at- 
temijts  to  compromise  the    difHculties    were 
idle  and  abortive.     The  bloody  chasm  had 
Opened  its  ponderous  jaws, 

and  any  endeavor  to  heal  the  dissensions  be- 
tween the  excited  belligerents  only  tended  to 
bring  suspicion  from  one  side,  and  hatred  from 
the  other. 

The  following  letter,  from  one  of  the  tirst 
men  in  point  of  al)ility  in  North  Carolina,  and 
a  near  kinsman  of  Mr.  Stanley,  shows  puljlic 
opinion  as  to  Mr.  S.'s  course,  an  'he  state  of 
public  affairs  at  the  unhappy  r  :,rioci,  and  de- 
serves to  be  preserved.  It  was  written  to 
Hon.  Alfred  Ely,  who  was  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  New  York,  and  was  at   the  battle 


18 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


of  Bull  Run  as  a  spectator.  lie  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  at  the  date  of  this  letter  was  an 
inmate  of  the  Libby  Prison  in  Richmond: 

"  Mr.  Ely: — Your  letter  to  Mr.  Stanley,  pro- 
posing to  him  to  cheribh  the  feeling  of  "  Uni- 
onism "  in  North  Carolina,  came  to  my  hands 
in  an  unsealed  envelope,  directed  to  mj^  wife. 
I  take  the  liberty  of  setting  you  right  upon  a 
fact,  and  showing  you  what  a  hopeless  task 
3'ou  have  proposed  to  Mr.  Stanley. 

"  There  is  no  Union  feeling  in  North  Caro- 
lina, as  you  suppose,  and  is  probably  supposed 
by  the  generality  of  Northern  men. 

"  There  ivas  in  this  State  a  very  strong 
Union  feeling — a  sti'ong  love  for  the  Union  afe 
established  by  our  forefathers — but  as  soon  as 
Mr.  Lincoln's  proclamation  of  April,  18(31,  ap- 
peared, offering  us  the  alternative  of  joining 
an  armed  invasion  of  our  Southern  Sister 
States,  for  their  subjugation,  or  resisting  the  au- 
thorities of  the  United  States,  onr  position 
was  taken  without  a  moment's  hesitation.  A 
Convention  was  promptly  called,  and  instant- 
ly, without  a  dissenting  voice,^  that  Conven- 
tion resolved  to  take  our  sides  with  the  al- 
ready seceded  States,  and  share  their  fate  for 
good  or  evil.  From  that  moment,  however 
we  may  have  differed  in  other  things,  there 
has  not  been,  and  there  is  not,  any  difference; 
hence  our  people  with  one  heart  sprang  to 
arms.  Our  people  have  now  nearlj^  sixty  regi- 
ments in  the  iield,  (not  skeletons,  but  fall 
regiments,)  and  among  them  not  a  single  con- 
script or  drafted  man.  Hence  we  have  ta.xed 
ourselves  freely;  have  used  our  credit  freely 
in  making  loans  to  support  the  war.  The 
spirit  which  has  produced  this  has  never 
flagged;  but  is  now  as  high  and  active  as  at 
first. 

"  Mr.  Ely,  think  a  moment !  We  have  been 
in\-aded  b}'  an  enemy  as  unrelenting  and  fe- 
rocious as  the  jiordus  under  Attilla  and  Alai'ic, 
who  overrun  the  Roman  Empire;  he  comes  to 
rob  us;  to  murder  our  people;  to  insult  our 
women;  to  emancipate  our  slaves,  and  is  now 
preparing  to  add  a  new  element  to  this  most 
atrocious  aggression,  and  involve  us  in-  the 
direful  horrors  of  a  civil  war.  He  proposes 
nothing  else  than  our  entire  destruction;  the 
desolation  of  our  country;  universal  emanci- 
pation— not  from  a  love  of  the  slaves,  but  from 
hatred  to  us.  'To  crush  us;'  '  to  wipe  out 
the  South;'  to  involve  us  in  irremediable 
miser^^  and  hopeless  ruin. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Ely,  if  your  own  State  of  New 


York  was  so  threatened,  what  would  be  your 
feelings  and  purposes  ?  From  these,  you  may 
judge  of  ours. 

'■  We  look  with  horror  at  the  thought  of 
being  again  united  in  any  political  connection 
with  the  North.  We  would  rather,  far,  that 
oar  State  should  be  a  Colony  of  England,  or 
France,  or  Sardinia. 

"  The  North  may  be  able  (though  we  do  not 
believe  it)  to  conquer  us,  and  even  to  keep  us 
conquered,  and  if  it  should  be  the  wise  and 
good  purpose  of  the  Almight}'  that  this  shouhl 
happen,  we  shall  endeavor  to  suffer  with  pa- 
tience whatever  ills  may  befall  n-s;  but  a  vol- 
untar}-  return  to  any  union  with  the  North, 
we  cannot,  will  not,  accept  on  any  terms  —a 
revival  of  any  Union  sentiments  is  an  impos- 
sibility. 

"  I  think,  therefore,  Mr.  Ely,  you  would  do 
well  to  advise  Mr.  Stanleyto  abandon  his  en- 
terprise. 

"  He  a  Governor  of  North  Carolina!  a  Gov- 
ernor deriving  his  authority  from  a  commis- 
sion of  Mr.  Lincoln! 

"The  very  title  is  an  insult  to  us.  The  very 
appointment  is  the  assumption  of  the  rights  of 
a  conqueror.  But  wc  are  not  yet  conquered. 
And  clo  you  think  Mr.  Stanley's  coming  here, 
in  such  a  character,  supported  by  Northern 
baj'onets,  serves  to  commend  hin\  to  our  favor; 
to  breathe  in  us  the  gentle  sentiments  of  amity 
and  peace  toward  himself  or  those  who  sent 
him  here?  Mr.  Ely,  as  you  hive  opened  a 
correspondence  with  Mr.  Stanley, 3'ou  had  bet- 
ter write  to  him  yours'.df,  and  say  this  to  him: 

"If  he  wishes  the  honored  name  of  Stanley 
to  Ijecome  a  bye-word  and  a  reproach,  and  to 
be  spoken  with  scorn  and  hatred  \ty  all  Xorth 
Carolinians  henceforth  and  forever,  let  him 
pi'osecute  his  present  mission.  If  hj  does  not 
wish  this,  let  him  return  whence  he  came, and 
leave  us  to  fight  out  the  contest  as  best  we 
ma}',  without  his  interference. 

•'Georhe  E.  Badger." 

Whether  Mi'.  Stanley  eve;-  received  this  let- 
ter or  read  it  we  are  not  advis,.'d;  but,  as  al- 
ready stated,  he  soon  resigned  his  post,  went 
to  California,  from  whence  he  never  returned. 
But  as  to  Judge  Badger,  when  the  finale  of 
the  anha[>p}'  contest  was  sjttied,  and  all  the 
hopes,  as  e.xpre-ised  in  the  foregoing  graphic 
letter,  were  destroyed,  his  majestic  mind  sunk 
under  jthe  blow.    Like  some  gallant  ship  in  her 


BEAUFORT  COUXTY.  19 

proud   career  is  suddenly  thrown   on  hidden  AVm.  A.   Blount,  whose  biography-   we  have 

and  perilous  rocks,  quivers  under  the  disaster,  just  presented. 

and    finally    sinks    under   the    overwhelming  He  studied  law  and  has  attained  the  highest 

waves  to  darkness  and  to  death.     lie  died  soon  rank   in    liis    profession.     His    oiiiiiions    as    a 

after  the  v/ar.  [1866,]    paralyzed   in  body  and  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  are  considered  l\y 

enfeebled  in  intellect.  many  as  models  of  research  and  learning.     To 

Theruins  of  thenoblest  man  sorue,  however,  "  that   glorious  uncertainty  " 

'riwteverlivedhi  tide  of  times.  g^   proverbial  to  the   law,  is    apparent  in  his 

Eichard    Spaight  Donnell,  born    1820,  died  rulings.     Yet  he  is  vnuch  esteemed  by  the  pro- 

1865,  represented  this  county  in  the  Senate  in  fe-:sion  as  a  just  and  learned  jurist.     He  has 

1858,  and    in    the  Commons   in  18G0,  '62  and  never    mingled    much     in    politics,    for,    like 

'64;  and    in  the  latter  two   sessions  he    was  Alichael   Angelo  of  his  profession,  he  thinks 

elected  Speaker.     In    1847  he   was   elected  a  the  law  too  jealous  a    mistress   to    allow  any 

member  of  the  30th  Congress,  at  tlie  early  age  rival  in  his  affections.     Like  Hooker  in  his  Ec- 

of  tweutj'-seven.  clesiastical  Polity,  he  believes  "  of  law  there 

He  was  educated  partly  at  Vale,  and  gradu-  can   l)e   no    less    acknowledged    than  that  her 

ated  at  the  University  of  Jvdrth  Carolina  in  seat  is  the  bosom  of  God;  her  voice  the  har- 

1839.  mony  of  the  world.     All  things  in  he:iven  and 

He  studied   hnv    and    arose  to  high  distinc-  earth  do  her  homage;  the  very  lea -it,  as  feel- 

ti(jn  in   the  profession.     He  wrote  in   18'J3  a  ing  her  care;  and  the  greatest,  as  not  exempt 

letter   on  "the  rebellion,"   which    gave   him  from  her  power.     Both  angels  and  men  and 

much  reputation  as  a  statcsnum.  creatures  of  what  conditiim    soever,  though 

Blest  Avith  a  competency,  if  not  a  super-  each  in  difl'erent  sort  and  nnmner,  yet  all 
Suit}- (if  estate,  he  pursued  his  profession  and  with  uniform  consent  admiring  her  as  the 
politics  more  as  an  amusement  than  f)r  profit  niother  of  their  peace  and  joy." 
or  promotion.  Edward  J.  Warren  lived  and  died  in  Beau- 
He  was  much  loved  by  all  who  knew  him  fort  County.  He  was  a  native  of  the  State  of 
for  his  genial  and  gentle  manners,  his  modest,  Vermont,  f'ame  to  Xi_)rth  Carolina  and  set- 
unassuming  temper,  and  high-toned  princi-  tied  in  Washington,  as  a  teacher, 
pies.  As  a  man,  he  was  just  and  faithful;  as  Ho  read  law  and  attained  great  eminence  in 
a  la^'ver,  of  learning  aiul  probity,  and  as  a  the  profession.  He  I'cpresented  the  county  in 
statesman,  aliove  all  intrigue  or  repi-oacli.  the  Senate  in  1S62  ami  1-64,  ami  was  Sp^'aker 

He  died  unnnirried,  and   his  memory  is  en-  of  the  Senate.  He  was  appointed  b}' Governor 

balmed  in  the  affections  of  all  who  knew  him.  Worth  one  of   the  Judges    of   the    Su[)erior 

William  Blount  Hodman,  born  29tli  January-  Court. 

1817,  represented    Beaufort   County    in    the  He   married  Deborah,  daughter  of  Richard 

Convention  of  1868.    He   was  elected  one  of  Bonnor.     He    died    in    1878,  much  esteemed 

the  Justices  of  tlie    Supreme   Court,  the  term  and  regretted,  leaving  Charles  F.  Warren,  now- 

of  which  exjiired  in  1878.  at   the   bar,  and   Lucy,  who   married  William 

He  was  educated  at  the  University  ofXorth  Rodman  Myers. 

Carolina,  and  graduated  in  1836  with  the  first  James  Cook,  late  a  captain  in  the  Confed- 

honors.  erate  Xavy, says  Dalton,  was  a  native  of  Beau- 

llis  mother    was  the    daughter  of  General  fort,  Carteret  Count}',  N.  C.     His  name  should 

John  Gray  Blount,  and   the  sister  of  General  be  preserved  among  "the  men  of  Xorth  Caro- 


20  WHEELER'S    REMINISCEN-QES. 

liiia."     ilis    teri'ific    engagcnieiit    wliile    com-  daring  character,  and  his  tragic  end,  make  liia 

inanding    the    Confederate    steamer    "  Albe-  history  interesting. 

niarle  "  with   the  Federal  fleet,  and  clearing  He  was  born  in  October,  1828,  near  the  sea, 

tiie  Sound  and    the  Eoanoke   river,  after  the  (his  father  heing for  years  collector  of  customs 

capture   of    Pl^'mouth    by  General   Robert   F .  at  Ocracock  Inlet,)  and  possessed   naturally  a 

Hoke,  who  was  so  ably  seconded  by  General  love  for  the  ocean,  which  became  the  ruling 

M.  W.  Ransom,  was  a  feat  unparalleled  in  the  passion   of  his  life,  and   eventually  his  grave, 

annals  of  our   naval  warfare.     Xever   before  At  the  early  age  of  16,  he  left  home  on  his 

liad   the  size  of  such  guns  and  the  weight  of  first  vo^'age,  and  in  1848,  he  shipped  as  an 

theii' crushing  missiles  been  directed  against  ordinary  sailor  before  the  mast,  on  the  United 

any  single  vessel.     Yet  she  struggled  through  States  steamer  "  Oregon,"   on  a  voyage  from 

it,  having  had  the  misfortune  to  have  carried  Kew  York  to  San  Francisco,  via  Cape  Horn, 

away  one-half  of  one  of  the  two  guns  she  took  His  diligence,  attention,  and  gond   conduct, 

into  the  action.  She  was  literally  loaded  down  were  so  marked  that  he  was  make  tirst  officer 

by  the  enemj-'s  shot,  and  in  this  condition  had  of  the  ship  "  Columbia,"  on  the  dangerous  and 

to  fight  to  the  end,  un.til   she  gained  a  port  of  then  unknown  coast  of  Oregon.     When   some 

jefuge.  daj-s  at  sea,  the  ship  was  discovered  to  be  on  tire. 

During  the  perilous  ordeal,  Captain    Cook  She  had  on  board  400  troops,  under  the  com- 

was  calm  and  collected;  no  excitement  marked  mand  of  General  Wo;;)l.     The  coolness,  intre- 

Jiis  conduct.     Quietly  did  he  give  his  orders,  pidit}',  and   energy  of  3"oung  Tayloe,  on   this 

jxnd  his  men  partaking  his  spirit, promptly  and  perilous   occasion,  contributed   greatly  to    the 

quietly  obeyed.  savhig  of  the  ship,  passengers  and  crew.    This 

Captain  Cook  was  as  modest  in  his  deport-  was  expressed  in   the  grateful  thanks  of  the 

ment   as  he. was  brave  and  fearless  in  action,  passengers  by  resolutions. 

Had  such  an  exploit  occurred  under  the  Eng-  On   his  return  to  San  Francisco,  the  war  in 

lish,  flag.  Cook  would  have  ranked  with  the  Nicaragua  was  found  to  be  the  exciting  ques- 

ISTelsons  and  Wellingtons  of  his  age;  but,  as  it  tion  of  the  day,  and  offered  allurement  to  the 

is,  he  sinks  into   obscurity,  forgotten,  almost,  daring.     He  tendered  his  services  to   General 

by     his     j'.ative      State,     upon      which      he  Walker,  and  was  assigned  to  the  command  of 

shed      such     imperishable   honor.       He    was  the  fleet  of  steamers  and  gunboats  on  the  Lake 

then    in     very    delicate     health,    and     after  of  Nicaragua.     Pie   more  readily  engaged  in 

this      terrible      conflict,     never      completely  this    expedition    of    "  the    gray-eyed    man   of 

recovered    again.     Soon    after  this   battle   his  destiny,"  since  hisyounger  brother,  James,  was 

brave  spirit  winged  its  flight  from  the  bosom  an  officer  in  Walker's  army,  and  had  borne  a 

of  his  family,  in  Portsn)outh,  Virginia,  to  join  conspicuous  part   in    many  desperate   battles 

the  spirits  of  his  gallant   comrades  that  had  from    the   breaking  out   of  the  war.     It  was 

gone    before    him,  where    merit   is  rewardec^l,  then  and  here  that  I  fornted  the  acquaintance 

and    not    success   alone,   as    in    this    vale    of  of  these  two  gallant  young  men.  I  was  at  this 

sorrows.  time    the    Minister   Resident    of  the    United 

Charles  Frederick  Tayloe,  son    of  Colonel  States  near  the  Republic  of  Nicaragua,  and  I 

Josliua    Tajdoe,   who    represented    Beaufort  was  much  pleased  with  their  modest  and  in- 

County,  in    18-14,  in   the   Senate  of  the  State  telligent  conduct.     James  fell  in  battle  in  the 

Legislature,    should    not    be    forgotten.     His  desperate    endeavor   to    raise    the    seige    of 

short   and    eventful    life,   his    chivalric    and  Grenada,  thus  relieving  General  Henningsen 


BEAUFORT  COUNTY.  21 

and  his  command,  beleaguered  l)y  the  troops  of  alone  could  not  have  effected  this,  hut  our 
Guatemala.  It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  Government,  under  lead  of  Governor  Marcy 
record  here  the  true  facts  in  relation  to  this  and  others,  denounced  Walker,  although 
expedition  in  which  £0  many  of  our  country-  President  Pierce  received  Padre  Vijil  as  the 
men  took  part,  and  where  so  many  and  valu.  Envoy  and  .Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  AValk  • 
able  and  enterprising  lives  were  sacrificed,  er's  govei'iiment,  and  authorized  Captain 
The  cliaracter  and  the  olijects  of  this  expedi-  Davis,  of  the  United  States  Xavy,  to  take 
tion  have  never  been  understood  or  fairly  Walker  and  bring  him  to  the  United  States; 
stated.  Now,  when  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  which  was  done.  L5ut  soon  Walker  again  re- 
century  has  passed,  and  prejudice  and  pnssion  turned  to  Central  America,  when,  under  or- 
subsided,  the  truth  should  a[ipear.  When  I  ders.  he  was  again  seized  by  Commodore  Paul- 
arrived  in  Nicaragua,  I  found  the  republic  ding  and  brought  to  the  United  States.  This 
convulsed  in  civil  war.  War  is  the  normal  act  was  pronouncL'd  b_y  the  President  "  a  grave 
condition  of  Central  America.  The  t'.vo  error,"  and  sevei'el3'  den!>unced  in  Congress, 
parties,  the  Democratic,  headed  by  General  .and  very  generall3'l)y  the  press  of  the  cauntry 
Castellon,  and  tlie Legitimists, by  General  Cha-  as  unjust  and  unconstitutional, 
niora,  waged  a  fierce  and  bloody  internecine  Walker  again  embarked  for  Central  Am-jr- 
contest.  The  Democratic  Jiarty  sent  agents  to  ica,  and  landed  with  a  few  troops  in  Ilondu- 
California  for  men  and  arms.  These  engaged  ras,  where,  after  souie  bloody  and  successful 
the  services  of  General  Walker  and  others,  skirmishing  witii  tlie  Honduras  tro  ips,  he  en- 
who  became  enlisted  in  tlieir  service,  and  camped  near  Truxillo.  While  here  a  superiMi' 
Walker  was  placed  in  command  of  a  regiment,  force,  dispatched  by  Captain  Salmon,  of  the 
and  became  a  naturalized  citizen  of  Nicara-  I'ritish  man-of-war  "  Icai'us,"  under  com- 
gua.  lie  soon,  by  his  energy  and  activity,  maud  of  Alvarez,  of  the  Honduras  army,  de- 
trained the  ragged,  barefooted  an<l  half-naked  nianded  of  Walker  his  surre.ider.  Walker 
natives  to  become  disciplined  troops,  and  as  then  surrendered  to  ^/(c  iJ/-i7/.s/i  q^'c^r,  who  de- 
such  led  them  to  victory.  He  soon  took  the  livered  him  to  the  Honduras  authoi'ities.  Thi.' 
towns  of  San  Juan  del  Sar,Virgin  Bay,  and  the  next  day  [12tli  Septendier,  18G0]  he  was  shot, 
cities  of  llivas  and  Grenada,  the  latter  che  His  fate  was  melancholy  and  undeserved, 
capital  and  a  city  of  l(j,000  inhabitants.  I  Doubtless  Walker  had  faults,  but  he  siipplant- 
witnessed  tliis  battle,  which  was  of  short  dur-  ed  a  government  of  ignorance,  superstitim, 
ation,  and  which  completed  the  conquest  of  indolence,  imbecility,  and  treachery.  Had  he 
tlie  republic.  The  President  of  Nicaragua  succeeded,  he  would  have  I'ivaled  the  fame  of 
tied,  and  after  a  short  interim,  Walker  was  Houston,  and  added  to  the  area  of  human  lib- 
elected  President.  Amei'icans  from  New  York,  erty  and  enjoyment.  Compai'e  the  present  con- 
New  Orleans  and  California,  and  almost  every  dition  of  Texas  and  Calif  irnia  now  with  whit 
State  of  the  Union,  flocked  to  "this  El  it  was  under  the  rule  of  Mexico.  There  is  a 
Dorado."  Peace  and  pro.sperity  for  the  time  destiu}'  in  the  aftairs  of  nations,  as  well  as  of 
smiled  on  this  beautiful  country.  men. 

From  the  natural  fondness  of  these  people  Captain  Tayloe,  after  the  failure  of  Walk^ji', 

for  war  and  revolution,  the  other  republics  of  was  ordered  to  conduct  his  command  through  a 

Central  America   (as  Costa  Eica  and  Guate-  trackless  and  almost  inaccessible  route,  from 

mala)  proclaimed  hostility,  and  determined  to  Rivasto  Point  Arenas, duringwhich  marchthe}' 

drive  the  Americans  from  the  country.     They  sufiered  every  privation  that  famine^  disease, 


22  WHEELER'S   KEMIXISCEN'CES. 

savage  foes,  veiiomons   reptiles,  and   a  torrid  countr3-man;    but    neither   sea   nor  time    can 

climate    conld    inflict.      Tbey    reached    Point  burj'  his  virtues    and    his    gallantry   from  our 

Arenas  worn    down    by     exertion.     He  then  memories,  our  sympathies,  or  our  afi'ections. 

embarJvedin  alirig  to  Panama,  and  from  thence  Toll  for  the  brave' 

on  the  regular  steamer  to  California.  ,  Th''  'f  f  e  that  are  no  more; 

^        _    _         _  All  sunk  Ijeneath  the  wave, 

After  remaining    in    San    Francisco    a  few  Fast  bj' their  native  shore. 

■weeks   to     recruit    his    exhausted    system,  in  Toll  for  th.e  brave! 

-inrfTi  1      iix-      1-1  11-         J.-  Brave  Tavloe!  lieisa;one; 

Ibol  he  embarked  tor  his  home  and  his  native  hjs  j^st  sea  flght  is  fouo-ht 

land,   a    passenger    on  the  steamer   "Central  His  work  of  glory  done.  ' 

America."     This  gallant  sliip  had  nearly  com-  Toll  for  the  brave  ! 

pletcd  hov  voyage,  and  was  in  sight  of  the  It  has  been  suggested  as  proper  tu  recall 
home  and  birthplace  of  our  hero,  v.'here  his  af-  some  further  memories  of  Central  America, 
fectionate  pai'cuts  anxiously  were  awaiting  and  of  a  long  residence  in  that  interesting 
the  return  of  their  "war-worn  son"  when  the  country  at  a  most  exciting  period.  Even  at 
alarming  discoveiy  was  announced  that  the  this  day  this  country  is  of  rare  interest,  form- 
ship  had  sprung  a  leak.  Young  Tayloe,  al-  ing  as  it  does  the  connecting  link  between 
though  only  a  passenger,  was  the  first  to  tender  the  two  great  oceans,  and  which  from  recent 
his  sel■^■ices  to  the  noble  Herndon;  and  from  surveys  by  Captain  Lull,  of  United  States 
that  tin.e  until  the  Irig  "  JMiirine  "'  I'ounded  to  I'Tavy,  and  others,  will  be  the  pi'obalile  route 
under  her  lea,  he  was  foremost  in  relieving  tlie  of  the  oceanic  canal. 

steamer;  working  at  the  pumps  until  they  were         The    resignation    of    Hon.    Solon    Borland 

exhausted  and  useless.     When  all  hope  of  sav-  caused    a    vacancy  in    the  Mission  to  Central 

ing  the  steamer  was  idjandoned,  he  remained  America,  and  v.ithout   any   solicitation   or  ex- 

at  his  post,  an  example  of  coolness,  of  courage  pectation  on   m}-   part,  my  name  as  2^1inister 

and  seamanship.    He  was  indefatigable  in  aid-  Resident    to  the  Republic  of  Nicaragua,  was 

ing  the  ladies, children  and  others  in  embarking  sent  to  the  Senate,  and  on  the  '2d  August,  1854, 

on  tiie  relieving   ship,   and    could  have  saved  (my  birth-day)  I  received  from  the  State De- 

hinist'lf  but  for   his  attention  to  others.     Lut  partment  my   commission.     This  was  consid- 

on  consideration  with  the  officers  it  was  de-  ered,  from  the  position  of  the  country  and  the 

cided  that  the  ship  would  continue  afloat  till  complications  as  to  tlie  protectorate  assumed 

dajdight,  and  as  did  Captain  Herndon  and  our  by    England,  as    an    important    and    delicate 

lamented  John  V.   Dobbin,  (brother  of  James  mission.     Mr.   E\'erett,  of    .Massachusetts,  in 

C.  Dobbin,  Secretaiy  of  the  jSTavy  ]S5o-'57,)  March,  1853,  stated  in  the  Senate  that  "it  was 

Captain     Tayloe    retired    to    his    stateroom,  more  important  than   the   mission  to  London 

seeking  that  repose  that   his  continued  labors  or  Paris."     After  waiting  for  instructions  and 

demanded.  arranging   my    private   affairs  for  a  long  ab- 

In  the  course    of  the  night    a   huge    wave  sence,  with  uy-  family  I  departed  from  Nor- 

owept  with  violence  the  ship's  decks,  and  she  folk,  Virginia,  on  31st  October,  1854,  on  board 

went    suddenly    down     with    all    on     board,  the  U.    S.   steam    frigate   "  Princeton,"  com- 

Thus  perished,  off  his  native  coast  of  North  manded     by     Captain      Henry     Eagle.     We 

Carolina,   near    Cape    Hatteras,    one    of  her  touched  at  Havanna  for  a  supply  of  coal,  and  at 

boldest,  bravest  sons.  Pensacola  we  went  on  board  the  "  Columbia," 

The  eternal  sea  in  its  dark  waves  have  swal-  the    flng-ship   of   the  home    squadron,     corn- 
lowed  up  the  mortal    remains    of  our  gallant  uianded  by  Commodore  JN'cwton,  a  model  of- 


BEAUFORT   COLTXT' 


23 


ficer  and  accomplished  genlieman,  who  landed 
us  in  December,  1854,  after  a  long  voj-age  of 
nearly  thirty  days,  at  San  Jnan  del  N"orte. 
The  ixiild  climate,  the  gorgeous  foliage  and 
rich  scenery,  created  pleasure  and  surprise. 
One  can  hardl\'  realize,  who  has  never  visited 
the  tropics,  the  mildness  and  beauty  of  the 
climate;  the  very  air  is  redolent  with  the 
fragrance  of  fruits  and  flowers,  to  breathe 
which  renders  existence  itself  a  luxury.  The 
evenings  are  still  more  delicious.  These  have 
been  graphically  described. 

"  By  and  by  night  comes  on ;  not  as  it  comes 
to  our  northern  latitudes,  but  it  falls  suddenly, 
h^e  a  rich  drapery,  around  you.  The  sun  goes 
down  with  a  glow,  intense  and  brief.  There 
is  no  lingering  twilight,  but  suddenly  the  stars 
burst  forth,  lightening,  one  by  one,  the  hori- 
zon. They  come  in  a  laughing  group,  like 
bright-e^'cd  children  relieved  from  school,  and 
reflected  from  tlie  lake  they  seem  to  chase  each 
other  in  frolicsome  play,  printing  sparkling 
kisses  on  each  other's  luminous  lips.  The  low 
shores,  lined  with  heavy  foliage  of  the  man- 
groves, looked  like  a  frame  of  massive  antique 
carving  around  themirror  of  the  quiet  lagoon, 
across  whose  quiet  surface  strean.ied  a  silvery 
shaft  of  light  from  '  the  Southern  Cro.^s,'  pal- 
pitating like  a  young  bride  at  the  altar.  Then 
there  were  whispered  '  voices  of  the  night,' 
the  drowsy  winds  hushing  themselves  to  sleep, 
and  the  gentle  music  of  the  little  ripples  of 
the  lake,  pattering  with  fairy  feet  along  the 
sandy  shore.  The  distant  lieavy  and  monoto- 
nous beatings  of  the  sea,  and  the  occasional 
sullen  plunge  ot  some  marine  animal,  gave  a 
novelty  and  enchantment  to  the  scene,  and 
entranced  my  senses  <luring  the  delicious  hours 
of  my  first  evening  alone  with  nature  on  the 
Mosquito  Shore."* 

We  could  well  ask,  v.-ith  Kodgers: 

This  region  is  surely  not  of  earth. 

Was  it  not  droiipeu  from  Heaven  ? 

Kot  a  grove  but  is  of  citron,  pine,  or  cedar; 

Not  a  grot,  sea  worn,  and  mantled  with  the  gadding 

vine, 
But  breathes  enchantment. 

This   lovely  region,   where    Providence  bus 
done  so  much  and  man  so  little  for  himself. 


*  "  Waikna,  or  Adventures  on  the  Mosquito  Shore;' 
by  Samuel  A.  Baird. 


we  found,  as  already   stated,  involved  in  the 
tumults  of  civil  war.     As  we  journeyed  to  Cas- 
tillo, some  seventy   miles  up   the   river,  the 
marks  of  blood   spilled  in  a  battle  fought   on 
the  day   before  on   the  wharf   on  which  we 
landed  were  seen.     As  before  stated,  both  jwr- 
ties  claimed  to  be  the  supreme  power  of  the 
government.     The  Democratic  party,  headed 
1>3-  Castillon,  held  most  of  the  republic  except 
Grenada,  and  had  tliat  city  under  close  siege. 
I  was  assured  that  this  would  be  soon  raised, 
and  the  Legitimists  resume  the  authority  of 
government.     I  was  instructed  to  present  my 
credentials  to  ''  the  Tresident  of  Nicaragua." 
Now  a  knotty  diplomatic  problem  came  up, 
which  I  alone  must  solve.     A  mistake  would 
be  fatal.     I  applied  for  instructions,  but  none 
came.     Mr.   Stephjn-;,  a  predecessor,  was  in- 
volved   [1841]    in   a    similar    quandary.     lie 
tried     in    vain.       Once,    as    he    states,     lie 
thought  ''  he   came   very    near  discovering   a 
live  President.     But   suddenly  he  ciunosed  on 
the  back  of  a  mule."     Mr.  Squire    [1849]   did 
find  ai'resident  in  1-iamirez.     But  when  Mr. 
Kerr  [in  1851]  came  he  was  not  so  successful, 
for  tlie   republic,  as   now,  was   in   civil    war. 
Mr.  Borland,  my  immediate  predecessor,  did 
find  a  President,  (Don  Fruto  Chamoro,)  but 
he  is  now  heleagured  by  superior  force,  and 
inaccessible. 

By  instructions  of  the  Government,  I  re- 
mained some  time  in  Greytown,  or  San  Juan 
del  Norte,  engaged  in  collecting  testimony  as 
to  the  destruction  of  propert}^  by  the  bom- 
bardment of  Greytown  [9th  July,  1854]  by 
Captain  Hollins,  and  then  went  to  Virgin  Bay, 
on  Lake  Nicaragua,  whore  I  remained  three 
months,  during  which  time  the  siege  of  Gre- 
nada was  raised.  General  Chamoro  died  of 
cholera,  and  General  Estrada  was  declared 
President  and  assumed  the  duties,  and  in 
April,  1855,  I  was  recognized  by  him  as  the 
Envoy  Kesident,  and  raised  the  flag  of  the 
United  States  at  Grenada. 


24 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Under  instructions,  a  treaty    was    formed  the    profession    of    medicine    and    acquired 

[20th  June,  1855]  of  amity  and  commerce.  knowledge  from   tlie  ablest   masters,  yet  he 

The  President  was  kind  and  polite,  and  more  saw  and  felt  that  it  was  not  as  auspicious  as 

of  a  poet  and  musician  than  a  soldier  or  states-  the  profession  of  the  law  for  an  ambitious  and 

man.     Our  intercourse  was  kindly  and  pleas-  aspiring  temperament.     He  entered  the  law 

ant,  and   the  republic  was  quiet.     But   it  was  oiiice   of   Edward   and    Andrew   Ewing,    and 

only  the   lull  that  precedes  a    fearful  storm,  remained  there  two  years.     He  was  admitted 

The  agents  of  the  Democratic  party  succeeded  to  the  bar  in  June,  1847,  at  New  Orleans, 

at  San  Francisco  in  engaging  the  services   of  His  active  temper  still    sought  additional 

William  "Walker,  and  on  the  4th  of  May,  1855,  action,   and    he    entered    the   stormy   sea    of 

he  embarked  on  the  brig  ''Vesta"  for  Nicaragua,  politics.    He  became  editor  of  the  New  Orleans 

with  fifty-tM'o  followers,  to  invade  a  territory  Crescent. 

of  more  than  200,000  people.     Was  the  act  of  In  July,  1850,  he  went  to   California,  and 

Cortez  in   burning  his  ships  after  landing  his'  was  connected  with  the  Z>a«V^  fieraM,  just  then 

troops  more  daring  or  desperate?  established  by  .John  Nugent.     He  had  some 

He  and  his  force  landed  at  Realejo,  and  was  diifieulty  with  Judge  Parsons  as  to  some 
strengthened  by  three  hundred  native  troops  articles  he  wrote  for  the  paper,  and  he  removed 
under  General  Valle.  After  a  repulse  at  Rivas  to  Marysville,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  law. 
by  Colonel  Boscpie,  in  whicli  Achilles  Kewen  In  October,  185-3,  he  visited  Sonora,  and, 
and  Timothy  Crocker  and  some  of  Walker's  Avith  Gilman,  Emory,  Crocker,  and  others, 
best  troops  were  killed,  he  attacked  Guardiola  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  on  the  Mexican 
at  Virgin  Bay,  whom  he  defeated  with  heavy  authorities.  Walker  returned  to  San  Fran- 
loss.  He  captured,  without  loss,  the  steamers  cisco,  and  was  arrested  and  tried  for  violation 
on  the  Lake  of  Nicaragua,  and  on  thts  12th  of  the  neutrality  law,  but  was  acquitted. 
October,  after  a  sharp  conflict,  he  captured  The  Democratic  party  of  Nicaragua  for- 
Grenada,  which,  as  before  stated,  completed  warded  to  him  a  commission  as  colonel  and 
the  conquest  of  the  republic.  The  President  an  extensive  grant  of  land,  through  agency 
and   Cabinet  fled,  and   many  rescn'te<l   to  my  of  Byron  Cole. 

house  and  placed  themselves  under  the  flag  Gathering  a    band  of  si.\ty-t\vo  followers, 

for  protection.     I  met  now, for  the  first  time,  (among  whom  were  C.  C.  Hornb}',  of  North 

General  William  Walker.     He  apipeared  to  be  Carolina,  and  Julius  de  Brissot,)  he  landed  at 

about  thirty-one  years  of  age    [born  m  Nash-  Realejo,  in   the   northern  part  of  Nicaragua, 

ville,  Tennessee,  on  8th  May,  1824.]     He  was  His    history    will    now     be    connected    with 

liberally  educated,  and  graduated  at  the  Lni-  Nicaragua  for  all  time, 

versify  of  Tennessee  in  October,  18-38.           .  He  had,  as  already  stated,  captured  Grenada, 

He  studied  medicine,  and  received  a  diploma  and  was  now  ■'  master  of  the  situation,"  and 

fr-om  the  Medical  University  at  Philadelphia,  had  the  possession  of  the  capital.    Had  AValker 

in  April,  1843.     He  then  went  to  France  and  possessed  some  portion  of  that  quality  which 

England,  where  he  completed  his  studies.    He  General    Lee  called  "a    rascally    virtue,"  he 

then   traveled   extensively  on   the  Continent,  could   have  attained  complete  success.     The 

v/here   he    learned    to    speak   and    write   the  history  of  every  nation  repeats  only  the  history 

French,   German,   Italian,   and    Spanish  Ian-  of    nations   gone    before.      First    comes    the 

guages.     He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  adventurous  pioneer,  with  his  rifle;  then  the 

June,  1845.     Although  he  liad  a  fondness  for  schoolmaster,  with  his  books;  then  the  clergv- 


BEAUFORT   COUXTY.  25 

mail    and   his   creed;  then  the  merchant,  the  troops  wouhl  venture,  for  they  knew  that   no 

railroad   and  the  teleo;raph.  power  conld  save  them  if  once  in  the  handsof 

The  advent  of  Wah^er  vs'as  not  unpleasant  Corral.  Appeals  were  made  to  the  Consuls 
nor  ^  unexpected  to  the  simple-hearted  and  from  Sardinia,  Prussia,  and  France,  resident  at 
gentle  natives  of  Central  America.  They  had  Gi'enada,  without  success.  Finally,  the  Arch- 
heen  grievously  oppressed  by  the  Spanish  bishop  of  Grenada,  with  the  a;rent  of  the 
dominion;  nor  was  their  condition  much  Transit  Company,  called  on  me,  and  besought 
better  under  their  successors.  "There  was  a  "'^  to  act  as  a  messenger  of  peace.  Thus 
tradition  among  them."  says  Crowe,  in  his  nrged  by  them,  I  agreed  to  go.  Accordingly 
"  History  of  Central  America."  published  in  'i  steamer  was  made  ready,  and  with  Mr.  Yan 
London  in  1850,  "  founded  on  an  ancient  Dyke,  of  Philadelphia,  who  was  acting  as 
prophecy  made  years  ago,  that  these  people  Secretary  of  the  Legation,  and  L>on  Juan 
would  ..nly  be  delivered  from  cruel  i>ppression  K»iz,  'ate  Secretary  of  Y'ar,  we  went  to 
by  '  a  gray-eyed  man.'  "  Mr.  Crowe  adds  in  a  Ki^'^s  with  the  certificate  of_  election  of  Gen- 
note  the  prophetic  remark:  "We  would  remind  ^™  Corral. 

those  who  attach  any  imp.ortance  to  this  pro-  Ki^'-is  is  a  walled  town  about  fitty  miles  from 

phecy,  that  it  may  be  reserved    for  our  trans-  Grenada. 

Atlantic  brethren  to  fulfill  this  prophecy."  ^^^^  found  it  closely  picketed  and  full  of  in- 

"  Last    week   we  saw   many  of  the  native  fnnated  soldiers,  commanded  by  General  Za- 

Indians,"  says  the  Grenada  Nicarnr/hcnse,  "  in  ti-ucbe. 

our  city,  who  desired    to  see  General  Walker;  On    inquiry  for  General    Coi'ral,  I   was  in- 

and  they  laid  at  his  feet  the  simple  offerings  fanned  that  he  had  just  left  Rivas  with  all  his 

of  their  fruits  and  fields,  and  hailed  his  ap-  forces,   to   attack   Walker    at    Grenada.      A 

pearance,  with  fair  skin  and  gray  eyes,  as  '  the  courier  was  immediately  dispatched  to  Corral 

gray-eyed   num   of    de-^iny,'    so  long  and  so  ^^'ith    the   communicatiim  of    his  election  as 

anxiously     waited    for    by    them     and    their  President.  Zatruche,  the  General  in  command, 

fathers."  '^vas  one  of  the  most  bloodthirsty  and  perfidi- 

The  next  day  after  the  capture  of  Grenada,  '"^^s  men  in  Central  America.    Smarting  under 

an  election  was  held  by  the  people  for  a  pro-  the  defeat  he   had   met  with  at  Yirgin  Bay. 

visional   IVesident,  and   under  the   policy  of  fram  AValker,  ho  was  insolent  and   imperious. 

Walker,  and  at  his  suggesti,-n.  General  Ponci-  After  waiting  for  some  hours  for  Corral,  (and 

anoCorral  waschoseii.     General  C.  was  at  this  wesinceascertainedthat  he  was  still  in  Rivas,) 

time  at  Rivas,  at  the  head  of  a  large  force  of  I  directed  the  ho-ses  to  be  brought, purposing 

troops,  preparing  to  march  on   Grenada  and  to  return  to  Yirgin  Bay  and  there  await  Cor- 

drive  Walker  out  of   the  country.     Walker  raPs  coming.     My  servant  then  came  amd  in- 

knew  tliat  with  his  small  force  and  his  unre-  formed    us    "that   Zatruche  had   taken    the 

liable    allies,  that  an  attack  by  Corral  (who  horses,  aud  that  a  guard  was  then  approaching 

had  .some  military  genius  and  experience,  and  to  seize  me  and  ray  secretary."    They  entered, 

much   desperate  courage)  would  be  serious  if  and  I  never  saw  a  more  ferocious  and  villain- 

not   disastrous.      lie    knew    that   Corral    was  ous  looking  crowd,  armed  to  the  teeth;  their 

very  andiitious,  and  fond  of  power  and  place,  uniform  was  a  scanty  shirt  tliat  hardly  reached 

Hence  this  election.  the  knee,  a  dilapidated  straw  hat,  with  a  red 

But  how  to  get  this  information  to  Corral  ribbon,  and  barefooted.     We  were  then  placed 

was   the   point.     Not  one  of  Walker's  native  in  the  cpiartel  with  a  guard  over  us.    Our  poor 


26 


WHEELER'S   KEMINTSCEXCES. 


boy  (Carlos),  after  the  doors  were  locked, 
with  sobs  and  tears,  informed  us  that  we  were 
to  be  shot  at  sunrise  to-morrow.  Mr.  Van 
D3-ke,  with  great  emotion,  said  that  he  cared 
but  little  for  himself,  but  much  for  me  and  my 
little  ones  and  wife  at  CTi-enada.  I  felt  buoyed 
up  by  the  consolation  that  I  was  in  the  line  of 
duty — on  a  mission  of  mercy  and  peace.  Xever 
did  I  spend  a  more  unhappy  night;  the  dim 
lamp  revealed  the  army  officials  peering  at  in- 
tervals to  ascertain  our  confinement,  and  the 
watch-word,  Alerto,  (all  well,)  sounding  in 
our  ears  from  the  line  of  guards.  But  early 
in  the  morning  the  sound  of  cannon  and  rifles 
was  heard  firing  on  the  town.  Zatrache  had 
felt  their  fatal  accuracy  and  danger.  He 
rushed  in  and  e.Kclaimcd,  '-'In  the  name  of 
Christ  !  Senor,  what  does  this  mean  ?  "  He 
was  informed  that  my  friends  had  expected 
me  to  return  last  night;  that  they  had  deter- 
mined to  rescue  me,  and  in  doing  so  would 
not  spare  one  of  his  part}';  that  the}^  were 
well-armed  with  rifles  that  were  certain,  and 
with  cannon.  "  Won't  you  write  a  small  let- 
ter [an  billitte),  to  them  to  cease  their  tire  ?  " 
This  was  pre-emptorily  declined.  He  then 
^said,  "  You  kn  )W,  Sonor  Minister,  tli;it  we 
aa-e  friends;  you  ai-e  very  deai'  to  me.  Go  out  to 
Tthem,  forthwith,  your  horses  are  at  the  door, 
and  I  \vill  send  a  guard  of  honor  to  escort  you 
and  your  flag."  Accepting  the  leave,  but  de- 
clining the  honor  of  the  escort,  we  soon 
mounted  and  were  soon  at  the  steamer  where 
Captain  Scott  was  with  only  six  men  and  four 
small  brass  cannons.  We  soon  reached  V^irgin 
Bay,  where  Judge  Cushing,  the  agent  of  the 
Transit  Line,  was,  and  who  had  dispatched  the 
steamer  to  relieve  me,  and  who  stated  that 
when  I  set  out  on  the  day  before,  he  had  n;;ver 
expected  my  return.  Judge  Cushing,  late  our 
Minister  at  Bogota,  and  agent  at  this  time  of 
the  Transit  Company,  had,  only  a  few  days 
before,  been  seized  and  imprisoned  by  Za- 
truche,  and   only  escaped  murder  by  payino-  a 


ransom  of  two  thousand  dollars  in  gold. 
That  my  destruction  was  imminent,  is 
proved  by  the  letter  of  Ceneral  Corral,  that 
"  he  would  not  be  responsible  to  what  might 
happen  to  me  personally',"  as  he  had  issued 
orders  to  Zatruche  to  execute  me.  But  the 
kindness  of  Scott,  and  a  gracious  Providence 
prevented  his  atrocious  purpose. 

The  following  letter,  the  original  of  which 
is  in  my  possession,  was  received  by  me  at  Vir 
gin  Ba3": 

"  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 

" TiEP.  OF  ISTic'a.  Headquarters, 

"  Marching,  17th  Oct., 18^5. 

"  To  the  Minister  of  the  United  States: 

"  I  am  placed  under  the  imperious  necessity 
to  manifest  to  the  Minister  of  the  United 
States  that  in  consequence  of  his  leaving  the 
city  of  Grenada  in  the  steamer  of  the  Acces- 
sory Transit  Company,  taken  by  the  chief 
commanding  the  forces  who  occupy  that  place 
with  the  object  to  hurt  the  forces  of  the  Su- 
preme Government,  whom  I  have  the  honorto 
command  at  Rivas,  I  now  inform  >/ou  that  I  am 
not,  or  will  not  he  responsible  for  what  niai/  happen, 
to  poa  personalli/,  fov  having  interfered  in  our 
domestic  dissensions  to  the  prejudice  of  the 
Supreme  Government,  by  whom  he  has  been 
recognized;  and  has  made  him-;elf  the  bearer 
of  comnmnications  and  proclamations  against 
the  legitimately  recognized  authoritj'.  There- 
fore I  now  protest  and  give  youuot'o  that  iu 
this  same  date  I  have  inforn\ed  Governor 
Marcy  and  the  new-spipers  of  New  York. 
I  am  your  dear  servant,  D.  F.  L., 

•'PONCIANO  CORRAL." 

To  which  the  following  reply  was  sent: 

"  Legation  of  United  States, 
"  Near  Republic  of  Nicaragua, 
"  ViRGi>f  Bat,  18th  Oct.,  1855. 

"  To  GmH  Ponciano  Corral: 

"  I  have  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of 
'your  letter  of  yesterday,  in  which  yon  inform 
me  that  j^ou  are  compelled  to  manifest  your 
protest  against  me  for  leaving  the  city  of 
Grenada  with  the  intent  of  injury  of  rhe 
forces  under  yonr  command  i;i  the  town  of 
Rivas. 

"Ireph^,  I  had  no  such  object  \n  visiting 
Rivas,  as  will  appear  more  fully  by  a  letter 
which  I  wrote  to  the  military  governor  of 
that  department,  a  copy  of  which  I  enclose. 


BEAUFORT  COUNTY. 


27 


"  I  had  no  personal  desire  to  leave  Grenada; 
and  for  some  time  positively  objected;  but 
infineneed  by  the  chief  citizens  of  Grenada 
(your  own  friends)  the  venerable  fathers  of 
the  church,  the  tears  of  your  own  sisters,  and 
3'Our  daughters,  I  consented  to  visit  you,  ac- 
companied by  Don  Juan  Ruiz,  the  Secretary 
of  War,  and  your  superior  in  office,  bearinsr 
the  olive  branch  of  peace;  and  a  proposition 
from  the  commander-general  of  the  iJctnocratic 
forces,  to  make  j'ou  the  provisional  President 
of  the  Republic.  When  it  was  stated  you 
were  absent,  I  desired  to  return  to  this  place. 
Judge  m}'  surprise,  when  I  was  informed  by 
the  Prefect  and  Governor,  that  I  should  not 
return,  my  life  threatened,  and  my  person 
(with  my  secretary,  servant,  and  the  national 
flag)  imprisoned  in  the  quartel  under  strict 
guard. 

"  For  this  violation  of  the  laws  of  nations 
and  my  personal  rights,  I  protest,  and  be 
assured.  General,  that  my  Government  will 
hold  3"0U  and  your  Government  to  a  severe 
respousilulity  for  such  lawless  conduct. 

•'  You  further  inform  me  that  'you  will  not 
be  res[>onsible  for  what  may  happen  to  me 
for  mj'  personal  safety,'  and  that  you  will 
inform  Governor  Marcy,  the  Secretaiy  of 
State,  and  the  newspapers  of  New  York  of 
my  conduct  in  this  matter.  In  reply,  I  inform 
you  that  when  I  have  kept  my  word  of  honor 
to  the  Governor  of  Rivas  to  remain  here  two 
days  to  await  your  reply,  I  shall  I'etiirn  to  my 
post  at  Grenada;  and  that  I  do  not  request, 
nor  have  I  everex[iected,you  tobe  responsible 
for  m}'  personal  safet3\  The  flag  of  the  United 
States  is  sutticiently  jiowerful  for  my  protec- 
tion, backed  as  it  is  by  a  patriotic  President 
and  thirty  millions  of  people. 

"I  have  mj'self  fully   informed    Governor 
Marcy  of  all  these  matters;  and  feel  in  no  way 
responsible    to    j-ou    and    the    newspapers    of 
New  York  for  my  official  conduct. 
"  Yours  faithfnllv, 

"JOHN  H.  WHEELER, 
"  Miimtcr  of  U.  S.  A.  neur 
"  the  Republic  of  Nicas/u/wi.'"' 

As  I  left  Rivas  a  parting  salute  from  a  heavy 
cannon  was  fired  at  us,  which  struck  near  us  an 
adobe  gate,  and  covered  ns  with  dust  and  dirt, 
but  with  no  other  effect  than  to  make  us 
me7id  our  gait  in  retreat. 

On  my  return  to  Grenada,  General  Walker 
called  on  me.     On  learning  the  cause  of  my 


delay,  my  imprisonment  by  Zatruche,  he  ex- 
pressed but  little  surprise,  but  remarked  quiet- 
ly-, that  he  expected  I  would  come  to  grief; 
and  "  it  would  have  been  a  fortunate  event 
had  Zatruche  carried  out  his  intention  to  shoot 
me;  for  then,"  he  added,  "  your  Government 
must  have  resented  such  outrage,  and  taken 
my  part."  This  was  cool,  rather  than  con- 
soling, and  characteristic  of  Walker,  who 
looked  upon  men  as  the  mere  titulary  pawns 
of  the  chess  board,  to  be  moved  and  sacrificed 
to  advance  the  ambitious  plans  of  others.  His 
conduct  can  only  be  justified  or  apologized 
for  b\-  the  fact  that  he  was  at  the  time  in  immi- 
nent peril  himself.  The  enemy  had  now  the 
possession  of  that  portion  of  the  country  on 
which  the  Transit  Compau}-  had  their  route. 
From  this  reservoir  he  could  only  receive  rein- 
forcements. The  enemy,  exasperated  to  mad- 
ness, and  infuriated  by  defeat  in  every  battle 
by  an  inferior  force,  their  capital  taken,  their 
President  and  Cabinet  fugitives,  wei'e  ready  for 
the  most  desperate  deeds.  The  agent  of  the 
Transit  Company,  .Judge  Cushing,  as  already 
stated,  was  seized  and  the  office  broken  open, 
and  his  life  jeopardized.  The  steamer,  loaded 
with  passengers  from  New  York  and  San  Fran- 
cisco, was  tireil  on  by  Port  S;iu  Carlos,  to  the 
imminent  peril  of  every  one  on  board,  and  sev- 
eral persons  killed,  among  them  Mrs.  White,  of 
Sharon,  New  York;  and  many  wounded, 
among  them  J.  G.  Kendrick,  then  of  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  now  of  St.  Louis.  Many  whose 
names  were  unknown  were  found  murdered, 
with  their  throats  cut,  and  their  bodies  robbed 
even  of  their  clothes.  The  steamer,  u  nable  to 
pass  the  fort  at  the  outlet  of  the  river,  or  to 
land  at  Virgin  Bay,  on  the  2iid  Oct.,  1855, 
came  to  Grenada,  with  250  passengers,  to  claim 
the  protection  of  the  American  .Minister.  To 
add  to  the  misfortunes,  the  cholera  was  raging 
among  the  crowded  passengers.  A  connnittee 
called  on  the  Minister  for  relief,  and  I  went 
on  board.     Such  a  scene  I  never  before  wit- 


28  WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 

iiessed.     Dead   and  womidcd,  sic-k  and  dying  with   the  instincts  of   his  race  and  color,  he 

from  cholera,  crowded   the  decks.     One  died  was  planning   treason   and    murder.     Letters 

(Nicholas    Carrol)  with    the  cholera,  while  I  from  him  to  Gardiola  and  Zatruche  were  in- 

was  on  board.     Many  of  these  were  Avealthy;  tercepted,  urging  them  to  come  with  arms  and 

all    respectable,  and    all   my    countrymen.      I  force,  and   overthrow    the    new   government. 

persuaded  them  all  to  leave  the  crowded  and  lie  was  arrested,  imprisoned,  tried  for  treason 

infected  ship,  took  them  into  my  own  house,  hy  a  court-martial, and  coudemned  to  be  shot, 

as  many  as  I   could  accommodate,  and  rented  which  sentence  was  executed  in  the  plaza  of 

a  large  house  for  the  others.  Grenada,  at  2  p.  m.,  on  8th  November,  185.5. 

Added  to  these  miseries,  evident  prepara-  I  was  on   the  plaza  of  Grenada  on  the  8th 

tions  were   making    for    a    sanguinary    battle  November.  1855,  iu    company    v/ith    Captain 

which  was  near  at  hand.    Arrests  were  hourlj'  Scott,  Judge  Gushing,  and  some  friends,  when 

made  and  imprisonments,  and  continual  appli-  the  tolling  of  the   Cathedral  bell,  the  solemn 

cations  for  protection  and  relief.  air  of  crowds  of   spectators,  indicated   some- 

The  Secretary  of  Foreign  Afiairs  of  the  late  event  of  deep  and  solemn  importance. 

Government,  Don  Mateo  Mayorga,  for  the  out-  A  guard  of  soldiers  marched  out  from  the 

rages  at  San  Carlos  and  other  places,  was  lying  quartel,  with  whom  appeared  General  Ponci- 

dead  at  this  time  in  the  plaza,  shot  b3'  order  ano  Corral.     On  one  side  of  him  was  a  priest, 

of  AValker;  leading  and  wealthy  citizens  ar-  bearing  in  his  hand  a  small  cross,  and  on  the 

z'ested  and  imprisoned.  other  his  faithful  friend,  Don  Pedro  Rouhard, 

What  a  scene  of  horror!  what  a   night  of  the  Consul  of  Fraiice.    The  splendid  person  of 

anxiety  and  excitement  was  experienced!  Corral  seemed  Ijorne  down  with  calamity;  his 

An  anxious  and  fearful  morning  came;  but  features  bore   the   marks  of  extreme  mental 

General  Corral,  instead  of  attacking  Grenada,  suffering.     He  took  his  scat  in  tlie  fatal  chair, 

made  his  appearance  in  the  plaza  accompanied  which  was  placed  with  its  back  to  the  wall  of 

by  his  staff  and  General  Walker,  with  some  the  Cathedral.     He  crdmly  took  out  his  haud- 

of  his  officers.     A  treaty  of  peace   betM'een  kerchief,  folding  it  in  his  hands,  and  bound  it 

these  generals  was  made,  (2.3d  October,  1855,)  around  his  eyes;  then,  folding  his  hands  iu  an 

by   which  Don   Patrico  Rivas  was  named  as  attitude  of  pra\-er,  uttered  the  word  "/Jro/;^" 

provisional  President — an  oblivion  of  past  dif-  — ready.     A  detail  of  Mississi[>pi  rifles,  at  the 

ferences.     Walker   was  made  Commander-in-  distance  of  about  ten  paces,  at  the  word,  tired, 

Chief  of  the  Army    and   Corral    Minister  of  and  every  ball  pierced  through  and  through 

War,  the  barricades  of  the  streets  destroyed,  his  body;   he  fell  dead  from  the  chair,  and  his 

the  pi'isons  all  opened,  and  peace  dawned  on  spirit  departed  to  answer  for  the  deeds  done 

the  land.     Corral  marched  his  forces  into  the  on  earth — 

city,  wearing  the  blue  ribbon,  and  they  were  With  all  his  crimes  broarl  blown, 

incorporated  into  the  army  of  Walker.     The  ^'f  ^^°Z '"'  -'"'"^  t*'""'''  ''i''°  ^''"^''^^  fr"*  ','f  ^^"  • ' 

j^                              ^  ""V  ui     i.<iiixci.      iiit.  But,  ni  our  cn-cumstance  and  course  ot  thought, 

two  chiefs  embraced  each  other  on  the  plaza,  '  Tis  heavy  with  him. 

and  the  officers,  military  and  civil,  proceeded  I  witnessed, with  painful  emotion,  this  tragic 
to  the  church  "  to  return  thanks  to  the  God  of  scene.  General  Corral  was  of  a  soldierly  de- 
Peace  for  the  termination  of  the  war."  meanor  and  commanding  presence.  He  was 
Everything  now  seemed  quiet.  But  it  was  ratlier  portly  iu  size,  weighing  about  two  hun- 
only  temporary.  At  this  very  time,  when  the  dred  pounds,  social  in  his  cliaracter,  of  daring 
real  strength  of  Walker  was  known  to  Corral,  courage  and  indomitable  purpose.    He  was  ex- 


BEAUFORT  COUNTY.  29 

oessively  polite,  and  profuse  in  his  expressions  coniiiianding  Hpr  Majestj-'s  steamer  "Icarus," 

of  friendship.    He  was  as  sincere  as  his  nature,  ^^'ho  delivered  him  to  General  Alvarez,  of  the 

education,  anii  mixed  blood  would  allow.     So  Honduras  army ,  and  on   the  12th  Septeml>er, 

natural  was  intrigue  and  treachery  ingrained  1860,  he  was  shot. 

in   his  nature  that   he  practiced   these   vices  This  is  a  copy  of  the  last  note  that  Walker 

when  it  were  easier  to  be  honest  and  sincere,  ever  wrote: 

He  was  popular  among  the  people,  and  his  j    hereby    protest,    before      the     civilized 

death  caused  a  profound  sensation  in  the  State,  woi-ld,  tliat  when  I  surrendered  to  the  captain 

It  would  be  foreign  from   the  plan  of  this  ^fjler  Majestv's  steamer,  the  '•  Icarus,"  that 

,                  .,,,''....                   .  officer  expresslv  received  mv  sword  and  pistol. 

work  to  record  all  the  spirit-stirnng  events  in  ^^^  ^^.gj,  ^^^  ^^^  ^^,.„^g  ^^  (.^1^-,^,  ^^^^^^,^  ^^^^^  ^^^ 

the  career  of  Walker,  or  to  attempt  to  de-  surrender  was  express!}',  and  in  so  many  words, 

scribe  the  character  of  the  country  or  its  in-  to  him,  as  the  representative  of  Her  Brittanic 

habifmts  Majesty.                               William  W.^lker. 

On  board  tue  Steamer  "  Icarus,"  September 

The  career  of  General    Walker,  after  many  ^u,   i860. 

battles    between    the   Nicaraguan  forces  and  m             -  -u    i    ■     ^i         -          r  ir     ivr-n- 

^                       .  ilius  perished,  m  the  prime  of  lite,  W ilhaiii 

Costa  Rica,  as  well  as  Guatemala,  had  varied  -ttt  ,i          ,    ,,            ,              ^.  o,^         r      ^ 

'                .  Walker,  at   the   early  age  ot   3b,  as  tearless  a 

fortunes;  from  his  injudicious  interference  with  .       '      '           ,        -       ,^ 

'                    "'  man  as  our  country  ever  produced,     .\ecessa- 

the  Transit  Company,  and  other  causes,  his  ca-  -t     ^    ■  e  \       i         "ii  •      i    ^   i       ^  ■  i    ^i 

^      ■^       ,                .  rily  brief  has  been  this  sketch,  which  the  stir- 

reer  was  checked  l3v  defeat,  and  in  MKy.1857,  ■  '            4.      i- ^i     ,.-          a.-     ^          1          i.     •  1 

'_                  •'  ring  events  01  the  time  atiord  ample  material 

an  agreement  was  entered    into  by  him  and  i       -   1  ^   i                 i        i.      1    i       r>   ^  -^  - 

'^                                   _       _          •'  and    might   have  mncn  extended.     But  it  is 

Captain   Charles  Henry  Davis,  a  Commander  1          V            t  ti                   ^                   1        t 

^                                   '             .'  only  a  glance  at  these  events,  comprehending 

in  the  United  States  ISTavy,  ship    "  St.  Mary,"  , ,          ,"•     ,        ■   2.      e  ■   j.        i.             ^^        ^  % 

■"       '                     -'  the  salient   points  ot  interest,  are  attempted 

by  which  "  General  Walker,  with  sixteen  offi-  -,,    ...        j  ■     .•          at     i  ^.i    ^  t  i, 

■^                                                              .            .  witli  truth  and  justice.     Much  that  I  have  en - 

cers  of  his  staff,' marched  out  of  Rivas  with  i             .i  ..     1    '    -i       -r      ^ 

'  deavored  to  describe,  it  not 

their  side-arms,  pistols,   horses,  and   personal  P.u-s  fui;  mesiriema  vidi, 

baggage,  under  guarantee  of  said  Davis  not  to  ^nd  had  Walker  been  prudent  and  successful, 

be  molested  by  tlie  enemy,  and  be  allowed  to  the  battles  of  Grenada  and  Rivas  would  have 

embarkon  the  'St.Mtiry,'  then  in  the  harbor  rivaled    the    triumph     of    Snn    Jacinto,    and 

of  San  Juan  del  Sur;  and  the    said  Davis  un-  talker  ranked   with  the    Houston    of  other 

dertaking  to  transport  them  safely  to  Panama,  ^^ys.     Ilis  enterprise  and   valor   deserve  our 

in  charge  of  a  United  States  otHcer."     From  aspect,  and  his  tragic  end  our  sympathy, 

Panama,    Walker    returned    to    the    United  Duncan  is  in  his  grave. 

States.     He  was  received  with  much  enthusi-  ;^"?:5'?,'!  "^^„??,^,7-^Ln!:  f'''^'^  T"{ 

Treason  lias  done  his  worst,  nor  steel  nor  poison, 

asm ;  nor  was  he  disturbed  by  the  Government  Malice  domestic,  foreign  levy, 

,    ,      ^^   .      ^  .              .                 .   ,     ■          o  ,  JSTotluug  can  toucU  him  farther. 

or  the  united  btates  tor  any  violation  of  law.  Macbeth. 

Pie  soon  endjarked  again  for  Nicaragua,  with  P''rora  the  disordered  condition  of  this  coun- 

men    and   arms,   when,   whether   with    orders  try,  and  from  individual  danger   incident  to 

from  tlie  Government  of  the  United  States  or  any  foreigner,  I  was  instructed   by  the  State 

not.  he  was  seized  by  Captain  Paulding,  as  al-  Department   to   retire  from  Grenada  to  San 

ready  alluded   to.     He  was  brought  back  .to  Juan  del  Norte.     In  impaired  health,  1  was 

the    United   States.     He  again  embarked  for  allowed  to  return  home,  and  in  1857  resigned. 

Central   America,  and    lauded    in    Honduras,  The  events  of  these  three  years  can  hardly  be 

where  he  had   some  skirmishes  near  Truxillo,  classed  in  ni}- life  as  among  "  The  Pleasures  of 

when  he  surrendered  to  the  English  officer  Memory." 


30  WHEELER'S   KEMINISCEXCES. 

CHAPTER   TV. 

BERTIE  COUNTY. 

Whitniill  Hill,  (born  12th  February,  1743.  dell,  and  marched  in  1812  in  OLt'ence  of  Nor- 

Died  12th  September,  179?,)  was  born  in  Ber-  folk.     He  was  for  a  period  of  years  a  pillar  of 

tie  Count}',  and   the   ancestor  of  a  large  and  the  Baptist  Church,  universally  loved   for  his 

wealthy  family  in  Eastei'n  Carolina.  noble  Christiiin  qualities,  and  was  for  a  long 

■     Pie  was  educated  at  the  P^niversity  of  Penn-  time  the  clerk  of  the  county  court, 

sylvania,  and  was  the  early  and  earnest  advo-  David     Stone,    born     P'ebrnary     17,     1770. 

cate  of  the  rights  of  the  Colonists  in  the  Revo-  Died  7th  of  Octobei',  1818. 

lution,  and  served  faithfully  in  all  the  legisla-  Among  the  distinguished  names  in  the  ear- 

tive  bodies — Provincial,  State,  and  National —  lier    liistory  of    JN"orth    Carolina,   is     tliat     of 

the  devoted  patriot  and  statesman.  David  Stone. 

Pie  was  a  membei'  of  the  Provincial    Coii-  His   father,  Zedckiaii  Stone,  came  early  to 

grcss  that  met  at  Plillsboro,  20th  August,  1775,  North  Carolina  from  New  Engbind  (Vermont, 

and  at  Halifax,  on  4th  April,  1776,  and  elected  we    have  understood,)  and   having  purchased 

to  House  of  Commons  from   Martin   County,  lands  from  the  Tuscarora  Indians,  settled  in 

in    1777;  Senator,  1778-'79   and  'SO.     He  was  Bertie  Couiity   and    married    Mrs.    p]lizabeth 

Speaker  of  the  Senate  in   1778.     In  1778  he  liobson,  [nee  Shrivors,)  of  Martin  County, 

was  a  delegate  from   Noi-th  Carolina  to  the  He  lived  at  Hope,  live  miles  from  AVinds(n', 

Continental  Congress,  and  served  until  1781.  and  carried  on   mercantile  and  farming  busi- 

He  survived  the  perils  of   the  Revolution,  ness. 

and  was  one  of  the  ablest  advocates  of  the  He  was  a  devoted  and  a  ready  frier.d  to  the 

Constitution  of  the  United  States  in  the  Con-  cause  of  libert}'  and  independence,  and  was  a 

vention  which  met  at  Plillsboro  in  July,  1788,  member  of  the   Provincial  Congress,  at  Hali- 

which  rejected  the  Constitution   by  a  vote  of  fax  (1776)  which   formed  our  State  Coiistitu- 

184  to  84.     He  died  at  Hill's  Perry,  Martin  tion. 

County,  on  12tli  of  Septendxu',  1797.  pj^  ^^,^^3^  ^-^j.  j.,^,,,^_^.  ^^,^^^^  annually  elected  a 


His    letters    to    Governor    Burke,  while    a 


Senator   of  the    Leii'islature  from  Bertie,  and 


member  of  the  Continental  Congress  at  Phila-     .^^g    distinguished    for    his    intelligence    and 
delphia,  1780,  have  been   preserved,  (see  Uni.     shrewdness  of  cbaracior. 


His  son,  Da\  id   Stone,  was   born   at   Hope, 
17th  of  P'ebruary,  1770. 


Mag.  X,  No.  7,  Alarch,  1861,)  and  breathe  the 
pure  spirit  of  patriotism  and  valor.  We  re- 
gret that  so  little  has  been  preserved  of  this 

patriotic     statesman,     whose    character    and  ^'^^^  early  education    was  conducted   b.y   the 

whose  services  .leserve  the  regard  of  posterity.  '*^'*t  teachei's  that   the  country   coul.l   atioid, 

The   name   of  Jonathan   Tayloe   is  reiuem-  =^"^1    he    was    diligent,    laborious,  -aul   apt    to 

hered  with  veneration   and  regard  in  Bertie  'sarn. 

County.     One  of  this   name   is  recorded  as  a  After  his  acadendc  studies  \vere  com[.)!etcd, 

freeholder  in  Bertie  County  far  back  in  Colo-  j-oung  Stone   was  sent    to   Princeton    College, 

nial  times,  and   one   of  the   name   yet   lingers  where  lie  gradiuited   in    1788,   with    the   lirst 

upon  the  scene  of  his  long  pilgrimage,  though  lionors.     Dr.  Y\'ithers[)Oon,  then  the  President 

he  was  old  enough  to  be  a  soldier  under  Lieu-  of  the  College,  often  referred   with  approba- 

tenant    Gavin   Hogg   and  Captaiu  James   Ire-  tion   to  bis  studious  and   exemplary   conduct, 


BEAUFORT   COUXTY.  31 

and    predicted   for     him    a    bright    career    of  Congresses,  1801  to  ISHG.     In  ISOS  Mr.  Stone 

honor  and  useiuhiess.  was  elccte<l  Governor  of  the    State.     He  dis- 

Ile  studied  law  with  General  IVilh'ani  R.  charged  all  the  dnties  of  that  elevated  position 
Davie,  whose  kiiowledge  and  successful  nrac-  with  great  dignity  during  his  constitutional 
tice  well  cpialilied  him  to  prepare  and  fie  term.  In  1811  and  1812  he  again  appeared 
upon  l]is  students  that  arii:or  whicli  W(!uld  as  a  mend;er  of  the  Legisla.ture,  and  hi>;  ex- 
enable  them  to  endure  tl;e  ti'ts  of  the  legal  pei'ience,  abilities  an.d  principles  gave  him 
tournament.  His  teachings  were  inculcated  commanding  influence.  This  was  a  stornn- 
with  an  elegance  of  manners,  and  a  suavity  of  period  in  the  political  history  of  the  State, 
temper,  that,  v/hile  they  instructed,  gave  sat-  A  bill  to  confer  the  choice  of  electors  for 
isfaction  and  pleasure.  Judge  Daniel,  long  President  and  Vice-President  of  the  Tuited 
one  of  the  Judges  of  our  Supreme  (^ourt>  States  n[>on  the  Legislature,  so  as  to  give  an 
who  lIso  read  law  with  him,  pronounced  Gen-  undivided  vote  (instead  of  the  district  svstem 
eral  Davie  one  of  the  most  able  juiists  and  then  in  vogue,)  was  introduced  and  advocated 
accomplished  gentlenien  he  evei- knev\'.  Under  by  Governor  Storje;  this  failiiig,  he  introduced 
such  a  teacher,  Mr.  Stor.o  was  well  titted  for  a  similar  measure  to  choose  the  electors  bv  a 
the  duties  of  his  profes-;ion;  and  from  his  genei-al  ticket  system,  which  lie  advocated 
solid  acquiieinents,  his  signal  ability,  his  close  witli  great  ability  and  nnenutded  elocpience- 
attention  to  the  interests  of  his  clients,  the  This  measure  was  opposed  by  Duncan 
skillful  and  careful  pre}!aratioii  of  his  ca.ses  Cameron,  John  Stanly,  and  others;  and  also 
he  won  the  confidence  of  the  community,  and  miscarried.  He  opposed  tlie  proposition  of 
attair;ed  tlie  highest  rank  in  liis  profession.  Mr.  Phifer  to  make  a  choice  of  electors  liy  tiie 
Wiien  in  the  2'3th  year  of  his  age,  he  was  ekct-  district  system,  Imt  this  w;is  adopted.  At 
ed  by  the  Legislature  a  Judge  of  the  Snpei'ior  fliis  session  he  was  again  elected  a  Senator  in 
Court  of  Law  and  Equity.  Congress  to  serve  for  six  years,  from  the  4th 

He  (.'arly    embarked    on    the    stormy  sea  of  of  March,  1813. 

political  life,  in  which,  from  thesua\'ity  of  his  He  possessed  extraordinary  and  highly  culti- 

mauuers  and  the  soliditj  of  his  acquirements,  vated  intellectual  powers,  cautious  and  shrewd 

he  enjoyed  a  long  and  brilliant  careei'.     From  in  business  transactions,  fond   of  mone}',  and 

IT'.'O  to  ITb'l  he  was  a  member  of  the  House  successful  in  tiie  accuniulatiou  of  propert}'. 

of  Commons.     In  1795  he  was   elected  one  of  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Miss  Harriet 

the  Judges  of  the  Sa[)erior  Court, theduties  of  Turner,   b}-    whom   he  lei't    several  children; 

which  he  discharged  with  dignity  and  ainlity  second  to  Miss  Dashield,  of  Washington  City, 

until  1799,  when  lie 'A'as  chosen  Representative  (For  Genealogy    of    the  Stone    family    of 

in  Congress.    In  1801  he  was  elected  Senator  in  Bertie  County,  Xorth  Cai'olina,  see  Appendix.) 

Congress,  which  place  he  resigned  in  1807,  on  Gerieral  Stone  entered  tlie  Senate  again  at  a 

being  again  elected  Judge  of  Superior  Court,  period   of  intense  national  excitement.     The 

Whilst  a    member  of   the    Senate    his    distin-  United  States  were  at  war  with  tlie  most  pow- 

guished  colleague,  Jesse    Franklin,  was  Pi'e,-i-  erful  nation  on    earth,  and    pai'ty   spirit  raged 

diiut  pro  (em.  of  that  body.     It  is  a  fact  worthy  with  unwonted  violence.    The  majorit3- of  the 

of  record  that  at  this  time  the  presiding  officers  pe«)ple  of  !N"orth   Carolina   supported  Madison 

of  both  Iloiises  of  Co'igress  were  from   "Torth  and  the  war,  and  the  Legislature  elected  Gov- 

Carolina,  Mr.  Macon    having  been  Speaker  of  ernor  Stone  to  sustain  that  policy;  but,  unfor- 

the  L  )wer  House  daring  the  7th,  8th,  and  9th  tunatel3-,he  differed  from  the  Legislature  and 


32  WHEELER'g  REMINISCENCES. 

the    people.     His    reasons   were,  as   stated  in  (see  Craven  County,)  and  was  his  private  see- 

Xiles'  Register,    (vol.   vii.,  10.3,)    that  •"•these  retarj-. 

measures  had  led  to  ■division  among  ourselves.  He  was  a  law3'er  by  profession, and  so  b.ighly 

and   10   bankruptcy   and   ruin  to  the  nation."  esteemed  that,  at  the  age  of  28,  he  was  elected 

The    embargo,    a    measure    strongly    recom-  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Tennessee, 

mended    by    the    Presid-ent,  had    passed    the  He   was    the  Governor  of  Tennessee  from 

House.     It  was  rejected  in  the  Senate  by  two  1809  to  1815.     This  long  [leriod  of  public  sor- 

V(.'ites  only,  and  one  of   them   v.-as    Governor  vice,  in  so  elevated  a  position,  proves  the  wis- 

Stone's.     He  also  voted  against  a  bill  to  raise  dom  and  pi'udence  of  his  conduct  and  his  ac- 

bj' direct  tax  revenue  to  support  the  war.  He  ce'ptahie  service.      It   was  his  fortune  to    be 

^ompkained,  pei'sonally,  that  to  a  call  for  in-  Governor  in  a  most  exciting  period  of  our  his- 

formation  from  the  Coniiuittoe  of  Ways  and  'tor3- — during  the   war  with  England — and  he 

Means,  the    reply    was   that  "  th-ere   was   not  gave  to   the    administration  his  cordial   and 

;time  to  furnish  the  desired  information."  constant  support.     He  tendered  to  President 

In  this  course  he  diifered  from  his  colleague,  Madison  2,500  troops,  and  placed  them  iinder 

■Governor  Turner,   of   the   Senate,  and    from  command  cjf  Andrew  Jackson,  who  won  for 

Willis  Alston,  Peter  Forney,  John  Culpepper,  his  counti-y  the  glorious   victory  at  New   Or- 

Meshack  Franklin,  William  R.  King,  Nathan-  leans. 

iel  Alacon,  William   H.  Murfree,  Israel   Pick-  He   was   equally  active  in   the  Creek  war, 

ens,  Richard  Stanford,  and  Bartlett  Yancey,  rai'sing  2,000  volunteers  and  §300,000. 

His  course  called  down  the  c-ens'ire  of  the  Leg-  He  married  Lncinda,  daughter  of  John  and 

.ielature.  Anne  Norfleet  Baker,  of  Bertie  County. 

In  i^ecend3«r,  181-4,  Mi'.  Branch,  afterwards  He  died  at  the  residence  of  lYylie  Johnson,- 

Governoi',   as   chairman   of   tlie   si>ecial    conr-  near  Nashville,  in    18-35.     A   monument    was 

mittee  up)ou  the  subject,  reported  a  resolution  erected  by  order  of  the  Legislature  unto  his 

that  "  the  conduct  of  David  Stone   had  been  memory  at  Clarksville.     He  left  several  chil- 

in  opposition  to  his  professions,  and  had  jeop-  dren,  among  them   Mrs.  J,  T.  Dabuey;   Mrs. 

'ar-dized   the    safety  and  interest  of  the  coun-  Dortch, whose  son,  Willie  B.  Dortch,  mai-ried 

try,  and   had  incurred  the    disapprobation  of  a  daughter  of  Governor  A.  V.  Brov/n. 

this  General  Assembly."  The  names  of  Cherry   and  Outlaw  are  pre- 

This  passed,  40  to  18,  and   Governor  Stone  served  b3'  a  patriotic  and  talented  race  full  of 

forthwith    i-esigned  his   seat    in    the    Senate,  generous  feeling  and  kindly  dispositions. 

This    closed    his   distinguished    and    eventful  George  Outlaw  was  born,  lived  and  died  in 

public  life,  and  four  years  afterward  he  died,  Bertie   County.     He   was   distinguished,  says 

in  the  48th  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Moore  m  his   History  of  North   Carolina, 

Govei-nor  Stone  was  in  person  tall  and  com-  for  the  blandness  of  his  manners,  and  was  as 

raanding;  of  reddish  hair,  which  he  wore,  as  noted   for  liis  usefulness  in  the  Church,  as  for 

was  then  the  fashion,  in  a  queue.  his  talents  as  a  statesman.     He  entered  jiublic 

Willie  Blount,  Governor  of  Tennessee,  was  life  as  a  member  of  the  House  of  CJommons  iu 

born  in  Bertie  Countj'  1768;  died  1835.  1796  and  in  1799,  and  a  meinberof  the  Senate 

He  was  the  son  of  Jacob  Blount,  already  re-  from  1806  to  1822,  with    some  intermissions, 

ferred  to  in  a  sketch  of  the  Blounts  of  Beau-  of  which  body  he  was  Speaker  in   1812,  '13, 

fort.     He  was  the  brother  of  Governor  Wil-  and  '14,  and   elected  a  member  of  the   18th 

liam  Blount,  the  first  G(n'eruor  of  Tennessee,  Congress,  182o-'25,  to  supply-  a  vacancy  occa- 


BERTIE  COUNTY.                                                           33 

sioned   b}'  the  resignation   of  H.   G.  Burton,  lina,   Senator   in    Congress,   Secretary'  of  the 

elected  Governor.    He  was  the  iirst  Moderator  IS'avj-;  Matthias  E.  Manly,  Judge  of  the  Supe- 

of  the  Chowan  Baptist  Association,  established  rior  and  Supreme  Courts;    Augustus   Moore, 

in  1806.  Judge  of  Superior  Courts;  Edward  D.  Sinims, 

Ilis  fine  personal  appearance,  his  kind,  genial  niendDer  of   Congress,  1824,  from  South  Caro- 

manners,  and  his  generous,  charitable  temper,  lina.     In  even  this  galaxy-  of  merit  and  talent 

rendered   him   universally  popular.     His  son,  Mr.  Outlaw  was  conspicuous. 

George  B.  Outlaw,  succeeded  him  in  the  State  He  studied  law  with  that  able  and  accom- 

Senate,  in   1823  and  1824,  whose    widow  {nee  plished  jurist,    William    Gaston,  and    by  his 

Jordan)  married  Governor  John  Branch.  assiduity,  ability' and  laljor    did   credit  to  his 

Thomas  Miles  Garret  was  a  resident  of  this  accomplished  preceptor.     He  was  admitted  to 

county,  and  lived  near  Colerain.      His  educa-  the  bar  in  1827,  and   soon   rose   to  the  front 

tion  was  good.     He  was  prepared  for  college  rank  of  his  profession.     For  years  he  was  the 

by  John  Kimberly,  and  graduated  in  1851,  in  Solicitor  of   the  Edenton   Circuit,  in   which 

same  class  with  David   M.  Carter,  Bartholo-  respoiisiUe  position  he  won  the  respect,  confi- 

mew  Fuller,  Francis  E.   Shober   and   others,  dence  and  admiration  of  the  bench,  bar  and 

He  read  law,  and  by  his  diligence  and  capacity-  juries.       When   to   his   discriminating  judg- 

attained  renown.     But  the  war  broke  out,  and  ment,  oppression  or  [lersecution  was  attempted, 

he  joined  the  army.     He  was  brave  and  de-  he  was  mild  and  yielding,  but    wheu    the   law 

voted  to  the  cause,  and  fell  in  battle  as  colo-  was  violated,  no   matter   by  whom,  high  or 

nel,   at   the  head  of  his   regiment,  amid  the  low,  indigent  or  wealthy,  it  was  firmly  vindi- 

horrors  of  that  fearful  conflict.     He  remarked  cated. 

on  the  eve  of  the  engagement  that   the   day  Naturally'  generous  and  just,  though  reso- 

would  end  with   a  general's   wreath   or  with  lute,  he  was  universally  p.ipular.     His   warui 

his  life.     Both  were   verified.     A  commission  and  enthusiastic  temper  was  often  r.)used  wheu 

arrived  next  day  as  brigadier,  but  too  late!  duplicity  oi-  artifice  was  attempted;  and  be 

There  are  but  few  persons  in  North  Carolina  would  assail  his  victim  with  resistless  power 

who  did  not  know  David  Outlaw  (born  about  and  matchless  eloquence.     This    trait   in  his 

181)5  and  died  1808,)  and  appreciate   his  esti-  character  was  well  known  to  his  associates  at 

mable  character.     He  was  born,  lived  and  died  the  bar,  as  also  to  the  community  at   large, 

in  Bertie  County.     He  was  endowed  by  nature  Often  has  the   trembling  offender  of  justice, 

with  a  clear  and  penetrating  mind,  which  was  when  on  trial,  whispered  to   counsel,  "  Do.i't 

highly  improved  by  a  liberal  education.     He  make  Outbiw  mad,  for  if  you  do,  I  shall  not 

graduated  in   1824  at   the  University  of  the  have  any  chance  to  escape."     He   was  truly 

State,  at  the  head   of  his  class.     Wheu  it  is  '' a  terror  unto  evil-doers,  and  a  praise  to  them 

recollected  who  composed  this  class,  and  their  who  do  well."     "To  the  just,  he  was  mild  and 

mental    material,   this    high    honor    will    be  gentle;  but  to  the  fro  ward  lie  was  as  fierce  as 

appreciated.      Among  them  were    Daniel  B.  fire." 

Baker,    Benjamin    B.    Blume,    John    Bragg,  Such  a  man  c^iuld  not  fail  to  secure    regai-d 

member  of  the  Legislature,  member  of  Con-  and    respect.      He  wm   frequently  elected  a 

gress,  and  Judge  in  Alabama;  James   W.  Bry-  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  was  elected 

an,  distinguished  lawyer,  Senator  1836   from  member  of  the  30th  (1847,)  31st    (1849,)  and 

Jones  County;  Thomas  Dews,  of  Lincolnton;  32d  (1851)  Congresses.     Here  his  unbending 

William  A.  Graham,  Governor  of  North  Caro-  integrity,  his  unselfish  patriotism,  his  unques- 


34 


WHEELER'S   KEMINISCE^'CES. 


tioiied  abilities,  and  his  pure  and  nnob.trusive. 
virtues,  commanded  the  respect  inid  the  affec- 
tion of  his  associates.  Pie  was  ever  read}'  to 
do  cjeneroiis  acts,  while  he  scorned  any  intrigue 
or  artifice—  the  unflinching  foe  to  corruption, 
extravagance  or  indirection.  Sincere  and 
honest  himself,  he  was  unsuspicious  of  deceit 
or  fraud  in  others. 

In  his  person  Colonel  Outlaw  was  but  little 
favored  hy  nature.  He  was  verj'  near-sighted, 
and  constantly  wrix'  glafses  that  were  gieen,, 
and  wJiich  to  straiigei's  made  him  appeal'  dis- 
tant, reserved,  and  aAvkward.  Yet,  with 
these  disadvantages,  to  those  who  knew  him 
well,  this  rugged  exterior  did 

Hide  a  precious  jewel  in  its  head, 

and  present  everj^  quality  of  honor,  truth,  and 
justice  that  can  dignify  human  nature. 

His  last  public  service  was  as  a  member  of 
the  State  Senate  in  1863.  He  died  on  22d 
October,  1868. 

.His  latter  days  were  clouded  by  misfortune. 
The  vicissitudes  of  wai',  his  confidence  in 
friends,  and  his  carelessness  in  financial  mat- 
ters, had  wrecked  his  fortunes.  Tlje  natural 
infirmity  (defective  eyesight)  terminated  in 
total  blindness.  But  his  generous  qualities 
triumphed  over  calamity.  To  such  men  may 
!S"orth  Carolina  proudly  point  as  the  mother 
of  the  Gracci  did  to  her  sons,  and  sincerely 
say, 

Tiiese  are  my  jewels. 

James  W.  Clark,  born  1779,  died  1843,  was 
a  native  of  Bertie  County,  son  of  Christopher 
Clark,  wh(.i  died  at  Salmon  creek. 

He  was  liberally  educated,  and  graduated 
at  Princeton  in  1796.  He  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislatni'e  from  his  native  county 
in  1802-'3.  lie  removed  to  Edgecombe  Coun- 
ty, which  he  rejiresented  in  1810  and  1811, 
and  in  the  Senate  1812-'13  and  '14,  and  elected 
a  member  of  the  14th  Congress — 1815-'17. 
He  served  out  his  term  and  declined  are-elec- 


tion.    He  was  succeeded   by  Br.   Thomas  H. 
Hull. 

He  served  in  1827  as  Chief  Clerk  of  the 
Kav}'  Bepartment  under  Governor  Branch. 

He  was  an  enterprising,  patriotic  and  honest 
man,  loved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  married  Arabella,  (laughter  of  Henry 
I.  Toole.  He  died  in  1843,  leaving  one  sou, 
who  became  Governor  of  the  State,  1861,  and 
two  daughters.  Maria,  who  married  Mat  Wad- 
dell,  and  Laura,  who  married  Gotten. 

(For  the  Genealogy  of  the  Clark  family, 
see  Appendix.) 

Patrick  Henr}-  Winston  resides  in  Bertie 
County,  but  is  a  native  of  Franklin  County. 
He  was  educated  at  Wake  Forest,  and  at  the 
Columbian  University,  at  Wiishington  Citj",  , 
wliere  he  graduated.  He  read  law  at  Chayiel 
liill,  and  after  receiving  a  license  to  piactiee. 
settled  in  Windsor.  He  rejjresented  Bertie 
County  in  the  Legislature  in  1850  and  1854. 

In  1861,  he,  together  with  Hon.  B.  F.  Moore 
and  Sam'l  F.  Phillips,  were  elected  by  the 
Legislature  as  Judges  of^  the  Court  of  Claims.  ^^ 
This  was  a  delicate  and  severe  duty,  and  this 
able  court  discharged  it  M'ith  fidelity  and 
abilit}'. 

After  his  term  in  the  court  had  expired,  he 
was  aii])ointed  by  Governor  Vance  Financial 
Agent  of  the  State  in  her  fiscal  relations  with 
the  Confederate  Government. 

In  1S64  he  was  elected  one  of  the  Council 
of  State,  and  by  that  body  chosen  President, 
a  position  at  this  time  involving  great  respon- 
sibility. 

In  1865  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  from  Franklin, 
whithi>r  he  had  taken  refuge  dui-ing  the 
tiTiubles  of  the  war,  and  no  one  did  more  to 
liuild  up  the  broken  down  walls  of  our  [loliri- 
cal  Zion  than  Mr.  Winston.  Ho  was  of  the 
few  men  \'\'ho  declined  to  sign  an  open  letter 
to  Governor  Holden,  requesting  him  to  be  a 
candidate    for    Governor.     In     1868    he    was 


BEKTEE   CO UXTY -BLADEN  COUNTY.  35 

ottered  nnd  decHiifd  tlie  nomiiintion  for  Con-  A  fearful  epidemic  appeared  in  Bertie  Coun- 

oresp,  preferring  to  pursue  the  practice  of  his  ty,  as  recorded  in  Niles'  Eegister,  vol.  x,  364:, 

jii'ofessioii,  of  -which  lie  is  alike  a  pillarand  an  wliich    was    most  fatal    anioiuj-    the    people, 

oraament.      He    posscses    untiring   industry,  in    May,     1816.     Some     sections,     especially 

profound   leai'ning,  and  uiispotted  reputation.  Cashie  Neck,  were   nearly  depopulated.     The 

He  has  a  family  likely  to  he  as  distinguished  statement  says  that  "  the  most   robust   consti- 

as  their  father   lor  ahility,  influence   and  in-  tiitions  melted  before  it  as  wax  liefore  a  tire." 
tegritv. 


CHAPTEK   V. 

BLADEN  COUNTY. 

AVith  this  count}-  are   associated  nianj-  stir-  and    amcMigst    otliers    Janieis   ]-'orterfield,   an 

ring   events   connected   with   the  war  of  the  Irishman   hv   birth.    i)ut   wiio   for   some   years 

Re^■oluti(ln,  which   attested  the  [.atriotism  of  had   been    a    resident    of  Pennsyh-ania.     Mi', 

her  sons,  and  their  devotion  to  liberty.  Porterfield   had   five   children — Eleanor,   who 

The     battle    of    Elizabelhtoun,    fought   in  ^.intermarried    with    C"!.   Thomas    Owen,    the 

July,    1781,    was  a  complete  victory   of   the  father  of  Gen.  James  and  the  late  Gov.  John 

Whigs,  led   by  Thnmas  Brown,  over    the   To-  Owen;  one  son  who  died   in    early   life;   John 

ries,   commanded    by    Slingsby    and    Godden.  and  James,  who   lor   man}'  years  were   mer- 

This  has  lieen   already  so  fully  I'eCfU'ded  from  ehants    in   Fayetteville,   and    Denny,   who  is 

authentic  documents  in  the  Ilistoi'y  of  North  the  subject  of  this  brief  sketcii. 

Carolina  (IT,  SG,)  that    its    repetition    is   un-  On  the  bi'caking  out   of  tlie  lievolutionary 

neeessar}'  lieie.  The  heroic  character  of  Denny  war,  the  whole  family  of  Portertields  espoused 

Poiteitield  is  detailed  in    The    Memories  of  the  Whig  cause.     In  the  death  of  James  Por- 

Cross  Cieok.  terfield,  senior,  the  Whigs  lost  an  able  and  in- 
fluential  fi'icnd.     But  his  widow,   animated 

The  Memories  of   Cross  Creek.  ,^^,  ^j^^  ^^^^^^^  ^^,^^^^^^  ten>perament,  made  her 

The    [lighhinders    of   Scotland,   after  their  mansion  iieadrpiarters  for  the  Whigs  of  Cross 

defeat  at  Culloden  in  1746,  migrated  to  North  Creek.     She  was  celebrated  as  an  expert  c:irt- 

Carolina,  under  the  advice  of  Neill   McNiell.  ridge-maker,  and  freciuently   spent    nights   in 

They  found  a  resting-place  on  the  banks  of  preparing  bullets  to  be  tised  by  the  Americans. 

C;;pe  Fear,  at  what  has  remained  the  head  of  At  that  time  she  lived  in  the  house   that   has 

navigation  on  that  rivei'  to  the  [.resent    time,  for  many  yeais  been  known   as    the   residence 

As  early  as  176-2  Cross  Creek  and    Cambell-  of  John  McLeran,  deceased,  and  now  of  his  son 

ton  (now  Fayetteville)  began  to  assnme  ini-  William. 

portance  in  a  commercial  point   of  view,   the  Under  such  a    father  and    mother,  and   in 

fame   whereof  attracted   many   from    abroad,  such  times,  Denny  Porterfield   grew   to  man- 


36  WHEELER'g  REMINISCENCES. 

hood.     lie  became  a  solilicr,  served  with  dis-  hij'  between  converging  fires,  and  in  full  sight 

tinction  in  the  American  armj',   and   attained  of   tlie    British   army.      Porterfield   modestly 

the  rank  of  Major.     It   is    not   our   object    to  replied,  that  when  he    entered   the   Ameiican 

give  a   detailed    account    of   the    exploits    of  army  he  had  subjected  his  powers  of  mind  and 

Denny  Porterfield,  bwt  will   simply   endeavor  body  to  the  glorious   cause,  and  if  needs  he 

to  record  his  daring  bravery   as  exhibited  in  was  prepared  to  die  in  its  behalf, 

his  last  battle.  Greene  communicated  the  command,  which 

It  is  a  well    known  fact    that   while  Corn-  was  to  order  into  service  a  reserved  corps  that 

"wallis  retreated  from    Guilford   Court    House  lay  in  ambuscade,  ready  to  advance  upon   re- 

ma   Eayette^■ille   and    Wilmington    to    York-  ceiving  the  signal  agreed  on. 

town,  where  be  was  C()ra[>L'lled  to  surrender  to  With  a  brave  and  undaunted  bearing  Major 

the  prowess  of  Washington,  Gen.  Greene,  in-  Porterfield  dashed  off  upon  his  fleet  courser, 

stead  of  pursuing  him,  determined   to    relieve  and    so   sudden   and   unex[iected    was   his  ap- 

North  and  South  Carolina   from   the   persecu-  pearance  among  the  British,  and  so  hei-oic  the 

tioiis  of  Lord  Kawdon,  and    so  pressed   upon  deed,  that  they  paused  to  admire  his  bravery, 

him,  that  in  July,  17:51,  he  took  post   at   the  and  omitted  to  fire  until  he  was  bej-ond   the 

Entaw  Springs,  where  the  Americans  attacked  reach  of  their  guns;   liut  on  his  return,  they 

ihim  and  drove  him  from   his   entrenchments,  fired,  the  shot  took  effect   in   bis   breast,   and 

Foremost    in    this  intrepid    charge  was    the  the  brave  Denny   Porterfield  fell,   and  sealed 

Ihigh-souled  and  valorous  Denny  Porterfield  his  devotion  to  the  cause  with  his  blood,  on 

Avho  seemed  to  have  a  charmed  life,  as  he  ex-  the  plains  of  Eutaw.     His  horse  escaped  uu- 

,posed  himself  upon  his  mettled  charger,  with  hurt  galloped   into  the   American  lines,  and 

epaulettes  and  red  and  buff  vest  on.,   to  the  nevei'  halted  till  he  reached   his  accustomed 

murderous   fire  of   the  enemy.        Lieut.  Col.  place  in  the  ranks. 

Camp)bell  received  a  mortal  wound  while  lead-  Gen.  Greene,  who  witnessed  the  instinct   of 

ing  the  successful  charge.     Porterfield  and  his  the  animal,   shed   tears,  and   ordered    David 

brave    companions    rushed    on   to  avenge   his  Twiggs,  father  of  Miss  Winny  Twiggs,  now  of 

death,    and   took   upwards    of    five   hundred  Fayetteville,  to  take  charge  of  the  horse  and 

prisoners.  carry  him  to  Mrs.  Porterfield  at  Cross  Creek. 

In  their  retreat  the  British  took   post  in   a  And  upon  a  Sunday  afternoon  the  mother  of 

strong  brick  house  and  picqueted  garden,  and  the  distinguished   gentleman    who  com.uuni- 

from  thisiidvantageous  position,  under  cover,  cated  some  of  the  facts  detailed,  remembered 

commenced  firing.  to  have  met  David  Twiggs  coming  into  Cross 

At  this  crisis  in  the  battle  Gen.  Greene  de-  Creek,  who  in  one  breath  announced  the  fall  of 

sired   to     bring    forward    re-inforcements    to  his    beloved    Major     and    the    success  of  the 

storm  the   house.     To  save    time   it  became  American  arms  at  Eutaw.     He  brought  with 

important  that  some  one  should  ride  within  him  the  red  buii'  vest  that    Major  Porterfield 

range  of  the  British  cannon.     It  was  in  reality  wore,  and  Gen.  James  Owen  hjis  informed  me 

a  forlorn  hope.    The  A.merican  General  would  that  he  remembers  to  have  soen   it,  and    that 

detail  no  one  for  the  enterprise,  but  asked   if  there  was  a  rent   or   tear   on    one    side    and 

any  one  would   volunteer.     Instantly   Denny  slightly    blood-stained.      On    the    retreat    of 

Porterfield  mounted  hia  charger  and  rode  into  Lord  Kawdon,  Gen.   Greene   retained  posses- 

his  presence.     Gen.  Greene  inquired  if  he  was  sion  of  the  field,  and  there  the  body  of  Denny 

aware  of  the  pei'il,  if  he   knew   that   his   path  Porterfield   found   an   honorable  grave.       His 


tjlad:en  coukty. 


37 


tiorse  lived  for  several  3'ears,  a  pensioner  roam- 
ing at  pleasure  on  the  hanks  of  Cross  Creek — 
known  and  heloved  hy  all  who  venerated  the 
valor  and  chivalry  of  Denny  Forteriield. 

John  Rutherford,  or  Eutherfurd,  resided  in 
Bladen  County. 

He  married  Penelope  Eden,  the  widow  of 
•Governor  Gabriel  Johnston,  and  lived  on  the 
.place  in  Bladen,  where  th«  Governor  had  built 
a  house.     {Moore,  I,  147.) 

He  was  one  oi"  the  Council  of  Governor 
Martin,  a«d  should  not  be  <;onfo«nd«d  with 
the  nanieof  General  Gritiith  Rutherford,  who 
did  great  military  service  in  the  Revolution. 

John  Owen,  (born  1787;  died  1841,)  was 
the.gi'andson  of  Major  Porterfield,  above  al- 
luded to,  and  the  smi  of  Thomas  Owen,  who 
died  in  1803,  and  was  a  brave  officer  of  the 
Revolution,  and  commanded  a  regiment  at 
■Canjden. 

To  many  of  our  State,  he  was  well  known, 
and  by  all  he  was  highiy  appreciated  for  his 
-amiable  character,  his  generous  disposition, 
and  pure  and  upright  demeanor.  It  was  not 
his  taste,  or  his  fortune,  to  command  in  the 
field  of  war,  or  even 

The  applause  of  listeniag  Senates  to  command. 

He  preferred  rather  to  enjoy  the  quiet  com- 
forts of  home  and  his  family,  and   the  kindly 

.intercourse  of  neighbors  and  friends. 

JSuch  was   his  popularity  that  he  was  often 

■  elected  by  the  people  of  Bladen  a  member  of 
the  Legislature,  (18l2-'27,  and  in  1828;) 
duriny  the  last  year  he  was  chosen  Governor. 
He  was  within  one  vote  of  being  elected  Sen- 

.ator  in  Congress  in  1831. 

He  was  President  of  the  Convention  at 
Harrisburg,  in  1840,  that  nominated  General 

Harrison  for  President.  He  was  ofiered  the 
nomination    as  Vice-President;    he    declined, 

■and  Mr.  Tyler  was  nominated.  Had  his  mod- 
esty allowed  his  acceptance,  as  was  the  course 

•of  vevents,  he  would  have  been   President  of 


the  United  States.  But  his  health  was  very 
precarious,  and  would  not  allow  him  to  accept 
any  position.  He  died  October,  1841,  at 
Pittsboro. 

He  married,  at  an  earl}'  age,  the  daughter  of 
General  Ttiomas  Brown,  the  hero  of  the  battle 
of  Elizabethtowu,  leaving  an  onlj'  daughter, 
who  married  Haywood  Guion,  deceased,  and 
who  now  resides  at  Charlotte. 

Governor  Owen  was  a  true  type  of  a  Xorth 
Carolinian.  Sincere,  but  chary  in  his  profes- 
sions find  promises;  and  faithful  and  exact  in 
his  performances;  varied  and  deep  in  his 
acquii-ements,  but  modest,  reticent  and  unol>- 
trusive  in  his  demeanor;  tirm  and  gallant  in 
maintaining  his  conWctions  of  right.  His 
name  is  worthy  to  be  classed  with  Bayard  of 
Franco:  "  Suns  peur,  sans  reproche.''' 

His  brother.  General  James  Owen,  was  well 
known  for  his  urbane  aiid  intellectual  charac- 
ter. He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  loth 
Congress  (1817,)  and  President  of  the  North 
Carolina  and  Raleigh  Railroad. 

His  sister  married  Elisha  Stedman,  of  Fay- 
etteville. 

James  J.  McKay,  (born  1793;  died  1853,.)  of 
this  county,  was  distinguished  as  a  lawyer  and 
statesman.  He  was  often  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  in  the  Senate  (1815,  '16,  '17,  '18, 
'22  and  '26;,)  district  attorney'  of  the  United 
States,  and  a  member  of  Congress  from  1831 
to  1849,  serving  at  one  time  with  great  accep- 
tability as  Chairman  of  the  Comniittee  of 
Ways  and  Means.  In  the  National  Conven- 
tion of  1848  General  McKay  received  the  un- 
divided vote  of  North  Carolina  as  a  candidate 
for  Vice-President.  As  a  statesman  he  was  of 
unquestioned  ability,  of  stern  integrity,  capa- 
ble of  great  labor  and  patient  investigation. 
He  was  in  public,  as  in  private  life,  a  radical 
economist,and  belonged  to  that  school  of  which 
Mr.  Macon  was  the  father,  and  he,  with  George 
W.  Jones,  Cave  Johnson,  of  Tennessee,  and 
John  Letcher,  of  Virginia,  werefaithful  disci- 


S8  '  WHEELEPv'S  KEMmiSCEKCE'S. 

pies.     General  McKay  died  very  suddenly  at  where  he  graduated  in  1843,  in  the  same  class 

Goldsboro  in  1853.  with  Hon.  Jolm  L.  Bridgers,  Hon.  Robert  P. 

In  closing  our  sketches  of  "  The   memories  Dick,  Philo    P.  Henderson,  Judge  Samuel  J. 

of  fifty  years  or  more,"  as  regards  the  men  of  Person,  and  others.     He  served  in  the  Legisla- 

Bladen  County,  we  should  do  injustice  to  the  ture  in  184G  to  1850  in  the   House,  and  185+ 

integrity  of  history  and  to  merit  and  vii'tueto  and  '58  in  the  Senate,  aifd    in  the  Congress  of 

pass  over  the  name  of  Thomas  David  McDow-  the  Confederacy. 

ell.  one  of  the  purest  men  in  public  and  private  He  is  a  planter  by  profession,  and  now  lives 

life  that  lever  knew.  in  dignified  retirement  like   Cincinatus,  nntil 

He  was  born  in  Bladen    County,  the   son  of  he  is  called,  like  him,  by  the  people,  to  posi- 

Dr.  Alexander  ^IcDowell,  on  the  4th  of  Jan-  tion    of    res[X)nsil)ility   and    horn;!',  which   his 

iVd\'y,  1823.  merits  entitle  him,  and  his  talents  so  admira- 

His  education  was  liberal,  conducted  at  the  bly  qualify  him  to  adorn, 
oualdson    Academy    and     the     University, 


CHAPTER   YI. 

BRUNSWICK  COUNTY. 

There  are  so    many  memories  that  cluster  selves;  never  yielded  quiet   obedience  to  the 

around  the  early  times  of  this  ancient  county,  rule  of  the   lords  proprietors,  nor   were  they 

associated  vvitli  the  chivalric  daring  of  her  pa-  even  on  good  terms  with  the   rulers   tif  Roy- 

trintic  sons,  that  the  historian  is  embarrassed  alty.     Governor    Dobljs,  with   amiable    traits 

by  the  riches  the  glowing  record  presents.    The  of  character  and  with  all  the  pitrouiige  of  the 

difficulty  arises  not  so  much  in  finding  material  Government,   could   win    but    few   ad\'ocates. 

for  his  study  as  in   selecting  events  and   sub-  Governor  Tryon,  his  successor,  by  tarns  threat- 

jects  most  worthy  of  preservation.     Here  was  ened    and   flatter j<l   them,   l)Ut   in    vain;    and 

the    ancient   borough    of    Brunswick."      This  flnaliy  they   drove  out  Gov.  Mirtiii,   tlie  fist 

section  was  the  home  of  Howe,  of  Harnett,  of  the  Royal    Governors,  from  the  country, 

and    of   Hill,    where    wealth    and    enterprise  to  whom,  like  the  guests  of  Macbeth,  the  peo- 

reared  stately'  mansions;   whore  generous  hos-  pie  of    Brunswick  saiii,  with    more   decision 

pitality,  gentle    courtesy,  and  social  barmonj-  th:in  comity, 

prevailed,  and  where  wit,  science  and  refine-  At  once,  good  niii-lit! 

ment  found  a  habitation.  *^^T^  "»*  "''O"  ^Iie  order  of  yoiu-  going- 

But  go  at  once. 

These  people  were  happy  when  left  to  them-  r,,,                 ,         i       ,i     o^           .    .          ,    c 

^^'  1  hese  people,  when  the  ^tamp  Aet  w;is  before 

^                                              ,  the  Parliament,  saw   the    stoi'm    approaching; 

'The  avicient  town  of  Brunswick;  once  the  seat  of  .  ,                                           ... 

the  Royal  Government,  was  on  tlie  left  bank  of  the  without    tear    they  wacchL-d    its    course,    and 

('ape  Fear  River,  ahout  10  miles  from  the  iiresent  town  i         -,.               ii    '    i          .,    i  •.    x-            -,.1    l: 

of  .SmithviUe.    It  was  nearly  destroyed  on  the  Tth   i  '^'''^^'^  '^  ^■•^'^^'  tl"^^^  brea-:.tod  itstury  with  tirni 

Sejiteinber,  1769,  by  a  hurricaup,  which  is  dei.icted  in  and  mani  v  spirit.      When  its  dud  passao-j  was 

a  dispatch  from  Iryon.      (Uolonial  Doc's  from  Rolls  ^                                                  l          .^ 

Oiiice,  London.)  announced,  th,;  Chevalier  Bayard  of  the   day, 


BRUXSWICE  COUNTY.  39 

John  Ashe,  then  Speaker  of  jhe  House  of  the  and  inarched  in  trinm[ili  to  the  residence  of 
Colonial  Assembly,  boldly  proclaimed  to  the  the  Governor  at  Wilmington.  Thu  whole 
RoA^al  Governor,  suri'ounded  \>y  his  satraps,  town  was  wild  with  excitement,  and  was 
that  "he  would  resist  the  execution  of  the  ilhiniinated  at  night.  The  ne.\t  morning  Col- 
act  to  dea.th!  "  one!  Ashe,  at  the  head  of  a  crowd   of  people, 

It  was  here  occurred  a   scene    which    excels  T\'eiit  to  the  house  of  the    Governor   and   de- 

in  daring  ati}'  event   of  the  age;    and    which  manded   the    Stump-muster,   (William   Hous- 

leaves    the    Boston    Tea    Party    a    secondary  ton,)  who  had  fled  to  the  Govern. )r  for  s.ifety. 

legend  in  point  of  courage  and  patri(jtism.  The  Governor  refuses  to    deliver  him  up,  and 

In  the  year   1766,  su    English   slo.ip-of-war,  forthwith  prepai'ations  are   made  to  surround 

(the  '•  Diligence  ")  is  seen  entering  theharhor.  and  burn  the  house,  in  which  was   the  Gover- 

"  The  meteor  flag  of  England  "  flaunts  proudly  nor.    Stamp-master     and    others.       Terrified, 

from  her   mast,  and    her  cannou,  loaded  and  although    a    practiced    soldier,   the    Governor 

read}',    fi'owned     upon    the     devoted     town,  yields,  and  Houston  is  delivered  up.     They  do 

She    sails    gracefully   into    the    harbor,    and  no  act  '.f  bloodshed;  but  firmly  conduct  IIous- 

drops  her  anchor.     Governor  Tryon,  anxiously  ton  to  the   Mai'Icet-house,  where    he    makes  a 

expecting    her,    announces    her   arrivtd   by    a  soloaui  pledge   in  writing   '•  never    to  receive 

proclamation  dated  Gth  Januar}-,  17^J3,  and  the  any   stamped    papLU-    which    may   arrive  fmm 

reception   of   stamps,  and  directs  "all  persons  England,  nor  othciate  in  any  way  in  the  distri- 

authorized    to  distribute    stamps  to   apply  to  bution    of  stamps   in   the   Province  of  ]S"orth 

the  conimandei'."  Carolina." 

But  other  eyes  than  Tryon's  wei-e  watching.         Thrt-e   loud    cheers  ascend  to   Heaven,  and 

Colonel  Hugh  Waddell   forthwith   sent  from  ring  says  Davis, ''through  thi  old  market  place, 

Brunswick  a  n:essenger   to   Ashe,  announcing  and  the  Stamp  Act  is  dead  in  Xorth  Carolina." 

the  arri\-al  of   tlie  "  Diligence  "  with  stamps;  This    was    more    than   ten  years    before    the 

he  immediiifely  I'cpairs   to   Bru)iswick.     ISTow  Declaration  of  Independence,  and    more   thin 

comes    the   tug    of   war.      Will   tlie   arrogant  nine  before  the  battle  of  Lexington,  and  neai'ly 

Tij'on,  with  his  armed  men,  triumph;  or  will  eight    years    bef.ii'e    the     Boston    Tea    Pai't}-, 

the  dai'iiig  Ashe  which  was    in   the   uight,  a!i<l   by  men  in  dis- 

,,       -,  ,,     ,        ,      .    ,.         ,,  „         '  guise,  and  noon  the  Imrndess  carriers  of  freight, 

lieard  tlie  iJoualas  ni  his  castle?  t-         '  i  ^ 

History'  has    blazoned   this    act    of    Boston  to 

AVill  he  and  Wa.blell  Ciunmit  acts  that   are  the  world,  but   the   act    of  the   people  of  the 

treason,  and   will    send    them    to  prison  and  Cape  Feir  was  far  more  daring;  done  in  oi^en 

*'^'^'     ■  day  by  men  of  character,  with  ai'ms   in    their 

They  felt  the   importance   and  tlie  peril    of  h.^^^g^  „n^ier  the    King's  flag;  and    who   has 

the  occasion.     Like  the  ancient  Pvomans  they  heard  of  it  ?  Who  remembers  it  ?  Who  tells  it  ? 

**"  '^    ^    ,  ,  ,  •■'  When,"  concludes  the    eloquent    address    of 

God?!  can  a  Koman  Senate  long  debate 

AVliich  of  the  two  to  clioose,  liberty  or  death?  Mr.  Davis,  from    which  I  am  ■  pu'oud   to    copy, 

iS'o,  let  us  rise  at  once,  and  at  the  iiead  ,,      -n  i      ,.  ^      •     ^-        ^      \t     ii     n       i-     'o 

Of  our  remaming  legions,  gird  on  our  swords  "  will  history  do  justice   to    .North   Carolina.' 

And  charge  home  upon  hiui.  Never  until  some  faithful    and    loving    son  of 

They  with  foi'ce  prevent  the  landing  of  any  her  own  shall  gird   up   his   loins   to   the  task, 

one  from  the  ship;  and  intimidating  the  com-  and  with  unwearied   industry  and   unflinching 

mander,  seizing  the  ship's  boat,  brought  it  on  devotion  to  the  honor  of  his  dear  old   mother, 

shore,  mounted  it  on  a  oart,  raised  on  it  a  flag,  narrate  the  virtues  and  valor  of  her  sous. 


40 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


This  decided  conduct  on  the  part  of  the 
people,  as  was  to  be  expected,  infuriated 
Tryon;  and  he  fulminates  in  his  dispatches  to 
the  Earl  of.  Hillsltoro  his  threats  of  vengeance. 
He  onch)sed  «  copy  of  the  pledge  extorted 
from  his  Stamp-master,  which  is  filed  in  the 
Uolls  Office,  and  which,  for  future  historians,  I 
■copy  and  here  record. 

From  Rolls  Office,  London;  extract  from 
Governor  Tryon's  dispatch;  dated  26th  De- 
.«ember,  1765;  a  .pledge  extorted  from  Wil- 
liam Houston  by  John  Asho  and  others. 

"  I  do  hereb}'  jiromise  that  I  never  will  re- 
•ceive  any  staniji  paper  which  may  arrive  from 
Europe  in  consequence  of  any  act  lately  passed 
;in  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain,. nor  offi- 
ciate in  any  manner  as  Stamp-master  in  the 
■distribution  of  stamps  within  tthe  Province  of 
jS'orth  Carolina,  either  directlj  or  indirectly. 

'■Ido  hereby  notify  all  the  inhabitants  of 
His  Majesty's  Province  of  North  Carolina  that 
notwithstanding  my  having  i-eceive.d  informa- 
Ttion  of  aiy  being  appointed  to  said  office  of 
Stamp-niastei',  I  will  not  applj'  hereafter  for 
any  stamp  paper,  or  to  distribute  the  same, 
until  such  time  as  it  shall  be  agreeable  to  the 
inhabitanis  of  this   Province. 

"Hereby  declaring  that  I  do  execute  these 
presents  of  my  own  free  will  and  accord,  with- 
out any  equivocation  or  mental  reservation 
whatever." 

"In  witness  hereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my 
hand  this  16th  November,  1765. 

"William  Houstost." 

There  are  deeds  wliioli  should  not  pass  away; 
And  names  that  must  not  wither,  tho  the  earth 

Forgets  her  empire  with  a  just  decay. 
The  enslavers  and  ensUived,  their  death  and  birth. 

Among  the  records  I  find  a  letter  from 
Houston  to  Tryon,  in  which  he  states,  "  I  am 
hated,  abhorred  and  detested,  and  have  no 
friend,"  that  he  thinks  John  Moses  DeRosset 
would  not  refuse  a  copy  of  his  bond  lodged  in 
his  hands,  dated  at  Socrate,  21st  April,  1766. 

Sucli  was  the  enthusiasm  and  spirit  of  the 
aroused  people,  that  fears  for  the  personal 
safety  of  Governor  Tryon  were  excited,  and 
required  all  the  efforts  and  popularity  of  Ashe 
to  allay  them. 


I  find  among  the  public  records  in  London, 
never  before  jiublished,  the  following  letter: 


To  Governor  Tryon: 


''  February  19,  1766. 


"  Sir:  The  inhabitants,  dissatisfied  with  the 
particular  restrictions  laid  upon  the  trade  of 
this  River  ou\y,  have  determined  to  ujarch  to 
Bruns-wick,  in  hopes  of  obtaining,  in  a  peaceful 
manner,  a  redress  of  their  grievances  from  the 
Commanding  Officers  of  His  Majesty's  ships, 
and  ha\e  com}>elled  us  to  con-duct  them.  We, 
therefore,  think  it  our  duty  to  acquaint  Your 
Excellency  that  we  are  fully  determined  to 
protect  from  insult  your  person  and  pr()perty, 
and  that  if  it  will  be  agreeable  to  your  Ex- 
cellency, a  guard  of  gentlemen  shall  be  imme- 
diat-el}-  detached  for  that  purpose. 

"  We  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  great- 
est respect,  sir, 

"  Your  Excellency's  most 

"  Obedient,  humble  servants, 
"  John  Ashe, 
"  Thomas  Lloyd, 
"  Alexander  Lillington." 

This  shows  the  well  balanced  temper  of 
Ashe  and  his  associates.  He  had  raised  a 
tempest,  fierce  and  furious,  in  tlie  cause  of 
right  and  opposed  to  illegality  and  oppression. 
But  he  was  a  sufficiently  potent  Prospero  to 
allay  its  excess. 

The  position  of  the  Governor  was  humili- 
ating and  galling  to  his  pride.  As  a  soldie-r 
he  had  been  trained  to  arms.  His  temper  was 
imperious,  daring  and  desperate,  as  he  after- 
wards evinced  at  Alamance.  But  he  saw  that 
he  was  no  match  before  the  people  with  the 
popular  and  fearless  Ashe, 

His  political  sagacity  induced  him  to  change 
his  course,  for  he  knew  well  wh^ii  to  brag  and 
bully  and  when  to  fiatter  and  fawn.  "  He 
began,"  says  Davis,  "  to  coui't  the  people  and 
tiatter  them  with  shows  ami  spiorts."  "  In 
February,  of  that  same  year,  1766,  tliere  was 
a  muster  of  militia  in  Wilmington.  The 
Governor  prepared,  at  considerable  expense, 
a  fine  repast  for  the  people.  But  when  the 
feast  was  ready  the  people  rushed  to  the  spot, 
poured  the  liquor  in  the  street,  and  threw  the 


BRUNSWICK  COUNTY. 


41. 


viands,  untasted,  into  the  river.  He  forsi'ot 
tliat  he  was  in  the  hdiiie  of  John  Ashe,  and 
he  had  seen  that  neither  he  nor  the  people 
could  he  intimidated  or  cajoled." 

I  am  indebted  tothe  able  address  of  Hon. 
George  Davis  for  much  of  the  eloquent  st^'le 
in  which  these  events  have  been  recorded, and 
use  bis  language,  so  forcible  and  coriect,and  so 
much  better  than  any  I  could  employ. 

After  the  battle  of  Alamance,  Trj'on  was 
transferred  to  the  Governorship  of  New  York, 
and  he  left  North  Carolina  to  the  mutual  sat- 
isfaction of  himself  and  the  people.  He  de- 
clared in  a  disi^atch  to  his  Government,  that 
"not  all  the  wealth  of  the  Indies  could  in- 
duce him  to  remain  among  such  a  daring  and 
rebellious  people." 

His  successor.  Governor  Martin,  found  bis 
place  no  bed  of  roses,  notwithstanding  he 
used  every  means  to  reconcile  the  people  to 
the  mother  country.  He  early  experienced 
the  restive  spirit  of  the  age,  and  as  already 
stated,  found  it  convenient  to  take  refuge  (on 
10th  July,  1775)  on  board  of  His  Majesty's 
ship  of  war,  lying  in  the  Cape  Fear  river. 
-In  a  dispatch  -dated  20th  July,  1775,  from 
on  board  the  "Cruiser,"  he  informs  his 
Government  that  "  Fort  Johnson  had 
been  burnt,  and  that  Mr.  John  Ashe 
and  Mr.  Cornelius  Harnett  were  the 
ringleaders  of  the  savage  and  audacious 
mob;"  Governor  Martin  found  as  little  pleas- 
ure in  association  with  such  daring  men  as 
had  Governoi-  Tr^'on,  and  with  English  squad- 
ron left  the  Cape  Fear  country  for  Charles- 
ton. Thus  was  the  State  free  from  any  for- 
eign ruler.  This  same  3'ear,  20th  of  May, 
1775,  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  proclaimed,  and  the  year  follow- 
ing (18th  November,  1776,)  a  State  Constitu- 
tion  was  formed   at    Halifax. 

These  were  the. men  that  formed  our  State; 
these — 


Like  Romans  in  Home's  qiinrrel. 

Sparer!  ueitlier  lamt  nor  gold. 
Nor  son  nor  wife,  nor  limb  nur  life, 

In  the  brave  days  of  old. 
Then  none  was  for  a  party; 

Then  all  were  for  the  State; 
Tlien  the  great  man  helped  the  poor. 

And  the  poor  man  loved  the  great. 

It  has  been  the  subject  of  frequent  remark 
and  admiration,  that  North  Carolina  should 
haved  formed,  under  such  circumstances,  so 
perfect  a  Constitution  that  it  carried  the  State 
through  the  long  and  bloody  revolution  in 
safety,  and  for  nearly  sixty  3'ears,  m  honor  and 
happiness.  For  any  people,  long  inured  to  aris- 
tocratic forms  and  monarchial  i-ule,  should, 
bursting  from  the  gloom  of  monarchy  into  the 
light  of  lii)erty,  to  have  created  so  perfect  a 
form  of  Government,  was  indeed  a  subject 
full  of  wonder.  It  has  been  amended  several 
times;  but  to  the  minds  of  many  it  has  not 
been  inqu\)ved.  It  was  the  work  of  men  who 
knew  the  great  principles  of  liberty,  truth  and 
justice,  and  many  of  them  afterwards  fought 
and  died  to  secure  them. 

It  was  adopted  on  the  18th  December 
1776,  as  reported  by  a  committee,  among 
whom  were  W.  Avery,  John  and  Samuel 
Ashe,  Thomas  Burke,  Eich'd  Caswell,  Corne- 
lius Harnett,  Joseph  Hews,  Robert  Howe, 
Willie  Jones,  Thomas  Jones,  and  others. 

It  is  recorded  that  it  was  chiefly  the  pro- 
duction of  Caswell,  Bui'ke  and  Thomas  Jones. 
But  whoever  they  were,  they  proved  them- 
selves master  workmen  in  their  craft. 

Thou,  too,  sail  on,  oh  Ship  of  State, 
Sail  on  thy  course,  both  strong  and  grejxt, 

Ilumanity  with  all  its  fe.irs, 

With  all  the  hopes  of  future  yeivrs, 
Is  hanging  breatliless  on  thy  fate. 

By  man}'  it  is  stated  th.it  our  Constitution 
was  the  earliest  formed.  But  this  is  error. 
When  the  power  of  the  mother  country  over 
the  colonies  was  gone,  and  some  Government 
other  than  England  was  necessary,  the  Conti- 
nental Congi-ess,  by  a  resolution  adopted  3d 
November,  1775,  recommended  the  Colonies 
to   adijpt   such    Government    as   should    best 


42 


WHEELER'S  KEMIOTS'CEN'CES: 


conduce  to  their  safet}'.     In  accordance  with 
this  resolution — 

I.  New  Hampshire  formed  a  State  Consti- 
tution 28th  December,  1775. 

II.  South  Carolina,  on  26th  iVlarch,  1776. 

III.  Virginia,  Jtine  29,  1776. 

IV.  New  Jersey,  July  3,  177.6. 

V.  Delaware,  September  12,  1776'. 

VI.  Pennsylvania,  September  21,  1776. 

VII.  North  Carolina,  12th  November,  1776. 

VIII.  Georgia,  5th  February,  1777. 

IX.  New  York,  April  20,  1777. 

(See  Ben:  i'erley  Poure  on  Charters  and 
Constitutions.) 

I.  The  Convention  which  formed  the  first 
Constitution  for  North  Cnrolina  met  at  Hali- 
fax, 12th  November,  1776,  as  above  alluded  to. 

II.  The  Convention  which  revised  and 
amended  the  Constitution,  met  at  lialeigh  on 
4th  June,  1835,  (Nath'l  Macon,  President.) 

III.  The  Convention  (secession)  met  at  Ra- 
leigh 20th  May,  1861,  (Weldon  N  Edwards, 
President.) 

IV.  The  Convention,  under  orders  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  (Johnson,) 
met  at  Raleigh  2d  October,  1865,  formed  a 
Constitution  which  was  not  ratified  by  the 
people,  (Edwin  G.  Reade,  President.  } 

V.  The  Convention,  under  ordei's  of  General 
Canby,  of  the  United  States  Army,  met  at 
Raleigh  11th  January,  1868,  formed  a  Constitu- 
tion, (Calvin  J.  Cowles,  Pi'esident.) 

VI.  The  Convention  to  amend  tlfe  Consti- 
tution, met  at  Raleigh  on  6th  September, 
1875,  which  was  ratified  by  the  people  by  a 
majority  in  November,  1876,  (Dr.  Ew'd  Ran- 
som, President.) 

Lists  of  the  persons  who  were  members  of 
the  Conventions  of  1776,  1835,  1861,  1865, 
1868  and  1875,  are  to  be  found  in  the  admirable 
hand-book  of  L.  L.  I'olk,  Commissioner  of 
Agriculture,  published  at  Raleigh,  1879. 


Brunswick  County  presented  many'  patri- 
otic sons  to  the  cause  of  Independence,  but 
none  more  worthy  of  our  memories  than  Rob- 
ert Howe,  (born  1732;  died  1785.)  So  little- 
has  been  preserved  and  presented  to  the  county 
of  this  distinguished  man  tliat  the  indefatig-- 
able  and  accurate  historian*  has  been  com- 
pelled to  state  that  history  bears  no  reciM'd  of 
his  private  life: 

The  repi'oach  has  been  removed,  in  some 
measure,  by  an  abridgement  of  the  memories 
of  General  Howe,  compiled^  by  Archibald 
Maclaine  Hooper.t 

Had  his  services  and  saeritices  lieen  rendered 
in  any  other  State  than  North  Carolina,  he' 
would  have  been  lauded  among  the  statesmen 
and  patrif)ts  of  the'  nation.  Let  us  trj^  to  sup- 
ply this  omission,  and  endea\'or  to  present  ttie 
cliaracter  and  services  of  General  Howe  as 
they  deserve. 

His  naure  and  fame  belong  to  Brunswick; 
for  it  was  in  this  county  he  was  born,  lived 
and  died. 

He  w:!S  born  in  1732.  His  father's  faiuily 
was  a  Id'anch  of  the  noble  iiouse  of  Howe,  in 
England.  Pie  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  both 
of  his  parents  at  smy  early  age;  and  the  guid- 
ance of  his  boylio-.xl  was  entrusted  to  a  kind 
grandmother,  v/ho,  like  all  gi'andmothers, 
so  comjiletely  indulged  him  that  his  edu- 
cation and  training  was  much  neglected. 
He  was,  however,  of  an  active,  inquisitive 
mind,  and  by  even  desultory  reading, 
and  conversation  of  literary  men,  he- 
acquired  much  anel  varied  information.  He 
married  at  an  early  age  a  young  Lidj'  of  the 
Grange  family,  much  against  the  will  of  her 
parents.  With  his  bride  he  visited  his  rela- 
ti\-es  in  England,  where  he  remained  about 
two  years,  enjoying  the  noble  and  munificent 
hospitality  of  his  frie;ids  and  family. 


*LossingII.,  729. 

tUniversity  Magazine,  vol.  II.,  .June,  1853.  No.  5. 


BRtFNSWICK  COUNTY.  43 

On    his  return    he    cominence<l    his    public  Howe  was  elected  a  iiienil.ier  of  the  AssemMy. 

career.     I  coji}' from  the  K;)lls  Office  in  Loiulon  He  was  also  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Colonial 

the  followinii;:  Congress  which   met   at   Xew  Berne  on  2-5th 

"3cT  Nov.   1766.  An_<i;ust,  1774.  This  was  the  first  assemhlage  of 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  council   at   Newbuni,  the  representatives  of  the  people  in  alcgi.lative 

Robert  Howe,  Esq.,,  produced  the  Governor's  capacity  in  the  Colony  in  direct  opposition  to 

(Tryon's)  commission  appointing  him  captiu'n  ^^^   ^-Joyal    authority.     It    was  violently    de- 

of  Fort  Johnston,  and  he  took  the  oath  and  nonnced  by  Governor  ^[nrtin.     Howe  was  ap- 

subscribed  the  test  "  pointed   chairman    of   a    conmiittee  to  whom 

the  speech  of  Martin  was  referred,  and  wrote 

In  a  dispatch  of  Gov.   Martin   to  Earl   of  „„  ,^i,ie  and  eloquent  replv.     On  the  8th  Aug- 

Dartmouth  dated  December  24th,  1772,  "  the  ^^^^^  -^.^^g^  ^j_^,.^i,^   ,,_   ^,,oelamation   dated  Sth 

Governor  complains  that  the  Colonial  Assem-  ^^^^^g^,    1775,     on    hoard    the    British    ship 

bly  had  passed  a  resolution  requesting  Cover-  ,,  Ci'uiser."  denounced  Howe  for  bavin-  taken 

nor  Tryon  to  forward  their  petition  to  the  ^^^^  ^^^.^^  ^j-  ,olonel,  and  for  summoning  and 

King  and  thus  overlooking  him."  training  the  militia,  etc. 

-This,"  he  adds,  "was   done   by   the  influ-         This  closed  Howe's    kgislative    career.     Bv 

ence  of  Robert  Howe  and  Isaac  Edwards."  ^^^^  Colonial  Congress  that  met  at  llillshoro  on 

"Of  Mr.- Howe,"  the  Governor  says,  in  the  21st  August,  1775,    he  was  appointed  colonel 

same  dispatch,  "  when  he  came  to  North  Cam-  of  tho  2d  Regiment,  then  about  to  be  raised  oa 

lina.  Mr.  ll(!we  was  the  captain  of  Fort  John-  the  Coiitinental  estahlishrnent. 
son,  and  Baron  of  the  Exchequer;  but  believ-         r^.^^^  ^^^^^^  app<m.ted  to  this  rc-iment  were 

ing  the  two  offices  incongruous,  h«  appointed  j^,,,^,,,.^    jj^^^^.^^  colonel;  John    Batton,   major, 

Mr.  Ilasell  Baron    of  the   Exchequer;  by  the  („,aternal  grandfather  of  thoJlon.  C.  C.  Camb- 

King's  appointn.ent  Captain  Collet  was  made  ,.^^|j„^^  ^^j^,^.^^,,^.  .uindedto;)  Alexander  .Martin, 

captain  of  the  f.,rt.  which  deprived  Mr.  Howe  Henteuant  colonel,  afteru-ards  Governor  of  tl 


of  a  post  of  contemiitilile  protit  to   a   man   of 


lie 
State.  Among  the  captains  were  James  Blount, 
honoi;  but  he,  by   extraordinary  management     jj^^,.^^^,    MurtVee,  Henry   Irwin  Toole,  .Michael 
of  moneys   that   came  into   his  ha.„ls  to  sup-     p^^^^,^^,^  .„^^^   ^^^^^^.^      j„  ^.,1,  .,,]|,,„t  ,egun.'nt 


po:t  the  garrison,  made  it  very  Inci-ative,  and 
served  to  keep  together  the    wreck  of  his  for- 


Ilertf.ird  County  ontrihiited  h.-r   first    quota 

of  tr(jops  enlisted  for   the   war.     Thev  consti- 

tnne.     Mr.  Howe  is  a  man  of  .lively  parts  and     ^^^g^i   Company   D,  and  were  commanded    by 


good  understanding,  hut,  in  ti:e  present  state 
of  his  affairs,  of  no  account   or  consideration 


Hardy    Murfree.     Colonel    Benjamin    Wynns 
commanded   the    Hertford    Battalitm.     Their 


and   is   trying  to    establish    a    reimtatiou   for  ji,st  march  under  Howe   was  to  Norfolk,  and 

patriotism."  reached  the  Great  Bridge  o:ily  two  days  after 

"The  Legi-iiture    resolved    to  continue  the  the    battle.     Thence    they    went     south    un- 

establishnient   of  Fort  Johnston    only  to  the  der  Lee.     One  of  the  best  and  truest  of  Hert- 

next  session,  which,  I  fea.-,   is   owing   to  the  ford's  sons  was  aide-do-camp  to  General  Howe, 

command  being  held  by  an   (jfficer  nominated  This  was  young  Godwin  Cotten,  of  Mulberry 

by  His  .Majesty,  instead  of  Mr.  Howe,  a  native  Grove.     Like   his    young    kinsman,    Colonel 

of  tliiscountry."    (Colonial  Records,  London.)  James  Cotten,  of  x\nson,  he  was  the  surveyor 

This  year  and  in   the   next,  1772  and    1773,  of  the  county.     He  was  the  youngest  son  of 


44 


WHEELER^e  REMINISCENCES. 


Captain  Arthur  Cotten,  and  lived  at  the  old 
■homestead  'near  St.  Johns.  lie  was  as  amiaible 
as  he  was  brave,  and  universally  beloved.  He 
lived  long  after  the  war,  and  many  now  alive 
may  recollect  his  exemplary  and  pious  char- 
acter. He  was  the  last  of  his  name  in  Hert- 
ford, for  be  left  no  sons;  but  he  left  two 
daughters,  who  were  the  belles  and  beauties  df 
their  day.  One  of  them  was  the  lovely 
mofherof  Dr.  Godwin  Cotten  Moore,  of  whom 
we  shall  write  when  we  come    to  Hertford. — 


General  Howe  for  compelling  Sir  Henr3'''s 
friend,  Lord  Dunmore,  to  leave  Virginia  foi- 
ever. 

General  Howe  was  placed  in  command  of 
the  North  Carolina  troops  in  defence  of 
Charleston  and  Savannah;  an-d  the  latter  end 
of  July  Genera!  Lee  undertook  an  exfiedrtion 
against  Florida.  But  by  an  expret^s  he 
was  ordered  North,  and  General  James 
Moore  succeeded  him.  Soon  after  General 
Moore    was   ordered    to   join    the    Arm}'  of 


(Moore's     Hist.,  Sketches   of   Hertford,   IX,  the    North,    and    Howe    was     appointed    to 

XVI,  656  )  succeed  him  in  the  command  of  the  Southern 

In  December,  1775,  Howe  was  ordered  to  Department, 

take  command  of  the  troops  raised  in  North  Qn  the  2d  of  October,  1777,  Howe  was  ap- 

Carolina,  and  march  to  aid  Virginia.    Unavoid-  pointed   by   Congress  major  general;  and    in 

able  circumstances  prevented  him  from  reach-  the  Spring  of  the  next  year  he  made  an  un- 


ing  the  Great  Bridge  until  two  days  after  the 
brilliant  battle,  [9  Dec.  1775]  but  he  took  post 
at  Norfolk,  and  rendered  good  service  in  driv- 
ing the  Ro^al  Governor '(Lord  Dunmore)  and 
bis  forces  out  of  this  section  of  the  State;  'For 
this  he  received  tiie  thanks  of  the  Convention 
•of  Virginia,  and  of  the  General  Congress  at 
Philadelphia,  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
brigadier  general. 

When  General  Lee,  in  March,  1776,  arrived 
in  Virginia,  Howe  joined  him  with  his  regi- 
ment and  went  south.  As  he  passed  through 
North  Carolina  he  received  the  thanks  of  the 
Convention  at  Halifax  and  at  New  Berne  for 
his  services,  and  he  was  received  with  public 
hoiiors. 

As  an  additional  evidence  of  appreciation  of 
his  patriotic  etforts,  he  was  especially  excepted 
from  the  otier  of  pardon  proclaimed  by  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  to  all  who  should  down  their 
arms,  and  his  estates  on  the  Cape  Fear  were 
ravaged  by  the  English  troops.  This  was  the 
second  time  that  Howe  had  been  the  honored 
subject    of    Royal    indignation   and    marked 


successful  expedition  against  Florida.  From 
want  of  proper  supplies,  insubordination 
of  some  of  the  otiicials  of  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina  and  the  health  of  his 
troops,  he  was  compelled  to  retreat 
to  Savannah.  The  retreat  was  com- 
menced in  July,  1778;  the  conduct  of 
General  Howe  was  severely  commented  upon 
in  various  publications.  Among  these  was  a 
letter  of  General  Gadsden,  which  was  highly 
offensive  to  General  Howe,  and  led  to  a  duel 
near  Charleston.  Howe's  second  was  C.  C. 
Pinckney,  and  Gadsden  was  accompanied  by 
Colonel  Barnard  Elliot.  They  fought,  13th 
August,  1778.  Howe's  ball  grazed  his  oppo- 
nent's ear,  on  which  Gadsden  tired  his  pistol 
in  the  air.  The  parties  then  shook  hands, 
and  became  reconciled. 

He  was  attacked  at  Savannah  by  the  British 
in  force,  and  defeated. 

From  the  commencement  of  Howe's  ad- 
ministration. South  Carolina  and  Georgia  had 
been  urgent  in  memorials    to    Coiiffress  to  re- 


enmity.  This  second  proclamation  of  Sir  Henry     call  him  and  to  replace  him    by  an   officer  of 
Clinton   was  a  grateful    acknowledgment  to    ™o''s  experience. 


3ETJNSWICK  CUUNIT. 


45 


Tn  compliance  with  these  solicitations,  •  in 
September,  1778,  Howe  was  oi'dered  to  the 
headquarters  of  General  Washington,  and 
General  Lincoln  appointed  to  succeed  him, 
and  to  repair  immediately  to  Charleston. 
Howe  was  stationed  on  tie  Hudson  river,  and 
in  1780,  was  in  commaud  at  \Yest  Point, 
where  he  rendered  acceptable  services,  and 
for  his  energy  and  activity  at  this  and  other 
important  commands  he  received  the  thanks 
of  Washington. 

In  January,  1780,  a  committee  of  the 
Georgia  Legislature,  appointed  to  consider  the 
situation  of  the  State  since  29th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1778,  and  extracts  from  the  minutes  of 
the  assembly  respecting  the  conduct  of  Gen- 
eral Howe,  were  transmitted  to  the  Com- 
mander in  Chief,  "  with  a  request  that  he  be 
directed  to  cause  inquiry  to  be  made  into 
matters  therein  alleged,  in  such  manner  as  he 
should  judge  proper." 

In  pursuance  of  this  order  General  Wash- 
ington sunmioned  a  Court  Martial  of  thirteen 
officers — Baron  DeKalb  presided  as  President. 
After  a  rigid  examination  of  six  weeks  he 
was  acquitted  "  with  the  highest  honors." 

Extract  from  Journals  of  Congress,  24th 
January,  1782:  "The  acquittal  of  General 
Howe  by  Court  Martial  with  the  highest 
honors  is  approved  by  Congress."  (Journal 
1782,  page  271. )  Although  the  war  was  over 
General  Howe  continued  active  in  service. 

In  1781,  Howe  was  sent  bj'  Washington  to 
suppress  a  revolt  of  the  New  Jersey  troops. 
Hildreth,  HI,  359. 

Extract  from  Journals  of  Congress,  Monday, 
1st  July,  1783,  page  64,  ordered  by  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton, and  reported  from  a  committee  of  which 
he  was  the  chairman,  that  "  Major  General 
Howe  shall  be  directed  tomarch  such  part  of  his 
force  as  he  shall  judge  necessary  to  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  order  that  immediate 
measures  may  be  taken  to  confine  and  bring  to 
trial  such  persons  belonging  to  the  army  as 


have  been  principally  active  in  the  late  mu- 
tiny; to  disarm  the  remainder^  and  to  exam- 
ine into  all  the  circumstances  relating 
thereto." 

In  May,  1785,  he  was  appointed  by  Congress 
to  treat  with  the  AVestern  Indians. 

He  remained  at  the  North  for  some  time 
awaiting  the  adjustment  of  his  claims  for  losses 
to  his  estates  in  North  Carolina,  ravaged  by  the 
enemy,  and  which  were  rendered  useless  and 
unproductive,  and,  from  the  depreciation  of 
the  currency-,  Le  was  reduced  to  want. 

From  the  Journals  of  Congress,  page  65: 

April  V2th,  1785. 

"  Mr,  Plawkins  introduced  a  resolution,  pay- 
ing '  for  depreciation,  to  Major  General  Howe, 
on  account  of  monies  ($7,000)  advanced.'  " 

In  the  spring  of  1785  he  returned  to  North 
Carolina,  and  was  welcomed  by  public  honors 
at  Fayetteville  and  by  kind  friends  at  home 
He  was  induced  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used 
as  a  candidate  as  a  member  from  Brunswick 
of  the  General  Assembly.  He  was  triumpih- 
antly  elected.  But  exposure  during  the  sum- 
mer produced  a  severe  bilious  fever,  from 
which  he  partially  recovered,  and  in  October 
started  for  the  seat  of  Government.  His  first 
day's  ride  brought  him  to  the  house  of  his 
friend,  General  Clarke,  about  thirteen  miles 
above  Wilmington.  Here  he  relapsed,  and 
after  two  weeks'  illness  died  in  November, 
1785. 

He  had  served  his  country  from  the  first 
dawn  of  the  Revolution  till  the  end  of  the 
war,  with  fidelity  and  valor,  and  his  services 
demand  the  remembrance  and  regard  of  his 
country.  One  whose  opinion  is  valuable, 
styles  him  "The  wit,  the  scholar,  and  the 
soldier." 

Drake  describes  General  Howe  as  an  officer 
of  approved  courage,  well  versed  in  military 
tactics,  a  skilful  engineer,  and  a  rigid  discipli- 
narian, and  a  man  of  cultivated  mind. 


4ff 


WHEELER^S  REmNlSCENCES. 


After  all  the  toils  of  war  and  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  fortune,  he  returns  to  his  home, 

Life's  long  vexations  passed, 

Here  to  return  and  die  at  home  at  last, 

Cornelius  Harnett,*  born  20th  April,  1723; 
died  20th  April,  1781. 

Associated  with  Robert  Howe  in  the  cause 
of  Liberty  and  Independence  was  Cornelius 
Harnett, 

Both  of  these  distinguished  men,  by  the 
proclamation  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  were  ex- 
cluded from  all  pardon  from  the  Royal  Gov- 
ernment. Although  not,  like  Howe,  a  soldier, 
it  was  not  the  fortune  of  Harnett  to  figure  in 
"feats  of  broil  and  battle,"  yet  he  did  equal 
deeds  of  daring  and  courage  in  the  great  drama 
of  life,  in  which  men  and  arms  are  only  sub- 
ordinate parts,  and  "  the  value  of  whose  ser- 
vices," says  Mr.  Davis,  "  was  only  equalled  by 
the  extent  of  his  sutierings  and  his  sacrifices." 
We  regret  that  so  little  has  been  accurately 
known  of  Mr,  Harnett  that  even  his  birthplace 
is  conjecture,  Mr.  Drake  states,  as  does  Loss- 
ing,  "  he  was  born  in  England,"  but  gives  no 
authority.  Unquestionably  there  were  two 
persons  of  the  same  name,  both  distinguished 
in  the  annals  of  ISIorth  Carolina, 

The  father,  whose  name  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  bore,  was  not  an  obscure  man,  from  the 
fact  that  he  was  the  abettor  and  friend  of 
Gov.  Burringtou  in  his  quarrel  with  Everhard, 
and  one  of  the  Governor's  councillors,  1730. 
It  may  be  inferred  that  be  was  a  man  of  dis- 
tinction in  North  Carolina  as  earl}'  as  1725. 
But,  as  will  be  seen,  he  and  Burringtou  did 
not  remain  friends  very  long. 

From  the  Rolls  Office  in  London,  in  a  dis- 
patch dated  Feb.  20th,  1732,  of  George  Bur- 
ringtou, Governor  of  the  Province  of  North 
Carolina,  to  His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Newcastle, 


one  of  His  Majesty's  principal   Secretaries  of 
State,  I  extract  the  following: 

''Mr.  Cornelias  Harnett,  another  of  the 
Council,  was  bred  a  merchant  in  Dublin  and 
settled  at  Cape  Fear  in  this  Colony.  I  was 
assured  by  a  letter  I  received  in  England  that 
Harnett  was  worth  six  thousand  pounds  ster- 
ling, which  induced  me  to  place  his  name  on 
the  list  of  persons  to  be  Councillors;  when  I 
came  to  this  country  he  was  reputed  to  be 
worth  £7,000;  but  now  he  is  known  to  have 
traded  with  other  men's  goods;  and  is  not 
worth  anything,  and  so  reduced  as  to  be  com- 
pelled to  keep  a  public  house." 

There  are  other  records  that  aid  us.  "  At 
the  General  Court,  sitting  at  Edenton,  the 
26th  March,  1726,  George  Burringtou,  the 
Governor,  was  indicted,  for  that  about  the  2d 
of  December,  1725,M-ith   Cornelius  Hurnett 

s 

of  Chowan   County,  and  others,  he  assaulted 
the  house  of  Sir  Richard  Everhard."  * 

In  the  Register's  office  in  New  Hanover 
County  I  there  is  a  record  of  a  bond  from 
Colonel  Maurice  Moore,  of  New  Hanover  Pre- 
cinct, to  Cornelius  Harnett,  "  of  the  same 
place,"  dated  30th  June,  1726,  &c. 

Since  we  know  from  the  inscription  on  the 
headstone  of  Cornelius  Harnett,  of  Cape  Fear, 
that  he  was  born  in  1723,  it  is  clear  that  the 
Cornelius  Harnett,  of  Chowan,  was  another 
person,  probably  the  father,  and  that  he  was 
not  of  English  birth,  but  of  Irish  descent. 
But  we  are  led  to  believe  that  his  son  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  and  there  was  no 
movement  from  1765  to  1780  in  the  cause  of 
independence  in  which  he  was  not  ready  and 
active;  "The  Samuel  Adams  of  North  Caro- 
lina," as  he  was  styled  by  Josiah  Quincy,  wlio- 
visited  the  South  in  1773. 

"With  Colonel  John  Ashe,  he  was  denounced 
by  Governor  Martin  in  1775,- for  the  burning 
of  Fort  Johnson,  He  was  Chairman  of  the 
Wilmington  Committee  of  Safety,  and  after 
Governor  Martin's  retreat  the  State  was  ifov- 


*Drake's  Biograpliical  Dictionary;  Lossing's   Field 
Book,  II,  582. 


*  Williamson  II,  229. 
t  Book,  page  71. 


Davis  at  Chapel  Hill,  1825, 


BRUNSWICK  COUNTY. 


47 


erned  by  a  Provincial  Council,  of  which  Har- 
nett was  chairman,  and  de  facto  the  Governor 
of  the  State,  at  a  period  when  the  affairs  of 
the  Government  demanded  the  utmost  pru- 
dence and  sagacity.  He  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Colonial  Congress  that  met  at  Hali- 
fax on  the  4th  April,  1776;  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  to  Consider  the  Usurpations  of  the 
English  King  and  Parliament.  He  presented 
resolutions  directing  the  delegates  from  North 
Carolina  in  the  Continental  Congress  to  imite 
in  declarmg  independence.  This  was  unanimously 
adopted  on  12th  April,  1776,  more  than  a 
month  before  the  celebrated  resolutions  of 
Virginia.  No  one  has  ever  heard  of  this  for- 
ward step  of  "  poor,  pensive  North  Carolina," 
while  the  act  of  Virginia  has  been  sounded  by 
every  tongue,  and  recorded  on  every  page  of 
her  history. 

Mr.  Harnett  was  of  the  Colonial  Congress 
that  met  at  Halifax  on  12th  November,  1776, 
which  formed  the  Constitution  of  the  State, 
and  with  Samuel  Ashe,  Waightstill  Avery, 
Thomas  Burke,  Richard  Caswell,  Hews,  Willie 
and  Thomas  Jones,  and  others,  was  a  commit- 
tee on  this  important  subject. 

In  1777,  1778  and  1779,  Mr.  Harnett  was  a 
member  of  the  Continental  Congress  at  Phila- 
delphia. His  letters  which  are  extant  breathe 
the  spirit  of  a  patriot,  and  prove  him  to  have 
been  a  faithful  and  devoted  public  servant.  * 
These  letters  also  reflect  much  light  on  the 
condition  of  the  country  and  the  proceedings 
of  the  Continental  Congress  during  this  event- 
ful period. 

He  returned  home  to  North  Carolina,  and 
when,  in  1781,  the  British  forces,  under  Sir 
James  Craig,  occupied  Wilmington,  he  was 
taken  prisoner  at  the  house  of  his  friend 
Colonel  Spicer. 


*  Life  and  Letters  of  Cornelius  Harnett,  compiled  by 
Gov.  Swain;  Uni.  Mag.,  Feb.,  1861. 

Notes  relative  to  Cornelius  Harnett;  by  Archibald 
McLaine  Hooper. 


From  his  delicate  health  and  bis  distin- 
guished character,  he  was  admitted  to  parole. 
He  submitted  to  the  inevitable  with  dignity 
and  philosophy.  But  broken  in  spirits,  health 
and  fortune,  he  died  in  captivity  on  his  birth- 
day, 20th  April,  1781. 

He  lies  buried  in  the  nortlieast  corner  of  the 
grave  yard  of  St.  James  Cliurch,  Wilmington, 
with  this  inscription: 

Conielius  Harnett, 
Died  20th  April,  1781. 
Aged  58. 
Slave  to  nn  sect,  he  tool?  no  private  road. 
But  looked  through  nature  up  to  nature's  God. 

A  worthy  name  of  a  worthy  community. 

He  is  described  by  his  biographer,  Mr. 
Hooper,  as  being  delicate  rather  than  stout  in 
person;  about  5  feet  9  inches  high;  hazel  eyes 
and  light  brown  hair;  small  but  symmetrical 
features,  and  graceful  figure.  Easy  in  his  man- 
ners; affable  and  courteous;  with  a  fine  taste 
for  letters,  and  a  genius  for  music,  he  was  at 
times  a  fascinating  and  always  an  agreeable 
companion. 

The  capital  of  Harnett  presents  the  honored 
name  of  Lillington. 

John  Alexander  Lillington  was  the  son  of 
Colonel  George  Lillington,  who  settled  on  the 
Island  of  Barbadoes,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Council  in  1698. 

His  grandfather.  Major  Alexander  Lilling- 
ton, emigrated  from  Barbadoes  to  the  county 
of  Albemarle,  with  his  family. 

On  the  nortb  side  of  the  tomb  of  Governor 
Henderson  Walker,  five  miles  below  Edenton,* 
is  inscribed  the  following: 

Here  lyes  ye  body  of 

George  Lillington, 

Son  of  Major  Alexander  Lillington, 

who  died  in  ye  15  year  of  his  age 

Anno  1706. 

The  oldest  public  record  in  the  State  is  a 
commission  Tssued  to  George  Durant,  Alex- 
ander Lillington,  and  others,  to  hold  the  pre- 
cinct Courts  in  Berkeley  Pi-ecinct.f 


*Lossing's  Field  Book,  II,  586. 
tDavis,  IV;  Wheeler,  I,  34. 


48 


WHEELER'S   KEMINISCENCES. 


Upon  the  departure  of  Gov.  Ludvvell  in  1C93, 
the  administrati<in  of  the  Province  devolved 
upon  hiiu  as  Deputy  Governor.*  His  gi'and- 
son,  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  was  left  early 
an  orphan,  and  when  Edward  Moseley,  who 
had  married  Ann,  daughter  of  Major  Alexan- 
der Lillington  and  the  widow  of  Gov.  Walker, 
(died  1712,)  emigrated  to  the  Cape  E'ear, 
young  Lillnigton  came  with  him,  in  1734. 
A  fine  mansion,  known  as  Lillington  Hall, 
about  40  miles  above  Wilmington,  on  the  New 
Berne  road,  is  still  standing,  and  an  engraving 
of  it  is  delineated  in  Lossing. 

When  the  notes  of  preparation  for  the  war 
with  the  mother  country  were  heard,  Lilling- 
ton responded  gladly  to  the  call. 

He  was  early  known  as  an  active  and  decided 
Whig,  and  co-operated  with  Ashe  in  opposi- 
tion to  Gov.  Ti'yon.  We  have  seen  his  letter, 
offering,  with  Ashe  and  Thomas  Llo^'d  (see 
ante,  page  40,)  to  protect  from  insult  the 
person  and  property  of  the  Governor. 

By  the  State  Congress,  which  met  on  21st 
August,  1775,  at  Hillsboro,  to  put  the  State  in 
military  order,  he  was  appointed  colonel  of 
the  Wilmington  district,  and  Caswell  for  the 
New  Berne  district.  Together,  these  gallant 
otticers,  with  their  forces,  fought  (February  27, 
1776,J  and  won  the  battle  at  Moore's  Creek 
Bridge^  over  the  Scotch  Tories,  which  has 
been  fully  described,  with  its  important  cou- 
-seiiiiences.t  The  State  deepl^^  appreciated  his 
services,  for  the  Provincial  Congress  that  met 
.at  Halifax  on  4th  of  April  following,  appointed 
him  colonel  of  the  t!th  Begiment  of  North 
Carolina  troops  on  the  Continental  establish- 
ment. He  served  under  General  Gates  at  the 
ill-fated  battle  of  Camden  August  15,  1780. 
Though  he  served  through  the  war  with  dis- 
tinguished honor,  and  was  promoted  to  rank 
of  brigadier  general,  his  military  fame  rests 
chiefly  upon  the  battle  of  Moore's  Creek. 


General  Lillington  remained  in  service  to 
the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  retired  to  his 
estate  at  Lillington  Hall,  where  he  died;  near 
his  mansion  rest  the  remains  of  General  Lil- 
lington and  his  son  John,  who  did  good  ser- 
vice in  the  whole  Revolutionary  war  as  col- 
onel. 

■"  General  Lillington,"  writes  one  of  his 
descendants  to  Lossing,*  "  was  a  man  of  Her- 
culean frame  and  strength.  He  possessed 
intellectual  powers  of  a  high  order,  undaunted 
courage  and  of  incorruptible  integrity.  He 
has  left, 

-on  the  footprints  of  Time, 


On  of  those  names  that  never  die. 

General  Lillington  was  the  grandson  of 
Major  Alexander  Lillington  who  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Council,  and  ex  officio  Governor  of 
North  Carolina,  in  1673.  His  grandmother 
was  an  Adams,  from  Massachusetts.  One  of  her 
daughters  married  Governor  Walker,  and 
afterwards  Edwani  jMosely.  Another  was 
the  wife  of  the  first  Samuel  Swann.  General 
Lillington  left  issue  at  his  death  in  1786,  one 
daughter,  who  married  her  cousin,  Sampson 
Mosel}',  and  a  son  George,  who  left  a  son, 
John  Alexander,  (who  represented  Davie 
County  in  the  Senate,  in  1848,-'50,-'52,)  who 
was  the  last  of  his  name,  a  gentleman  of  tine 
personal  appearance,  and  talents. 

Mrs.  Harden  of  Hickory,  and  Mrs.  Dr. 
Anderson,  of  Wilmington,  are  the  present 
representatives  of  the  family. — (Moore, 
Letter  of  Hon.  George  Davis.) 

The  Moores  of  Brunswick. 

It  is  now  just  about  fifty  years  ago  when  I 
first  entered  the  House  of  Commons  (as  it  was 
then  called,)  as  a  member  from  my  native 
County  of  Hertford,  and  my  attention  was 
drawn  on  the  first  day  of  the  session  to  one  of 
the  best  expressed  and  best  delivered  speeches 
that  I  ever  heard,  and  which  made  an  indeli- 


*Martin,  I,  134. 
t  See  Wheeler,  I,  ^6. 


*  Lossing,  II,  385. 


BRTJISrSWICK  COUNTY. 


49 


lile  impression  on  my  own  mind,  and  carried 
conviction  to  all  who  heard  it. 

The  simple  facts  of  the  case  were:  One 
of  the  members  from  the  Cape  Fear  country 
had  lost  or  mislaid  the  certificate  of  his  elec- 
tion; the  question  arose  in  the  minds  of 
many,  could  a  member  take  a  seat  without  the 
evidence  that  he  was  dulj'  elected  ?  Alfred 
Moore  then  arose  and  addressed  the  House. 

His  manner  of  speaking,  the  melody  of  his 
-voice,  the  polished  periods  of  his  sentences, 
commanded  the  attention  of  all,  while  his 
argument  and  reasoning  influenced  their  judg- 
ments. 

There  was  no  question  of  the  fact  that  the 
member  had  been  elected,  and  that  he  had 
lost  or  mislaid  the  certificate  of  the  sheriff 
"holding  the  election. 

Mr.  Moore  traced  the  history  of  the  mode 
of  elections,  as  had  existed  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  State,  and  also  the  mode  in 
the  Colonial  period,  that  whenever  the 
Governor  called  the  Legislature,  which  body 
was  composed  of  a  Council,  who  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  Crown  to  advise  with  the 
Governor,  and  the  House,  which  was  composed 
of  members  elected  by  the  people  from  each 
county;  he  directed  the  Clerk  of  the  Ci-OAvn  or 
the  Secretary  to  issue  writs  of  election  to  each 
sherif}",  to  call  together  the  people  and  to  elect 
such  number  of  names  as  the  county  was  enti- 
tled to  as  members,  and  when  executed  and 
the  election  made,  to  endorse  on  said  writ  the 
names  of  the  persons  elected,  and  to  transmit 
the  said  writ  to  the  Clerk  of  the  House  or 
Crown  or  Secretary,  as  the  case  might  be. 
This  returii  was  filed  and  recorded.  On  the 
day  appointed  for  the  meeting  of  the  Assem- 
bly, the  endorsement  was  read  by  him,  and 
the  persons  called  and  qualified. 

He  further  argued  the  person  elected  had  no 
right  to  the  custody  of  the  certificate,  no  more 
than  a  party  who  sues  out   a  writ.     It   was  a 


part  of  the  records  of  the  court,  and  the  party 
elected  had  no  right  to  its  possession. 

This  able  argument  was  more  effective  by 
the  ornate  and  elegant  manner  with  which  it 
was  delivered. 

No  reply  was  attempted,  and  the  member 
was  unanimously  admitted. 

This  question,  we  are  aware,  has  been  since 
decided  differently;  (Ennet's  Case,  1842,)  but 
it  was  when  party  arose  superior  to  patriot- 
ism. 

It  has  been  often  my  good  fortune  to  hear 
Clay  in  his  happiest  moods,  and  Calhoun's 
powerful  logic,  and  Webster  in  his  massive 
eloquence,  but  neither  of  these  excelled  this 
extempore  effort  of  Mr.  Moore,  whose  powers 
as  a  speaker  were  only  excelled  by  courtly 
elegance  of  manners  and  simplicity  and  mod- 
esty of  demeanor. 

Mr.  Moore  was  of  a  family  long  and  well 
known  for  their  integrity,  their  intellectual 
powers,  and  their  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
liberty  and  law. 

This  family  is  of  Irish  descent,  and  claim  to 
belong  to  the  Chiefs  O'More.  The  ancestor 
in  America  was  James,  who  came  to  Charles- 
ton and  married,  in  1665,  a  daughter  of  Gov. 
Yeamans,  who  was  Governor  of  Carolina  in 
1671. 

He  became  Governor  of  Carolina  in  1700, 
upon  the  death  of  Joseph  Blake.  He  was 
supposed  to  be  the  grandson  of  Roger  Moore, 
the  leader  of  the  Irish  rebellion  of  1641,  and 
inherited  the  rebellious  blood  of  his  sire.*  By 
his  marriage  with  Miss  Yeamans  he  had  ten 
children. 

The  eldest  son,  of  the  same  name,  was  worthy 
of  his  father.  He  acquired  military  renown 
in  his  campaigns  against  the  Indians. 

He,  in  1703,  marched  to  North  Carolina  to 


*See  Hume's  England. 
Money's  Hist,  of  Ireland. 
Drake's  Biograviliical  Diet. 
Carrol's  Collections  of  S.  C. 
Davis  at  C.  Hill,  26. 


50  WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 

subdue  the  Appalachian  Indians,  who  had  other  than  patriots,  or  to  shrinic  from  any  sac- 
done  great  mischief  and  murder  in  tliis  (the  rifice  at  tlie  call  of  their  country."  In  a  dis- 
Cape  Fear)  section,  and  he  completely  sub-  patch  from  Governor  Bm-ringtou  as  early  as 
dued  them.  February,  1735,  he  shows  his  instinctive  dread 

He  also  commanded  the  forces  sent  by  Gov.  of  such  patriotic   and  pure-hearted  men,  and 

Charles    Craven    to  succor    the    inhabitants,  thus  describes  tliem: 

whose  borders  were  ravaged  by  the  Tuscaroras        "About  twenty  men   are  settled   at  Cape 

in  1713, and  many  of  theinhabitants massacred,  Fear  from  South  Carolina.     Among  these  are- 

among  them  John  Lawson,  the  first  historian  three  brothers  of  a  noted  family,  by  the  name 

of  North  Carolina.     He  was  accompanied  by  of  Moore.     They  are  all  of  the  set  known  by 

a  strong  force,  and  completely  routed  the  sav-  the  name  of  'the  Goose  Creel-:  faction.'  These- 

ages.     A  severe  engagement  near    Snow    Hill  people  were   always  \'ery  troublesome  in  that 

in  Greene  County.*  Government,  and  will  be  so,  without   doubt^ 

He  remained  in  Xorth  Carolina  abcnit  seven  in  this.  Already  I  have  been  told  they  will 
months,  when  he  returned  home.  Until  1693  spend  a  good  deal  of  money  to  get  me  turned 
the  two  Provinces  were  together,  and  under  out.  Messengers  are  continually  going  to- 
one  Governor.  The  renown  gained  in  the  Mosely  and  his  crew,  to  and  from  them."  Such 
Indian  wars  was  well  calculated  to  render  Col.  was  the  repulsion  of  the  representative  of 
Moore  a  favorite  with  the  people.  In  1719,  royalty  to  the  advocates  of  popular  rights  and 
when  the  quarrel  between  the  people  and  the  equal  justice. 

Government  occurred,  true  to  the  instincts  of        Colonel  Maurice  Moore,  to  whom  we  have 

his  race,  he  was  with  the  people,  and  was  well  already    alluded    as     the     younger    brother 

qualified  to  be  a  leader  in  perilous  and  troubled  of    Governor    James  Moore,  the  second,  was 

times.     Robert  Johnson  was  at  this  time  the  a    soldier,    brave,    energetic    and   succesaful.- 

Royal    Governor.       The    people    proclaimed  He  had  accompanied  his  brother  in.  his  expedi- 

against  him  and  deposed  him  28th  IStovember,  tions  to  Northern  Carolina,  and  was  impressed 

1719,  and  with  this  proclamation  went  up  the  with  tlie   character  of  the  country.     He  had 

expiring  sighs  of  the  Pi-oprietory  Government,  two   years  later  commanded  a  troop  of  horse- 

and  James  Moore  was  elected   by  the  peopile  in   the  service   of  Eden,  (Governor  of  North 

Governor.     He  was  succeeded  the  same  year,  Carolina  in  1713,)  and   marched  to  the  Cape 

(1719)  by  Arthur  Middleton,  and   as  he  dis-  Fear  to  subdue  the  Indians,  who  \\-ere  fierce- 

appears  from  South  Carolina  history  it  is  prc^b-  ami  trouble.-iome  in  that  section.    As  Governor 

able  he  came  to  Cape  Fear.f  Eden   resided    in  Chov>'an,  it   is  inferred  that 

He  never  married.  His  younger  brother,  he  first  went  there.  Three  years  after  his  ex- 
Maurice,  accompanied  him  in  his  campaigns  pedition  he  vv'as  co;icerned  with  Edward 
against  the  Indians.  Mosel}-  in  sinne  ni-atters  of  importance.     He 

Such  was  the  inviting  character  of  this  sec-  is  supposed   by  Martin   to  have  settled  upon 

tion,  its  genial  soil  and  mild  climate,  that  the  Cape  Fear  about  1723.     The   dispatch  al- 

many  of  the  family  settled  on  the  Cape  Fear,  ready  quoted  of  Governor  Eurrington   shows- 

Of  these  Mr.  Davis  was  correct  when  he  said  "  that   three  brothers   liy  the   name  of  Moore 

"  they  inherited  the  rebellious  stock  of  their  were   located,  in    173-S,  on    the  Cape  Fear."" 

race;  it  was  not  in  their  luuue  or  blood  to  be  These    three  brothers   were   Colonel  Maurice 

Moore,  Roger  and  Nathaniel.     To  these  three 

*Johnson  Traditions,  230;  Davis's  Address,  12.  .      ,     "  ,  ,  ,  .     , 

tMartin  I  261.  men  is  due  the  permanent  settlement  oi  the 


BEUIs'SWICK   COUNTY.  51 

Cape    Fear.     With    these    came    others   who  ing    tlie    great    riots    at   Hillsboro,  in    1770, 

"Were  distin.t^nished  for  their  virtues  and  their  when    Judge   Henderson    fled,  Jn.lo'e  Howard 

valor,  and  were  the  germs  of  a  no!)le    colony,  u'as  driven  from  the  Ijcnch,  the  iiouse  of  Colo- 

"  They  were,"  says  Mr.  Davis,  "No  needy  ad-  uel  Fanning  burned,  and  his  person  severely 

venturers,  driven  b}' necessity  to  seek  a  preca-  chastised.     Judge  Moore  was  unnioiested. 

rions  living  in  a  wild  and  savage  country,  but  He  was  chosen  a  memlier  of  the  Provincial 

gentlemen  of  birth  and  education,  bred  to  tlij  Congress,  at   HilUboro,  in   1778,  and   of  the 

refinement  of  society,  and  bringiiigwitii  them  same  at  Halifax,  in  1776,  and  materially  aided 

ample   fortunes,  polished  manners,  and  culti-  in  forming  the  State  Constitutiiin. 

vated  minds.  He  married  Anne  Grange,  by  whom  he  had 

Colonel  Maurice  Moore,  the  founder  of  the  two  cliildren,  Alfred,  born  in  1755,  of  whom 

family,  was  the  son  of  Governor  James  Moore  v^-e  shall  write  directly,  and  Sally,  who  mar- 

and  Miss  Yeamana,  and  left  a  family  of  several  ried   General  Francis  Nash,  who  fell  at  Ger- 

children.     Among  these  were  his  eldest  son,  mantown,  1777. 

Judge  Maurice  Moore,  judge  under  the  Colo-  He  died  the  next  year,  on  the  loth  of  Janu- 

nial  Government,  a  devoted  advocate  for  pop-  ary,  1777,  at   home,  and    by  a  wonderful  coin- 

ular  rights,  and  decided   opponent   of  wrong  cidence,  at  the  sanie  time,  same   hour  iKarlv, 

and  oppression.  and   at  the  same  place  in  an  adjoining  room, 

He  was  a  lawyer^and  was  so  much  esteemed  died  his  distinguished  brother,  General  James 

that  he,  with  Richard  Henderson  and  Martin  Mooie.     He  was  the  son  of  Colonel   Maurice 

Howard,  constituted  the  judiciary  of  the  Pro-  Moore   and    Miss   Porter.     A  soldier    b}-    his 

vince.     He  was  appointed  1st  of  March,  1768,  taste,  by  education   and  profession.     He  was 

associate  justice.       .  devoted  to  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  con- 

This  was  no   empty  compliment  or  idle  ser-  sidered  the  fiirst  military  genius  of  his  duv. 

vice.     There  wcvq  five  circuits  at  remote  and  He  was  carl}'   trained  to  arms,  and   when 

almost  inaccessible  points;  through  bad  roads  Tr^-on    met   the  Regulators  at  Alamance,  in 

and  worse  accommodations,  the  judge  had  to  1771,  Moore  w;is  one  of  his  officers. 

travel  eleven  hundred  miles  to  malce  the  cir-  On  the  organization  of  the   military  forces 

cuit  of  these  courts.  of  the  St.ite,  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the 

But,  although   he  was  apiiointed   and  dis-  First  Regiment  of  North  Carolina  on  the  Con- 

eharged  judicial    duties  under  the  Crown,  he  tincntal  establishment,  by  the   State  Congress 

was  by  no  means  the  advocate  of  oppression,  that  met  at  liillsboro  'on  August  21,  1775. 

He  sympathized  with  the  Regulators  in  their  This  was  a  high  honor — to  be   preferred  to 

sufferings,  but  did  not  sanction  their  violence.  Colonel  John  Ashe  and  others  to  the  com- 

He  denounced  the  high-handed  measures  of  maijd  of  the  first  regiment  laised  l>y  the  State. 

Governor  Tryon,  in   a  series  of  I ettei's  signed  He  was  employed  in   watching  the  enemy 

"  Atticus,"  and  showed  the  character  of  the  on  the  Cape  Fear,  to  prevent  any  junction  of 

Governor  in  despicable  colors.      This  so  in-  the  forces  of  Clinton  and  Martin.    When  Cliu- 

censed    the    Governor,    that    in    a    dispatch,  ton  appeared  in  the  river,  the  clans  of  Scotland 

dated  1766,  he  recommends  "  the  removal  of  gatheied  together  to  connect  and  co-operate- 

Judge  Moore,  and  the  appointment   of   Ed-  with  the  forces  of  Clinton.     Moore  marched 

mund    Fanning."     But  he   continued   on  the  his  regiment   to    Cumberland   County  to  pre- 

bench  until  the  Revolution  closeil  tlie   courts,  vent  this,  and   give    them    battle;    but    tliey 

He  was  a  favorite    with  the  people.     i)ur-  avoided  the  offer,  only  to  meet  another  force. 


52 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


and  experience  a  disastrous  defeat  at  Moore's  Nash,his  brother-in-law,  killed  in  battle.  These 

Creek  Bridge  from  Caswell  and  LiUlogton.  calamities  left  a  helpless  family  on  his  hands, 

On  the  departure  of    G-eneral  Lee  to  the  and  he  was    forced  by  these  untoward  events 

north  from  Charleston,  March,  1776,  the  Con-  to  resign. 

■tiiiental  Congress  promoted  Moore  to  the  His  patriotism  and  his  martial  spirit,  how- 
rank  of  brigadier  general  and  commander  in  ever,  did  not  allow  him  to  be  idle  or  inactive. 
chief  of  the  Southern  Department.  He  raised  a  troop  of  volunteers,  and  so  greatly 

lie  endeavored  to  discharge  the  duties  of  annoyed  the  enemy  that   Major  Craig  (after- 

this  important  station   with  fidelity,  but  his  wards  Sir  James  Craig,  Governor-General  of 


feeble  health  sunk  under  the  duty,  and  he 
returned  home,  there  to  die. 

General  James  Moore  married  Anna  Ivey, 
by  whom  he  had  four  children,  Duncan 
Moore,  Janies  Moore,  Mrs.  Swann,  Mrs. 
'Waters. 

Judge  Alfred  Moore  (born  21st  May,  1755; 
'died  10th  October,  1810,)  was  the  son  of  Judge 
Maurice  Moore.  He  was  sent  to  Boston  to 
■acquire  his  education.  While  there  he  made 
hj  his  genial  disposition  many  friends,  and 
was  offered  a  commission  in  the  Royal  Army. 
This  was  not  accepted,  but  the  presence  of  a 
large  military-  garrison  and  the  friendship  of 
one  of  its  ottlcers,  added  to  an  inherited  taste 
for  the  profession  of  arms,  led  him  to  acquire 
accurate  knowledge  of  military  tactics,  which 
s  ion  was  to  be  calleil  into  requisition  in 
defense  of  his  native  laud.  He  returned  home, 
and  when  all  hopes  of  reconciliation  were  lost 
and  contest  commenced,  the  State  Congress 
at  Ilillsboro,  in  August,  1775,  organized  two 
regiments  for  the  Continental  establishment, 
he  was  commissioned  as  captain  in  the  First 
Regiment,  of  which  his  uncle,  James  Moore, 
was  the  colonel.  He  marched  with  his  com- 
mand to  Charle.ston  and  was  on  duty  there  at 
the  brilliant  affair  of  Fort  Moultrie,  and 
evinced  traits  of  cliaracter  that  ranked  liim 
among  the  first  captains  of  his  day. 

But  circumstances  unforeseen  and  disastrous 
crowded  heavily  upon  him.  His  father.  Judge 
Maurice  Moore,  and  his  uncle  both  died  the 
same  daj'.  His  brother  Maurice  was  killed 
by  mischance  at  Brunswick.     General  Fi'ancis 


Canada,)  when  in  possession  of  Wilmington, 
sent  troops  to  Captain  Moore's  house,  who 
plundered  everything  that  was  valuable,  and 
destroyed  the  remainder.  While  the  British 
were  at  Wilmington,  his  condition  was  de- 
plorable— without  means,  or  even  decent 
clothes,  driven  from  his  home  and  family,  his 
property  destroyed,  yet  no  murmur  of  com- 
plaint was  uttered  by  him;  no  abatement  of 
zeal. 

Dear  must  that  independence  be,  purchased 
at  such  a  terrible  price.  After  the  battle  of 
Guilford  Court-house  (15th  March,  1781,) 
Captain  Moore  with  others  did  good  service 
in  harrassing  Lord  Cornwallis  in  his  march 
from  Guilford  to  Wilmington. 

But  the  Vv'ar  was  soon  to  close.  The  Eng- 
lish were  then  on  iheir  march  to  Yorktown, 
which  proved  to  be  the  Waterloo  of  the  con- 
test. 

But  it  was  not  in  the  field,  although  he  had 
done  a  soldier's  duty  with  credit  and  gallantry, 
that  Judge  Moore's  reputation  was  won,  and 
which  preserves  his  name  to  a  grateful  pos- 
terity. The  General  Assemblj'  in  1782  elected 
him  Attorney-General  of  the  State,  when  it 
was  known  that  he  had  never  read  a  law  book. 
This  was  done  to  alleviate,  in  a  delicate  man- 
ner, his  immediate  wants,  and  as  some  slight 
acknowledgment  of  gratitude  forliis  sacrifices 
and  sufi'erings.  His  habits  of  industry  and 
acute  penetration  soon  supplied  any  deficiency. 
In  the  opinion. of  the  Supreme  Court,  in  case 
of  State  vs.  Geruigan,*  he  "  discharged  the 


*Judge  Taylor's  opinion  in  3d  Murphy  Eep.,  12. 


BRUXSWICK  COUXTY.  53 

■arduous  duties  of  the  office  for  a  series  of  years  documents,  by  aid  of  Mrs.  Harvey,  one  of  the 

in  a  manner  that  commanded  the  admiration  descendants. 

and    gratitude   of    his   contemporaries."      A  The  capital  towii  of  Brunswick  County  pre- 

clear    perspicuity   of    niind,   methodical  accu-  servos  the  name  of  Benjamin  Smith,  wlio  was 

racy  and  pertinency  of  argument,  a  pleasing,  im-  governor  of  the  State  in  1810,  and  a  sketch 

pi'essive  and  natural  eloquence,  distinguished  of  whom  may   be    found    in    the    history    of 

his  legal  etforts.     He  soon  arose  to  eminence.  Xorth  Carolina,  vol.  II,  p.  49. 

In  1798   was  called  to   the  l>ench   of  Xorth  Governor  Smith  was  at  one  time  immensely 

Carolina;  the  next  year  he  was   apipointed  by  wealthy,  having  large  possessions  on  the  Cape 

the  President  one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of  Fear  river.     His  liberal  donation  to  the  Uni- 

the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.     He  vei'sity  in  1789,  of  20,000  acres  of  land,  proves 

held  the  elevated  position  for  si.K  years,  with  his  friendship  for  learning. 

credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction   to  his  col-  His  temper,  "sadden  and  quick  in  quarrel," 

leagues  and   the  nation.     His  health  failing  involved  him  in   several   duels.     In    on^^  of 

he  resigned.     He  died  in  183  0  at  the  house  of  them,  with  a  man   by  the  name  ol'  Leonard, 

Major    VVaddell,  in   Bladen  County,  aged  55.  he  received  the  ball  of  his  adversary  in  his  hip. 

His  private  life  was  equally  as  interesting  as  which  he  carried  to  his  grave, 

his  brilliant  public  career.    His  manners  grace-  lie  died  in  Smithville  in  February,  1829, 

ful  and    winning,   threw    a   charm    over   his  entirely  penniless,  and   was  buried   the  same 

domestic    circle.      His    brilliant   wit    and  his  night  he  died   by  Major  Wilson  and  Captain 

varied  accomplishments,  his  gentle  courtesy  Frazier,  of  the  United    States    army,    under 

and  unstinted  hospitality,  has,  in  the  language  the  cover  of  the  night,  to  prevent  the  sheriff 

of  Mr.  Davis,  "  handed  his  memory  down  to  from  levj-ing  upon  the    dead    body  for  debt, 

posterity    as   a   finished    model    of   a   Xorth  which  was  allowable  in  those  days,  that  when 

Carolina  gentleman."  a  c/t.  sa.  was  levied,  once  levied  on  the  body 

Judge   Moore    married    Susan   Eagles,  and  it  could  be  kept  out  of  the  gi'ave  in  order  to 

left  four  children;  Maurice,  colonel  in  war  of  force  the  friends  to  redeem  it    by  satisfying 

1812;    Alfred,   with    whom    we   opened    this  the  claim  in  hands  of  the  sheriif.* 

sketch   of    Brunswick    County;    Anna,   who  There   are    many   other    names   connected 

married  Hugh  Waddell,  senior,  son  of  General  with   the    earlj'   history    of   this    county,    as 

Hugh  Waddell,  of  the  Kegulation  war;  Sally,  Thomas   Allen,    Archibald    McLaine,   Roger 

unmarried.  Moore,  William  Lord,  Thos.  Leonard,   Wil- 

The    best    evidence  of  the   high  apprecia-  liam  R.  Hall,  Parker  Quince,  John  Rowan, 

tion  of  the  name  and  fame  of  Judge   Alfred  and    others,    well   deserving  of  our    remem- 

Moore,   by   the  people  of  the  State,  is  at  this  brance  and  record. 

time,  1878,  there  are  two  members  of  Con-  It  is  hoped    that  some  son  of   Brunswick 

grass,  and  hundreds  of  others  in  Xorth  Caro-  will  gather  together  the  rich  materials  before 

lina,   who   proudly    bear   his   name   as   their  they  are  forever  lost,  and  present  their  lives 

patronomic,  and  who  reverence  his  memory  and    services  to   posterity.       A    recent    and 

and  virtues.  graphic  sketch  of  Gov.  Smith,  from  the  pol- 

The   genealogical  diagram   printed   in    the  ished  pen  of  President  Battle,  is  well   worth 

Appendix  will  explain   the  branches  and   de-  preserving. 

scent  of   this    distinguished  family,  and   has     

,                     -1    1      -ii                         r         1  •  ,      .     .  ^Letter  from  Wooclsides  hotel,  Smithville,  to  the 

been  compiled  with  some  care  from  historical  "Observer,"  lialeigh,  October  4, 1878. 


54 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCEXCES. 


Benjamin    Smith,  Soldier,  Statesman,   Phi- 
lanthropist. 

'Near  the  mouth  of  the  heautifnl  Cape  Fear 
river,  on  its  right  bank,  is  a  pleasant  little 
town.  It  is  fanned  by  the  delicious  sea 
breezes;  huge  live  oaks  gratefully  shade  its 
streets.  In  its  sombre  cemeteiy  repose  the 
bodies  of  many  excellent  people.  Its  liarbor 
is  good.  It  is  on  the  niain  channel  of  the 
river.  From  its  wharves  can  be  seen  not  far 
away  the  thin  white  line  of  waves  as  the}' 
break  on  the  sandy  beach.  But  the  ships  to 
and  from  its  neighbor,  Wilmington,  pay  lit- 
tle tribute  as  they  pass  and  repass.  Its  chief 
fame  is  that  it  contains  the  court-house  of  the 
county  of  Brunswick.     Its  name  is  Smithville. 

Opposite  this  good  old  town  is  a  desert 
island  composed  of  undulating  sand  hills,  with 
here  and  there  occasional  green  fiats  and 
dwarfed  pines  to  relieve  the  general  mon- 
otonj'.  It  is  exposed  to  the  full  fur}'  of  the 
Atlantic  storms.  iNew  Inlet  once  poured  a 
rapid  stream  between  the  island  and  the 
mainland.  But  daring  and  industrious  man 
seeks  to  force  by  walls  of  stone  the  impetuous 
floods  through  the  river  channel  to  the  west, 
and  thus  float  larger  ships  uji  the  river  to  the 
port  of  Wilmington.  Its  southern  end  forms 
the  dangerous  cape  which  Mr.  George  Davis 
so  eloquently  describes: 

"A  naked,  bleak  elbow  of  sand  jutting  far 
out  into  the  ocean.  Immediately  in  its  front 
are  the  Frj'ing  Pan  Shoals,  pushing  out  still 
further  twenty  miles  to  sea.  Together  they 
stand  for  warning  and  for  woe;  and  together 
they  catch  the  hmg  majestic  roll  of  the  At- 
lantic as  it  sweeps  through  a  thousand  miles 
of  grandeur  and  power,  from  the  Arctic  toward 
the  Gulf.  It  is  the  play-ground  of  billows 
and  tempests,  the  kingdom  of  silence  and 
awe,  disturbed  by  no  sound  save  the  sea-gull's 
shriek,  and  the  bi'eakers'  roar.         *         * 

*  There  it  stands,  bleak  and  threaten- 
ing and  pitiless,  as  it  stood  three  Inindred 
years  ago,  when  Greenville  and  Yv^hite  came 
nigh  unto  death  upon  its  sands.  And  there 
it  will  stand,  bleak  and  threatening  and  piti- 


less, until  the  earth  and  sea  shall  give  up  their 
dead.  And  as  its  nature,  so  its  name,  is 
*         *         *         the  Cape  of  Fear." 

The  name  of  the  sandy  reach  which  I  have' 
described,  so  desolate,  j'et  so  full  of  interest, 
is  Smith  Island. 

The  University  of  North  Carolina  has  amid 
its  group  of  buildings,  one,  in  its  shape  and 
portico  and  columns,  imitating  a  Greek  tem- 
ple. Its  basement  was  until  recently  the 
home  of  the  State  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station,  which  has  done  so  much  to  protect 
our  farmers  from  frauds,  but  now  is  the- 
laboratory  of  the  professor  of  chemistrj', 
Aljove  is  a  h)ng  and  lofty  room  containing 
the  libraiy  of  the  University. 

On  its  shelves  are  many  ancient  books  of 
great  value,  but  vacant  spaces  plead  piteous!}' 
for  new  books  in  all  the  departments  of  lit- 
erature and  science.  The  names  of  this  build- 
ing is  "Smith  Hall." 

What  member  of  the  widely-spread  family 
of  Smiths  has  thus  given  his  familiar  name  to- 
a  county  town,  an  island,  and  a  University 
Hall?  His  Clii-istian  name  w;is  Benjamin. 
He  was  an  active  oflacer  of  the  lievolutimi 
and  a  Governor  of  our  State,  and  the  flrst 
benefactor  of  the  University. 

Governor  Smith  had  many  vicissitudes  of 
fortune.  In  his  youth  he  was  aide-de-camp  of 
Washington  in  the  dangerous  but  masterly 
retreat  from  Long  Island  after  the  defeat  of 
the  American  forces.  He  behaved  with  con- 
spicuous gallantry  in  the  brilliant  action  in 
which  Moultrie  drove  the  British  from  Port 
lioyal  Island  and  checked  for  a  time  the  in- 
vasion of  South  Carolina.  A  Charleston  paper- 
of  1794  sa}'s,  "he  ga\-e  on  many  oecasiona 
such  various  proof  of  activity  and  distin- 
guished bravery  as  to  merit  the  approbation 
of  his  impartial  country."  After  the  strong 
Union  superseded  the  nerveless  Confederacy, 
when  there  was  danger  of  war  with  France 
or  England,  he  was  made  general  of  militia. 


BEUNSWICK  COUNl'Y.  55 

and  wlien   later,  on    account    of  insults   and  the  offering  of  .a  generous  heart  ami  a   wise 

injuries    of    France,  our    Goverimicnt    made  head,  which  knew  well  that  liberty  could  not 

preparations  for  active  hostilities,  the  entire  be  preserved  without  education — that  ignor- 

militia  of  Brunswick  County,  ofHcers  and  men,  ance  must  be  slaiu  or  vice  will  lie  the  ruler  of 

roused  to  enthusiasm  hj  an  address  from  him  our  laud. 

full  of  energy  and  fire,  volunteered  to  follow         Generation   after  generation  grew  up  and 

his  lead  in  the  legionary  corps  raised  for  ser-  passed    away.     Year-  after  year  j-oung  men. 

vice  against    the   enemy.     The  confidence  of  their  mental   armor  supplied  and   burnished 

his  countrymen  in  his   wisdom    and   integrity  through    his    wisdom     and    liberality,   went 

was  shown  by  their  fifteen  times  electing  him  from  the  University  walls  to  become  sources 

to  the  Senate  of  the   State.     From  this   post  of  good  influence  in    all  our   land,  from  the 

lie  was  chosen   by   the   General  Assembly  as  Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande.     The  institution 

our  Chief  E.xecutive  in  1810,  when  war  with  he  loved  so  well,  after  manj-  vicissitudes  of 

England    was    constantly    expected,   and    by  trials  aud  sufferings,  had  become  wealthy  and 

large  numbers  earnestl}"  desired.     The  charter  prosperous.     iS^earlyfive  hundred  matriculates 

of  the  University  was  granted  in   1789.     The  every  j-ear  entered  their  names  on  its  roll  to 

trustees  were  the  great  men  of  that  day — tlie  partake  <if  its  instruction.     The  revered  donor 

leaders  in  war  and  in  peace.  had  drunk  to  its  dregs  the  cup  of  bitterness. 

Of  this   band   of  eminent   men,  Benjamin  His  too  generous  disjiosition   and    misplaced 

Smith  was  a  \\'orthy  meralier.     He  is  entitled  confidence  in  others  had  dcj'rived  him  of  his 

to  the  signal  honor  of  being  the  first  benefac-  wealth.     His  once   strong  and  vigoreius  body 

tor  of  the  infant  institution,  the  leader  of  the  had  been  wasted  b^'   disease   and   racked   by 

small  corps  of  liberal  supporters  of  education  pain.     In  poverty  and  in  wi'etchedness  he  had 

in  North  Carolina.     For  that  reason  alone  his  long  since  sunk  into  his  grave  under  the  weep- 

nanie  should  be  revered  by  all  the  long  line  of  jng   moss  of  the  great   swamp  trees.     Sixty 

students  who  call  the  University-  their  Alma  years  after  his  generous  gift  the  trustees  of 

Mater — by  everyone  who  desires  the  eulight-  the  University  honored  themselves  by  bestow- 

ennient  of  our  people.  ing  his  name  on  a  beautiful  structure  devoted 

The  Trustees  met,  for  organization,  in  Fay-  to  literature  and  to  science.     The  sacrifices  of 

etteville,  on  Is^oveniber  loth,  1790,  choosing  as  the  old  hero  were  not  in  vain.     His  monument 

their  chairman  Colonel  William  Lenoir,  the  is  more  enduring  than  marble  or  brass.     Cen- 

Speaker  of  the  Senate.      General  Smith  glad-  turies  will  come  and  go.     Men's  fortunes  will 

dened  these  hearts  by  the  munificent  donation  wax  and  wane.     But  the  blessings  of  the  gift 

of  patents  for  twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  of  Benjamin  Smith  nearly   a  hundred  years 

in  Western  Tennessee.     A    large   portion    of  ago  will  never  cease,  and  his  name  will  keep 

them  was  a  gift  to  him  for  his  gallant  services  gxeen  forever. 


to* 


during   the    dark    hours  of    the   Kevolutiun.  Kemp  P.  Battle. 

They  were  the   price  of  liberty.     They  wer« 


56 


WHEELER'S   KEMINISCEXCES. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

BUNCOMBE  COUNTY. 


Buncombe  worthily  preserves  to  all  time 
the  name  of  Edward  Buncombe,  a  patriot  and 
a  soldier,  who  served  his  eountrj'  faithfully, 
and  who  gave  up  his  life  in  her  defence,  a  more 
minute  account  of  whom  is  presented  in  the 
sketch  of  the  men  of  Tyrrell  County,  of  which 
he  was  a  resident. 

There  is  perhaps  no  section  of  the  State 
more  familiar  by  name,  and  less  known  abroad. 
"  Talking  for  Buncombe "  has  become  as 
familiar  as  n  household  word,  not  only  in 
our  own  native,  but  has  pervaded  other 
countries.*  This  slang  phiiise  had  this  origin. 
Some  years  ago  the  member  in  Con- 
gress from  this  district  t  arose  to  address  the 
House  on  acpaestion  of  local  importance;  some 
of  the  members  left  the  Hall,  which  he  ob- 
serving, very  naively  said  to  those  remaining, 
that  the}'  might  go  too ;  as  he  should  speak 
for  some  time  and  was  only  "talking  for  Bun- 
combe." 

Ample  materials  for  description  of  the  lovely 
sceneiy  and  the  genial  climate,  the  fertile  soil, 
and  its  gold  giving  ore,  exist,  but  these  are 
not  germane  to  our  object;  it  is  of  the  men  of 
Buncombe  only  we  propose  to  write. 

Many  of  the  earlier  inhabitants  and  pioneers 
of  this  lovely  region  of  the  State  we  are  com- 
pelled to  pass  over.  It  were  a  pleasing  duty 
to  dwell  upon  tlie  c'lai'acter  and  services  of  the 
Alexanders;  the  Barnetts,  (the  first  men  that 
ever  piloted  a  wagon  over  the  mountains;) 
The  Beards,  Readon  and  Zebulon;  Thomas 
Case,  (who  died  in  184',1,  aged  82,"  who  lived 
longer,  easier  and  heartier,  and  loft  more  de- 
scendants than  any  man  of  his  day;")  the 
Davidsons;     the    Ediieys;    the   Lovvries;    the 


li'wins;  the  i'attons,  (especially  James,  who 
died  1845,  aged  90,  the  founder  of  the  Warm 
Springs;)  Rev.  Humphrey  Posey;  James  Mc- 
Smith,  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  State 
west  of  Blue  Ridge;  and  many  others. 

We  leave  these  for  some  son  of  Buncombe  as 
indicated  b}'  Hon.  George  Davis,  "  who  shall 
gird  up  his  loins  to  the  task,  with  unwearied 
industry  and  unflinching  devotion  to  the  honor 
of  his  dear  old  mother." 

David  Lowry  Swain,  born  4th  of  January, 
1801;  died  27th  of  August,  1868. 

Few  men  have  lived  in  l^orth  Carolina  who 
have  made  a  deeper  or  more  lasting  impres- 
sion on  her  histoiy  than  the  subject  of  our 
present  sketch. 

Without  fortune  or  thorough  education,  or 
any  personal  advantages,  but  by  his  own  in- 
trinsic merits,  his  unspotted  character  and 
sterling  virtues,  he  was  called  on  to  fill  the 
highest  offices  in  the  State. 

If  his  education  was,  from  his  limited  cir- 
cumstances, not  complete,  he  was  blessed  with 
an  unquenchable  thirst  for  knowledge,  habits 
of  unremitting  labor  that  was  never  satisfied 
until  it  exhausted  a  question,  and  a  powerful 
memory.  He  remained  a  short  time  (1821) 
at  the  University,  "but  he  did  not  need,  (as 
Johiison  says  of  Shakespeare,)  the  spectacles 
of  books  to  study  the  great  works  of  nature  or 
the  character  of  men."  He  was  a  student  all 
his  life.     Truly— 

lie  sought  rich  jewels 


*  Attache  iu  England,  by  Judge  Ilallibuvton. 

t  General  Felix  Walker  was  member  iu  the  House  of 
Representatives  from  the  Buncombe  District  from 
1817  to  1823. 


From  the  dark  caves  of  knowledge, 
To  win  his  ransom  from  from  tliose  twin  jailors  of  the 
daring  heart, 
Low  birth  and  iron  fortune 

and  so  successfully  did  he  labor,  that  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  had  no  superior  iu  the 


BUNCOMBE   COUNTY.  57 

■coiantry  iipou   the    science   of  Constitutional  licitor  of  the  Edenton  District,  and  rode  this 

law,  moral  science,  or  political  economy.*  circuit  only  once,  when  he  resigned.     In  1830 

His   ancestors    were    English.     His    father,  he  was   a   member  of  the    Board   of  Internal 

George  Swain,  was  a  native  of  Roxboro,  Mas-  Improvements,   and   was  active  in  prumotiug 

sachusetts,  (born  1763.)     He  came  South  and  the  best  interests  of  the  State.    In  the  winter 

settled   in  Georgia.     He  was  a  man  of  mark  of  this  year  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Su- 

and  influence.     He  was  a  member  of  the  con-  perior  Court  of  Law  and  Equity, 

v-ention    that    revised    the    Constitution    of  In  December,  1835,  he  was  culled  to   the 

Georgia,  and  served    in    the   Legislature  for  presidency  of  the  University.     Here  was  his 

five  years.     His  health  failing,  he  moved  to  proper  element,   and   here  he  spent  the  best 

the  health-giving  climate  of  Buncombe,  and  3'ears  of  his  life,  (till  1868.) 

was  manj- years  postmaster  at  Asheville.       He  "Xever,"  says  his  able  biographer,  Governor 

married  Mrs.  Caroline  Lowry,  svidow  of  Cap-  Vance,   "  did    a  Grecian    philosopher   gather 

tain  Lowry,  (who  had   been   killed  by  the  In-  around  him  his  disciples  with   more  pride  and 

diaus,)  and  the   daughter  of    Jesse   Lane,   of  delight    than    did    Governor    Swain.     In   the 

Wake  County,    who   was  the  grandfather   of  midst   of    his     three    or    four    hundred  'buys' 

General  Joseph  Lane,  of  Oregon,  and  Governor  who  annuall}-  surrounded  him  at  Chapel  Hill, 

Swain;  by  her  Mr.  Swain   had  seven  children,  he  was  entirely  at  home  and  happy,  and  such 

all  now  dead.  society    was    the    charm    of    his    life.      His 

Governor    Swain    was    born,   as    stated,    in  knowledge  was  encyclopedic   in  its  range,  es- 

1801,  at  Asheville.     His  earl^' education   was  pecially  in  English  literature.     So  overwhelm- 

conducted    by  Rev.  George  Xewton    and  Rev.  ing  were  liis  stores,  that  the  writer  remembers 

E.  M.  J'orter.     He  often  referred  in  gratitude  with  grateful  pleasure,  when  forgetting  alto- 

to   their  patient   labors,  and   they  were  proud  gether  the  subject  on  hand  he  wouhl  stand  up 

of  their  diligent  pupil.     His  father  was  ambi-  in  front  of  his  class,  and  in  an  outgush  of  elo- 

tious  for  him.     He  taught  his  son    early  to  quence,  poetry,  history,  anecdote  and  humor, 

choose  only  good  society,  and  to  aim  at  e.xcel-  wrap    us    fill    as    with     encliantment.      His 

lence  in  whatever  pursuit  he  followed.     After  most  remarkable  trait  of  mind  was  his  power- 

his  early  education  was  completed  he  came  (in  ful  memory,  and  the  direction    in   which  that 

1821)   to  Raleigh,  where   he  entered  the  law  faculty  was   notably  exercised,  was  in  biogra- 

office  of  Hon.  John  Louis  Taylor,  and  was  ad-  phy  and  genealogy.     In  this  particular  he  had 

mitted  to  the  bar  in  1823.  no  superior  in  America.     A  youth  coming  to 

On  the   12th  of  January  following,  he  mar-  college  needed  no  letter  of  introduction.    Not 

ried   Eleanor   White,    daughter    of    William  only  was  it  so  in  his  own  State,  but  from  the 

White,  late  Secretarj-  of  State,  and  the  grand-  most  distant  Southern  and  Southwestern  States 

daughter  of  Governor  Caswell.     He   then   re-  it  was   the  same.     Knowing   all  the  principal 

turned  to  his  mountain  home,  and  commenced  families  of  the    Southern  Atlantic  States,  he 

the  practice  of  law  with  great  success.  took  note  of  their  migrations  westward;  and 

In  lS24-'25-'26-'28   and  '29   he  was  a  mem-  when  their  sons  returned  East   for   education 

her  of  the  Legislature  from  Buncombe  County,  he  would  generally  tell    them    more  of  their 

During  this  period  (1827)  he  was  elected  So-  family  history  than  they  knew  before. 

"  Amazed  at  his  display  of  this  genealogical 

*  These  were  the  subjects  of  which  he  was  Professor  history,"  Governor  Vance  continues,  he  once 

in  ihe  University,  and  upon  which  he  delivered  lee-  r.                                        11 

tures.  asked  him,  "  Don't  you.  Governor,  know  when 


58 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCEIS'CES: 


every  man  of  iS^orth  Carolina  cut  his  eye  teeth?" 
''  Oh  no,"  said  he,  "  but  I  know  very  well 
when  you,  sir,  had  the  measles." 

"  Thus  for  a  period  of  an  ordinary  lifetime 
(33  years)  he  devoted  himself  to  the  highest 
and  noblest  service  to  his  State  and  country 
in  training  the  future  statesmen,  jurists  and 
divines  of  our  country.  Eternity  alone  can 
reveal  the  influence  wliich  he  thus  indirectly 
exerted  on  the  intelligence  and  morals  of 
society;  not  only  of  his  native  State,  but  of 
all  that  vast  region  known  as  the  South  and 
Southwest,  where  his  pupils  filled  every  pos- 
sible place  of  honor,  trust  or  profit.  He  pre- 
ferred to  tread  the  noiseless  tenor  of  his  way 
in  the  quiet  paths  of  science  and  philanthropy 
than  those  of  political  ambition.  The  plaudits 
of  statesmanship,  the  renown  of  tlie  warrior, 
had  no  charms  for  him.     He  felt  truly — 

The  warrior's  name 

Tho'  jiealed  and  chimed  on  every  tongue  of  fame, 
Sounds  less  harmonious  to  tlie  grateful  mind, 
Than  he  who  fashions  and  improves  mankind. 

"  As  an.  author,"  continues  Governor  Vance, 
"  with  all  his  stores  of  knowledge,  and  his 
great  capacities,  he  left  but  little  for  posterity 
to  judge  and  admire.  His  literary  reputation 
is  confined  to  those  who  were  his  cotempo- 
raries,  and  such  traditions  as  affection  and 
friendship  may  preserve.  Many  fragmentary 
articles  from  his  pen  and  lectures  exist;  some 
of  which  are  preserved  in  the  University 
Magazine,  relating  chiefly  to  North  Carolina 
history.  He  had  collected  a  considerable 
amount  of  historic  material,  and  it  was  ex- 
pected that  he  would  have  left  a  work  on  that 
subject  as  a  legacj^  to  his  countrymen.  His 
age,  the  troubled  times,  and  an  aversion  to 
continued  systematic  labor,  doubtless  pre- 
vented him."  '      '  ■ ' 

A  vast  number  of  rich  traditiotis  of  the  early 
times  and  the  men  of  Carolina  were  locked 
up  in  the  vast  stores  of  his  memory;  the 
key  to  which  is  buried  with  him.  Yet  he  was 
ever  forward  and  ready  to  aid  other  laborers 


in  the  historic  field.  As  Caruthers,  Wiley, 
Wheeler,  and  Hawks  could  testify'.  He  materi- 
ally aided  me  in  my  poor  efforts  in  this  re- 
spect, and  in  gratitude  to  him  I  dedicated  my 
"  Historjr  of  North  Carolina." 

At  his  suggestion  and  request,  with  a  letter 
from  Governor  Vance,  in  1863  I  visited  Eng- 
land, and  spent  all  my  time  in  the  Eolls  Of- 
fice collecting  material  from  the  original  re- 
cords as  to  the  early  history  of  North  Carolina. 

But  his  name  could  not  have  received  any 
additional    lustre    than    it    already     enjoyed. 

His  fame  will  forever  rest  upon  the  success 
with  which  he  conducted  the  University  of  the 
State.  When  he  went  to  Chapel  Hill  there 
were  not  ninety  students.  In  1860  there  were 
nearly  five  humlred.  He  determined  to  make 
its  influence  powerful,  and  he  succeeded.  It 
was  by  intuitive  perception  of  character, 
gentle  l>ut  firm  administration  of  authority, 
and  high  consideration  and  gentlemanly  treat- 
ment of  his  pupils.  In  the  classic  halls  of  the 
University  he  never  assumed  the  commanding 
and  repellant  attitude  of  a  "  Jupiter  Tonans,'-' 
but  like  the  course  of  the  Apollo,  leading  by 
graceful  manners  and  gentle  words  his  admir- 
ing votaries. 

But  the  unhappy  internecine  war  came — the 
call  for  men  and  arnjs  to  defend  the  homes 
and  hearths  of  the  South   was  heard,  and  the 
gallant  youths   of  the   University  obeyed  the- 
call.     Of  the  class  of  I860,*  everyone,  (with- 
perhaps  a  single  exception,)  entered  the  ser- 
vice, and  more  than    a   fourth  of   the    entire 
number  now  fill  a   soldier's  grave.     Every  ex- 
ertion was  used  by  Governor  Swain  to  pre- 
serve the  University.     It  was  owing  to  his  ex-- 
ertions  that    the  conscript   law,  "  that  robbed 
alike    the    cradle    and    the   grave,"  was    not 
rigidly  enforced,  and  when  the  Federal  army 
took  possession  of  Chapel  Hill  in  1865,  a  few 
students  were  still  there.     In  order  to  avert 


*  "Last  Ninety  Days  of  the  War"  hy  Cornelia  Phil- 
lips Spencer,  Mew  York,  1866,  27(i. 


BUNCOMBE  COUNTY.  59 

from  the  institution    the    fate    of   all    others  I  procured  for  him  the  desired  permit,  and 

Ij-int?  in  the  route  of  a  conquering  army,  Gov.  together  we  went  to  the  Carroll  Prison,  where 

Swain  was  appointed    by  Gov.   Vance  one  of  we  met  in   the  same   place  the  Governors  of 

the  commissioners  to  General  Sherman  to  pre-  three    sovereign    States   "in    durance   vile," 

serve  the  Capital  and  University.  Gov.  Vance,    Gov.    Brown,    of    Virginia,  and 

After  the    war   he    visited   New  York  and  Gov.  Letcher,  of  Virginia.     The  cause  of  the 

Washington  to  interest  northern  capitalists  as  visit  of  Gov.  Swain   to   Washington   at  this 

to  the  financial  condition   of  the  University,  time  (20th  May,  1865,)  was  an  invitation  from 

and  was  greatly  instrumental   in   securing  the  the  President  of  the  United   States,  Andrew 

land  scrip  donated    by   Congress    for    agricul-  Johnson,  extended    also   to   B.  F.  Moore,  and 

tural  schools.  William  Eaton,  to  consult  in  regard  to"  Recon- 

But  the  election   of  1868   adopted  the  new  struction  of  the  Union." 

Constitution,    and    destroyed    what   war    had  This  was  no  idle  compliment.     The  country 

spared.     The    doors    of    the     University    was  had  just  ended   a   long,  exhausting  ami   dcso- 

closed   by  negro  troops,  and  with  the   vener-  liating  war.     The  President,  Lincoln,  had  iieen 

able  president,  fell,  unw  ept,  without  a  crime,  murdered    by    an    assassin;    every    branch  of 

"  This  was  the  Unkindest  cut  of    all."     This  industry    was    paralyzed;     the  commerce    of 

unexpected  blow  completely    prostrated    Gov.  a     nation     destroyed,    and       confusion     and 

Swain ;  his  energies  seemed    subdued,  and    he  dismay   pervaded    every  section.      Thaf.    the 

seemed   suddenly  to   grow  old,  losing  all  his  President  should  call  from    their  homes  men 

vivacity  and  elasticity.  who   had   never  figui'ed   in   the  field   or  the 

The  able   tribute   to   the    memory    of   Gov.  forum,  but  only  known  as  pure,  honorable  and 

Swain    by    his    life-long    friend    Gov.  Vance  conscientious  men,  was  evidence  of  his  sagacity 

evinces  the  deep  affection  of  the  latter,  which  and  of  tlieir  high  character, 

has  been  so  liberally  drawn   on,  and  this  feel-  They  met  the  President  on  22d  May,  1865, 

ing  was    fully  reciprocated    by    "his   gentle,  at  his  office  in  the  Treasui-y.     Neither  of  them 

patriotic,  and  distinguished  preceptor."  personally  knew  the  President,  and  I  intro- 

In    a    letter  which  I  received    from   Gov.  duced  them.     I  tlieu  was  about  to  retire  when 

Swain  when  at  West  Point  as  one  of  the  board  the    President   requested   me   to   remain   and 

of  visitors  to  the  United  States  Military  Acad-  participate  in  the  consultation.     No  questions 

emy  at  that  place,  dated  16th  June,   1865,   he  of  more  vital  importance  to   the   South   since 

writes  thus:  the  foundation  of  the  Government  were  ever 

"  I  have  been  detained  here  much  longer  than  i^scussed.     All  of  those  who  participated  in 

I  expected;  I  cannot  leave  earlier   than   Mon-  that  conference  have  gone.     No  account   has 

day  next,  and  be  in   Washington  on  Wednes-  ever   been    published  of    their   deliberations. 

day.      I   will   be   very    anxious   to   see    Gov.  ^j,                 ■,.          .•  ..i    4.   i   ^    t      t      <.  -.u     t-  i 

\T       „      Axr;n  ;+  .  ^4- 1,'   ;                          4.      1  i.   •  1  roni  my  diary  ot  that  date  i  extract  the  tol- 

Vanee.      Will  it  :;ot  be  m  your  power  to  obtain  _        ■^          ■' 

for  me     permission     from   the   War    Depart-  lowing: 

raent  to  do  so,  in  anticipation  of  my  arrival  ? 

I  have  been  hoping  constantly  to   liear  of  his  '' S'lturtl'ii/,   20th    May,     1865. — Mr.    A.    G. 

receiving  permission    to  I'eturn  home.     Please  Allen,  editor  of  the  National  Intelliyencer,  met 

write  to    me    immediately   to  New  York.      I  me  on  the  street  and  informed   me  that   Gov. 

will  probably  have  on\y  a  day  to  spend  in  Wash-  Vance,  of  our  State,  had  been  brought  to  the 

ington,  and  during  that  day  I  must  see  Gov.  city,  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  that   I  might  do 

Vance  good  by  going  to  see  him,  and  that  Gov.  Swaiu 

"  I  remain  very  truly  yours,  was  at  the  Ehbitt  House  and  wished  to  see  me. 

"  i).  L.-  Swain."  I  went  to  the  Ebbitt  House  and  found  Got. 


60 


WHEELER'S  REMIiNTSCENCES. 


S.  and  William  Eaton,  jr.  Gov.  S.  aceompa- 
iiiecl  nie  home.  I  sent  foi-  his  liaggage,  as  he 
wishes  to  be  more  quiet  than  at  the  hotel. 
He,  with  Messrs.  Eaton  and  Moore,  are  here, 
invited  by  tlie  President  to  advise  measures  to 
restore  Korth  Carolina  to  the  [Jnion. 

"  Sundio/,  21si  M'l)/. — Gov.  S.  accompanied 
me  to  chui'c.     Di'.  J.'inckuey  preached. 

"  In  evening,  at  request  of  Gov.  S.  and  Mr. 
Moore,  I  called  on  the  Piesident  and  made 
.arrangements  for  their  meeting  at  2.  p.  m. 
.to-morrow. 

^'Moriiliy,  'I'M  May. — Gov.  Swain  engaged 
in  writing,  preparing  for  tlie  conference  with 
the  President. 

"At  2  I  we:it    with  him  and  Messrs.   Moore  ■ 
and  E;iton  to  the  President's  office  and  intro- 
duced them.  Mr.  Thomas  and  General  Mussey, 
of  Lewisbur.;-,  were  with  him. 

"After  introducing  them  I  arose   ti)  retire, 
when  the  President  again  desired  me  to  remain. 
A  conference    deeply  interesting  in  all  its  de- 
'  tails  occurred. 

"The  President  directed  his  Secretary  to 
read  a  proclamation  which  he  proposed  to 
issue,  and  an  amnesty  to  certain  classes  by 
which  Is  orth  Carolina  was  to  be  restored  to  the 
Union.  He  invited  a  frank,  free,  and  open 
discussion. 

"Mr.  Moore,  with  much  decision, earnestness, 
and  courage,  denounced  the  plan,  especially  as 
to  the  classes  wlio  were  to  be  exempted  from 
pardon.  The  plan,  he  alleged,  was  illegal,  and 
he  denied  the  power  of  the  President  to  issue 
it.  Pie  deinauded  of  him  where  in  the  C.)n- 
stitution  or  Laws  he  found  such  power.  The 
President  replied  'that  by  IV'  Art.,  4  Sec,  the 
United  States  shall  gitarantee  to  every  State 
a  Republican  form  of  Government,  &c.  ' 
'True,'  replied  Mr.  Moore,  'but  the  Presi- 
dent is  not  the  United  States.' 

"As  to  exempting  from  all  pardon,  or  requir- 
ing all  perdons  owning  a  certain  umouiit  of 
property  to  be  pardoned,  was  simply  ridicu- 
lous. You  might  as  well  s  ly  that  every  man 
who  had  bread  and  meat  enough  to  feed  his 
family  was  a  traitor,  and  must  be  pardoned.' 
Mr.  Moore  continued  in  that  same  caustic 
manner,  to  examine  other  points  of  the  pro- 
clamation, and  specially  the  appointment  of  a 
Governor  by  the  President,  averring  that  the 
President  had  no  such  power.  He  tiually  sug- 
gested to  the  President  to  meddle  as  little  as 
possible  with  the  State,  that  she  was  able  to 
take  care  of  herself  by  aid  of  her  own  citi- 
zens; that  his  plan  was  to  let  the  Legislature 
be  called,  which,  as  the  Governor  was  a  pris- 


oner, tlie  Speakers  of  the  Legislature  could 
do;  then  the  Legislature  would  authorize  the 
people  to  call  a  Convention,  who  could  repeal 
the  Secession  Ordinance  of  the  20th  of  .Nlay, 
1861,  and  thus  restore  good  correspondence 
with  the  Union,  with  the  riglitsof  the  State  un- 
impaired and  her  dignity  respected.  The 
President  listened  with  much  attention,  and 
bore  with  great  dignity  the  fiery  phillipics 
of  Mr.  Moore. 

"  Governor  Swain,  in  a  long  and  temperate 
speech,  but  with  much  earnestness,  advocaced 
the  plan  of  Mr.  Moore,  lie  detailed  circum- 
stances of  much  interest  before  unknown, 
illustrative  of  his  course,  and  that  of  Gov- 
ernoi's  Graham  and  Vance.  He  read  several 
letters  from  Governor  Graham. 

"  The  President  stated  '  that  he  appreciated 
the  able  views  and  the  frank  enunciations  of  his 
friends,  but  still  thought  that  the  Provisional 
Governor  should  be  appointed  by  the  United 
States;  that  the  Pi'esident  was  the  Executive 
Officer  of  the  United  States,  and  therefore, 
the  Governor,  he  thought,  should  be  appointed 
by  him.  He  did  not  seem  much  inclined  to 
give  any  ground.  As  it  was  then  half-past  six 
o'clock  he  adjourned  the  Conference  to  meet 
again  on  Thursday  next  at  2  p.  m.'  " 

"  Thursdai/,  2bth  May,  1865.         *         *         * 

"  At  2  o'clock  I  went  with  Governor  Swain 
to  the  President's  house,;  we  found  Messrs. 
Moore  and  Eaton,  and  also  W.  W.  Holden. 
R.  P.  Dick,  Richard  Mason,  J.  P.  H.  Rnssi 
Richardson,  Rev.  Mr.  Skinner,  l)r.  Robt.  J. 
Powell,  and  Colonel  Jones.  The  President 
laid  before  us  the  Amuestj^  Proclamation,  by 
which  he  proposed  to  restore  the  State  of 
Xorth  Carolina  to  the  Union,  a  Military  Gov- 
ernor to  be  appointed  by  the  President,  who 
should  proceed  forthwith  to  organize  the 
State  Government;  direct  the  people  to  call  a 
Convention,  appoint  Judges,  officers,  &c. 

"  The  President  further  stated  that  the 
name  of  the  person  as  Governor  was  [mrposely 
left  blank  in  the  proclamation,  and  requested 
that  we  should  select  some  name,  and  that 
whoever  we  selected  he  would  appoint.  The 
President  then  retired. 

."  Governor  Swain  stated  that  it  was  a  pre- 
ferable mode  to  him,  and  more  in  accordance 
with  the  laws  of  Xorth  Carolina,  that  the  Con- 
vention should  be  called  by  the  Legislature., 
which  could  be  summoned  by  the  Speaker  of 
the  Senate,  or  they  miglit  meet  of  their  own 
accord.  But  the  President  was  unwilling  to 
trust  that  body. 

"  Mr.  Eaton  declared  himself  opposed  to  the 


BUNCOMBE  COUXTT. 


61 


appointment  of  Governor  by  the  President; 
that  he  was  onl^Mnvited  for  advice  and  con- 
ference, and  not  for  making  ofnces,  and  that 
he  would  not  unite  in  any  recommendation  of 
any  one  for  this,  or  anj'  other  office. 

"It  was  then  proposed  to  organize  the 
meeting,  and  on  motion  of  Dr.  Powell,  Mr. 
Moore  was  called  to  the  chair. 

"  Mr.  Moore  said  he  concurred  in  the  saga- 
cious views  of  Mr.  Eaton,  and  declined  to  take 
the  chair.  He,  with  Grovernor  Swain  and 
Eaton,  retired  to  another  room." 

"  Dr.  Powell  then  moved  that  Colonel  J.  P. 
li.  Euss  be  appointed  chairman,  which  was 
carried,  and  on  motion  of  Dr.  Powell,  the 
name  of  W.  W.  Holden  was  inserted  as  Gov- 
ernor. 

"  The  President  was  then  sent-for,  who  came 
in  and  seemed  gratified  at  the  salection. 

"  The  part}^  then  dispersed. 

"  The  i-'resident  gave  Governor  Swain  and 
myself  permits  to  visit  Governor  Vance  in 
prison. 

"  Friday,  2Qih  May,  1865.  "'         *  * 

"  *  *  Governor  Swain  and  myself  rode 
to  Carrol  Prison  where  we  saw  Govei-nor 
Vance,  Governor  LetcVier,  and  Governor 
•  Brown  confined  in  the  same  place.  Governor 
Vanes  was  in  good  spirits  and  liealth. 

"  Governor  Corwin,  of  Ohio,  also  called  to 
see  Governor  Vance,  and  denounced  the  out- 
rage of  imprisoning  hi.m  without  process  of 
law  and  without  crime,  three  Governors  of 
sovereign  States  confined  together,  and  he 
promised  Vance  that  he  should  use  every  etfort 
to  get  him  out.  Which  pledge  he  nobly  re- 
deemed. 

"  He  asked  Vance,  'for  what  crime  was  he 
imprisoned  ?' 

"  Vance  replied,  '  he  did  not  know,'  'un- 
less that  Governor  Holden,  who  had  voted  for 
the  Ordinance  of  Secession  in  Couventioi),and 
had  pledged  the  last  man  and  the  last  dollar, 
and  failed  to  redeem  his  pledge,  and  now  he, 
Vance,  was  his  securit}',  and  had  to  suffer.' 

"  We  remained  with  Gov.  Vance  more  than 
an  hour,  when  we  returned  to  m^^  house. 

"As  weather  was  rainy  and  disa.greeable, 
Gov.  Swaiu  remained  within  doors,  and  we 
conversed  on  historical  matters,  andthe  stirring- 
events  of  the  last  few  days,  of  which  he  fore- 
bodes much  evil. 

"  I  read,  at  his  request,  my  diary,"  (as  above 
recorded.) 

"  He  asked  for  a  copy,  as  he  thought  it  con- 
cise and  correct,  to  send  to  Mrs.  S." 


The  memories  of  these  times  cannot  but  be 
interesting,  as  showing  the  prominent  part 
that  Gov.  Swain  bore  in  these  eventful  scenes, 
and  the  sad  condition  of  affairs.  They  have 
never  been  published. 

Gov.  Swain,  after  visiting  New  York,  re- 
turned home  with  feelings  of  depression  and 
distress. 

Hoping  to  restore  tone  to  his  mind  and  body, 
before  taking  a  final  leave  of  Chapel  Hill,  he 
was  preparing  for  a  visit  to  his  native  moun- 
tains of  Buncombe.  On  the  11th  August, 
l'?6S,  riding  in  an  open  bugg}',  his  horse  took 
fright,  ran  away,  and  threw  him  with  violence 
to  the  ground.  He  was  carried  home  in  a 
bruised  coudiiion.  No  one  thought  iiim  seri- 
ously injured;  I)ut  his  hour  had  come.  On 
27th  August  he  fainted  away,  and  without  a 
struggle  or  groan  passed  from  time  to  eter- 
nity. 

Gov.  S.  married,  12th  January,  182-1,  as 
previously  stated,  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam White,  Secretary  of  State,  (1778  to  1811 ,) 
and  granddaughter  of  Gov.  Richard  (yaswell. 
His  widow  now  resides  in  Raleigh.  A  daugh- 
ter, who  married  General  Aiken  (in  1865,)  of 
Illinois,  where  she  now  resides.  Gov.  S.'s  re- 
mains are  interred  at  Raleigh. 

We  have  now  finished,  from  authentic 
sources,  an  account  of  the  sei'vices  of  David 
L.  Swain,  of  which  his  State  may  well  be 
proud.  In  his  public  as  well  as  his  private 
character,  there  was  much  to  admire  atid  to 
love. 

As  a  statesman  and  politician  he  was  pat- 
liotic,  yet  conservative  and  cautious.  Rather 
a  believer  in  St.  Paul's  advice,  if  it  be  possi- 
ble, live  in  peace  with  all  men — almost  verg- 
ing on  the  practice  of  the  good  saint  of — 

Being  all   things  to  all  men. 

He  certainly  never  was  intolerant  or  vindic- 
tive. In  the  early  days  of  the  Republic  he 
would  have  been  a  Federalist;  in  the  log  cabin 


62 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES: 


age,  he  was  a  "Whig;  and  to  his  last  daA^s  a 
Union  man. 

As  a  Christian  he  was  the  admirer  of  piety 
and  virtue  in  any  sect.  He  would  say  "  my 
father  was  a  Presbyterian  elder  and  my  mother 
a  Methodist;  Bishop  Asbury  blessed  me  when 
a  child,  the  Presbyterians  taught  me,  and 
Humphrey  Posey,  a  Baptist,  pra^'ed  for  me.  I 
was  brought  up  to  love  all  good  Christians." 

He  was  for  years  a  conmmnicant  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  gave  largely  to  its 
support.  He  was  careful  of  money;  economi- 
cal in  his  ex}jenses,  punctual  and  iirecise,  and 
faitliful  to  his  promises;  simple  in  his  habits 
and  dress.  He  was  little  blessed  b}'  nature  in 
personal  appearance.  "  Certainly,"  saj'S  Gov- 
ernor Vance,  "  no  man  owed  less  to  adventi- 
tious aids.  His  voice  was  peculiar  and  harsh; 
in  person  he  was  exceedingly-  ill  formed  and 
uncouth;  his  knees  smote  together  in  a  most 
nnmilitarj'  manner." 

But  his  countenance  redeemed  his  pei'son, 
and  one  may  say  as  did  Hamlet  of  his  father — 

See  what  grace  was  seated  on  this  brow ! 

A  combiniitiou  and  a  form  indeed. 
Where  every  God  did  seem  to  set  liis  seal 
To  give  the  world  assurance  of  a  Man. 

A  recent  writer  (Dalton )  on  a  "Few  Hours 
at  Poplar  Mount,"  has  recorded  of  Governor 
Swain  some  appropriate  remarks  from  his  life 
long  friend;  Hon.  Weldon  N.  Edwards,  that 
should  be  more  permanently  preserved: 

"  With  Gov.  Swain  a  vast  store  of  historical 
and  other  information  was  bui-ied,  perhaps 
beyond  the  possibility  of  resurrection. 

"There  is  no  one  left  to  us  who  can  fill  his 
place. 

"He  was  wrapped  up  in  the  University,  and 
it  was  a  serious  blow  to  the  State  when  the 
practised  and  learned  faculty  was  broken  up 
bj'  political  interference  and  partisan  malice. 
It  was  a  grievous  fault  :\Jid  a  blunder  not  to 
be  tolerated  in  any  party. 

"I  have  heard  many  of  the  friends  of  Gov. 
Swain  state  that  he  became  melancholj'  and 
began  to  droop  away  on  the  termination  of 
his  duties  as  President  of  the  University,  and 
they  believed  a  broken  heart  was  as  much  the 


real  cause  of  his  death  as  the  fall  from  his  car-- 
riage.  He  felt  'the  last  link  was  broken'  that 
united  his  heart  and  hopes  to  all  earthly 
objects.  The  whole  manner  of  the  man  was 
changed. 

"His  step  was  tottering  and  slow;  his  mas- 
sive frame  was  bowed  down  in  grief.  His 
countenance,  so  wonted  to  be  lifted  up  in 
smiles  and  playful  wit,  had  already  settled 
into  the  stern  realit}'  of  the  impending  gloom- 
and  of  perpetual  silence. 

"It  was  thus  I  met  for  the  last  time  this 
distinguished  man.  He  said:  'My  friend,  since 
I  last  saw  j'ou  my  connection  with  the  Uni- 
versity has  been  brought  to  a  close;  it  was  a 
trial  I  dreaded.' 

"What  he  suffered  can  only  be  known  to  the 
Great  Searcher  of  all  human  hearts.  There  has 
never  been  a  parallel  case  of  injustice,  prejudice 
and  folly.  It  was  a  blow  aimed  at  education, 
science,  and  civilization,  and  society;  to  Gov- 
ernor Swain  it  M'as  malignant  parricide,  and 
its  baleful  effects  were  felt  throughout  the 
Commonwealth.  Col.  Venable,  tire  distin- 
guished and  learned  head  of  the  University  of 
Virginia,  when  this  8ul)ject  was,  soon  after  its 
occurrence,  discussed,  declared  that  there  was 
no  Governor  of  Virginia,  not  excepting  Pier- 
point,  who  would  exhibit  a  control  similar  to 
that  of  our  Governor  over  the  University  of 
North  Carolina." 

But  another  era  has  dawned  on  this  vener- 
able institution,  and  we  trust  that  it  will  soon 
regain  its  pristine  prosperity. 

Connected  with  Gov.  Swain  and  Professor 
Mitchell  of  the  University  was  Rev.  James 
Phillips,  D.  D.  He  was  a  native  of  England, 
born  at  Nevenden,  Essex  County,  in  1792.  His 
father  was  a  Minister  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. 

He  came  to  America  in  1818  with  an  elder 
brother,  Samuel  A.  Phillips,  and  engaged  in 
the  profession  of  teaching  at  Harlem,  where 
he  had  a  flourishing  school.  In  1826  he  was 
appointed  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Nat- 
ural Philosophy  in  the  University  of  North 
Carolina,  then  in  his  34th  year.  For  forty 
years  he  labored  to  impress  broad  and  deep 
the  elements  of  science  and  knowledge;  how 
faithfully  that  duty  was  performed  many  now 
alive  can  testify.     As   his  life  was  useful  so 


BUNCOMBE   COtTNTT. 


63 


his  death  waa  sudden  and  unexpected.  On 
the  morning  of  the  14th  of  March,  1867,  he 
set  out  to  the  chapel  to  officiate  at  morning 
prayers.  The  weather  was  tempestuous  ; 
he  ventured  forth  and  took  his  seat  behind 
the  reading  desk.  The  first  student  who  en- 
tered the  chapel  after  the  bell  commenced 
ringing  bowed  and  spoke  to  him.  The  salu- 
tation not  being  returned,  as  was  hie  wont,  the 
student  advanced  toward  him  and  saw  him 
falling  from  his  seat,  and  soon  he  was  ex- 
tended on  the  iioorin  an  apoplectic  fit.  Doctor 
Mallet  was  sent  for,  but  in  a  few  moments  life 
was  extinct.  Such  was  the  end  of  this  excel- 
lent and  useful  man.  lie  k4t  three  children: 
Rev.  Charles  Phillips,  D.  D.,  Professor  in  Uni- 
versity; Hon.  Samuel  F,  Phillips,  Solicitor 
General  of  the  United  States;  Mrs.  Cornelia 
I'hillips  Spencer. 

Hon.  Samuel  Field  Phillifis,  LL.  D.,  son  of 
Professor  James  Phillips,  a  sketch  of  whom  we 
have  just  presented,was  born  at  Harlem,  X.  Y., 
February  18, 1824.  He  was  carefully  educated, 
and  graduated  at  the  University  in  1841,  one 
of  a  distinguished  class  of  which  he  took  the 
first  honors,  and  iu  which  was  Governor  John 
W.  Ellis,  Judge  Wm.  J.  Clarke,  Professor 
Charles  Phillips,  John  F.  Hoke,  Robert 
Strange,  and  others. 

He  i  cad  law  with  Governor  Swain  and  en- 
tered the  profession  with  ni(.ist  flattering  pros- 
pects. 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Commons  from  Orange  in  18o2,  with  John 
Berry,  Senator  Josiah  Turner,  B.  A.  Durham 
and  J.  F.  Lyon — and  this  comjiliment  was 
more  appreciable,  as  the  county  had  presented 
a  formidable  majority  against  the  Whig  party, 
to  which  he  belonged.  He  was  again  elected 
in  1854,  1864,  and  1865,  at  which  latter  ses- 
sion he  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House.* 


*  He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  IbO's  and  the  lieporter  of  the  Keports  of  the 
Supreme  Court  from  1866  to  1S71. 


But  politics  was  not  his  appropriate  sphere, 
and  he  retired  from  its  exciting  arena  to  the 
more  germane  pursuits  of  his  profession.  He 
removed  to  Raleigh  and  formed  a  law  part- 
nership with  Hon.  A.  S.  Merrimon.  This  able 
firm  enjoyed  a  full  share  of  practice.  He  was 
unexpectedly  to  himself  and  others,  in  1870, 
nominated  by  the  Republican  Convention  as 
Attorney  General  of  the  State.  Hon.  Wm. 
M.  Shipp  was  elected;  this  was  the  subject  of 
no  regret  to  Mr.  Phillips,  for  it  left  him  oppor- 
tunity to  pursue  unintei'ruptedly  the  practice 
of  his  profession.  When  Judge  Settle  resigned 
on  the  Supi'eme  Court  Bench,  Mr.  Phillips 
was  tendered  and  declined  this  high  position. 
In  December,  1871.  he  was  confirmed  b}- 
the  Senate  as  Solicitor  General  of  the  United 
States,  which  position  he  now  holds,  with 
credit  to  himself  and  confidence  to  the 
country. 

Pie  married  Fanny,  the  granddaughter  of 
Governor  David  Stone,  by  whom  he  has  an 
interesting  family. 

Connected  with  the  favorite  and  laborious 
portions  of  the  life  of  Governor  Swain,  as 
President  of  the  University,  it  is  but  proper 
to  notice  Elisha  Mitchell,  D.  D.,  Professor  of 
Chemistry,  ]\Iineraliigy  and  Geology.  He  was 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  1793.  He 
graduated  at  Tale  college  in  1803,  in  the  same 
class  with  George  E.  Badger  and  Thomas  P. 
Devereux.  In  1818,  by  the  influence  of  Judge 
Gaston,  he  was  appointed  to  a  Professorship 
in  the  University  with  Professor  Olnistead, 
also  a  graduate  of  Yale. 

For  more  than  an  ordinary  lifetime,  he 
served  the  institution  with  fidelity  and  zeal, 
and  his  pupils  acknowledge  to  this  day  his 
learning  and  patience.  He  waa  not  idle  in  va- 
cations, but  extended  his  surveys  and  re- 
searches in  every  direction.  No  stream  or 
mountain,  no  coal  field,  or  g(dd,  or  other  min- 
eral mine,  escaped  his  acumen.  He  was  the 
first  to  determine  by  barometic  measurement 


64 


WHEELSR'S  REAIIKISCENCES. 


that  the  Bhicl^:  mountains  were  higher  than 
the  White  nionntains  in  ITew  Hampshire,  and 
his  name  is  borne  by  its  loftiest  summit.  A 
eontroversy  arose  betweeii  Dr.  Mitchell  and 
Mr.  Clingman,  in  regard  to  this  highest  peak, 
and  in  1857,  Dr.  Mitchell  again  visited  that 
niontitain  for  the  pui-pose  of  verifying  his 
former  measurement.  On  the  27th  June,  he 
dismissed  his  son  Charles,  who  was  his  only 
assistant,  and  requested  him  to  return  on 
Mondiiy  and  renew  this  survey;  he  said  that 
he  would  cro:i?  the  great  range  and  descend 
into  the  valley  on  the  other  side.  He  never 
was  seen  again  alive.  His  body  was  found 
below  a  pre,  i pice  in  a  pool  of  water  about  14 
feet  deep,  over  which  he  had  fallen  and  in 
which  he  had  perished. 

Following  the  imperfect  sketch  of  Governor 
Swain,  we  take  up  that  of  his  pupil  and  his 
lite  long  friend,  Zebulon  Baird  Vance. 

The  family  is  of  Irish  origin.  From  "  An 
Account  of  the  Famih/  of  Vance  in  Ireland," 
by  Wm.  Balburuie,  printed  at  Cork,  18(30,  we 
extract  the  following: 

"  The  next  of  the  family  proceeding  from 
Dougal,  is  named  William,  who  was  located 
at  Aughavid,  Bally  dug,  Tyrone.  His  will  is 
dated  19th  April,  1713.  He  left  four  sons. 
One  of  these,  David,  went  to  America,  and 
fon.ght  under  Washington.     (  P;ige  31.) 

"  I  now  return  to  the  eldest  son,  John. '  He 
married  and  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 
One  of  the<e  daughters  married  Andrew 
Jackson,  of  Mahrai'elt,  who  emigrated  to 
America,  and  there  g;i,ve  birth  to  Andrew 
Jackson,  late  President  of  the  United  States, 
of  whom  it  is  written  'that  he  v\'as  the  brav- 
est soldier,  the  wisest  statesman  that  ancient 
01'  modern  history-  has  ever  recorded.' 

"  Another  son  was  in  the  Aaiei'ican  war, 
and  was  killed  in  battle.  A  descendant  of 
his  w;is  a  meoil)er  of  Congress  from  North 
Carolina  in  1824."*     ( Page  35. ) 

Wijatever  credit  may  be  given  to  this  state- 
ment, (and  there  could  be  no  object  in  the 
writer  to  violate  the  truth,)  our  own  records 


show  that  the  grandfV.ther,  David  Vance,  was 
born  near  Winchester,  Va.,  and  came  to  North 
Carolina  before  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  first 
settled  on  the  French  Broad  river;  that  when 
Lord  Cornwallis  sent  a  strong  force  under  Colo- 
nel (or  Major)  Patrick  Ferguson,  and  endeav- 
ored to  win  by  force  of  arms  or  blandishments 
of  art  the  people  of  Western  Carolina  to  the 
Royal  cause,  that  Vance  joined  McDowell,  who 
led  the  Burke  and  Rutherford  boys  to  battle, 
and  under  the  gallant  lead  of  Cleavelaud, 
Sheliij'',  and  others,  who  attacked  Ferguson  on 
King's  Mountain,  kilted  him,  and  completel}^ 
routed  his  army.  We  shall  speak  more  of  this 
battle  when  we  retich  Cleavelaud  County;  of 
its  gallant  aciiievement  and  important  results. 
It  was  the  turning  point  of  the  Revolution, 
and  was  the  cause  of  American  success. 

At  this  time  the  whole  South  lay  prostrate 
before  the  arms  of  the  British;  Georgia  had 
surrendered,  so  had  South  Carolina.  Lord 
CornWidlis,  defeating  Gates  at  Camden,  had 
unmolested  possession  of  Charlotte.  This  bat- 
tle turned  the  tide  of  war,  for  soon  followed 
the  victory  of  Cowpens,  then  the  drawn  bat- 
tle of  Guilfoi'd,  and  the  fin.iie  at  York- 
town. 

After  the  war  was  over,  Mi".  Vance  returned 
to  his  home  on  the  French  Broad  river,  where 
he  spout  tlie  remainder  of  his  days,-  univer- 
salh^  esteemed  f;r  his  integrity  and  ability. 
Colonel  Joseph  McDowell,  of  Burke  County, 
David  Vance,  of  Buncoml)e,  and  Musentine 
Matthews,  of  Iredell  Countj',  (Speaker  that 
year  of  the  House,  1796,)  were  appointed  to 
run  the  line  between  North  Carolina  and  Ten- 
nessee.    (Moore's  History,  136.) 

He  married  a  Miss  Br;vnk,  and  left  several 
chiMren,  among  them  Dr.  Robert  B.  Vance, 
who  defeated  for  Congress  ITon.  Felix  Wal- 
ker, in  1823.*  This  singular  canvass  resulted 
in  a  tie  in  the  popular  vote,  and  was  settled 


*  This  was  Dr.  Eobert  B.  Vance. 


*For  sketch  of  Feli-t  Walker,  see  Kutherford  County. 


BUNCOMBE  CODXTT.  65 

by  ^'Otes  of  the   returning  officers   (slierift's.)  East  Tennessee.     He  improved    these  oppor- 

Ile    ran    again    for  Congress  (19th  Congress,  tiinities.    The  spark  kindled  by  the  great  Cal- 

1825-'27,)  and  was  defeated   by  Hon.  Samuel  honn    was  fanned  into  an   ardent  tiame;  and 

P.  Carson.  This  canvass  unhappil}'  terminated  as  soon   as   he  could    command   the  means  he 

in  a  duel  lietween  Carson  and  Vance,  in  which  entered  as  a  student  at  the  Iiiiiversity,  where 

the  latter  was  killed.  he  was  noted  for   the  quickness  of  his  mind 

David  A'^ance  n-iarried  Margaret  MyraBaird,  and  his  "irreprcssilile  impuilence,"  which,  like 

and  left  two  sons,  Zebulou  Baird  Vance,  and  "  the  wind,  bloweth    where  it   listeth  ;  "   all 

Eobert    Brank    Vance,    jr.;    Zebulon     Baird  yielded  a  willing  homage  to  its  irresistible  and 

Vance  was  born  in  the  county  of  Buncombe,  magic  influence. 

on  the  13th  day  of  Ma}^,  1830.     Without   the  His  humor  was  involuntary  and  spontaneous, 

restraining  hand  of  a  father  to  guide  and  cor-  He  could  no  more   repress  it  than   could  the 

rect    "the    slippery    paths   of  youth,"   he   is  sk^dark   withhold    its    liquid    lays   from    the 

reported  to  have  been   a  wild    and    waA'ward  morning  light,  or  the  mountain  stream  prexent 

boy,  so  full  of  fun  and  frolic,  that  he  tried  the  its  pelucid   current  from   bul;>liling   up  in  radi- 

verv  soul  of  his  mother  and   teachers  to  re-  ance  and  beautj-. 

strain  him.     But  in  all  his  pranks  there  was  After  leaving  college  he  studied  law  and  was 

nothing  l)nt  humor  and  no  malice.     It  was  the  admitted   to  practice  and  was  chosen  County 

simple  outgushiiig  of  volatile  and  irrepressible  Stdicitnr. 

humor;  he  was  always  able  to  make  his  peace  On  the  resignation  of  Hon.  Thos.  L.  Ciing- 

for  all  his  mis(diie'vous  capers,  in  the  hearts  of  man,  (who  was  appointed  Senator  in  Congress, 

his  superiors,  by  the  genial  kindness    of  his  vice    Asa     Biggs,    appointed     United    States 

temper,  his  fearless  and  free  disposition.     As  Judge,     ^^uy,    iS'iS,    which    apiiointment     of 

Mr.  J.  C.  Calhoun  was  spending  a   summer  in  Senator    Clingman    was    contirnied     by     the 

the  niountains  of  North  Carolina,  when   Zcb.  Legislature,  November,  1858,)  ^Ir.  Vance  was 

was  aliout  fourteen  years  old,  he  stopped  for  elected    to    Congress    ovci-    W.    W.    Avery, 

the  night  whore  Zeh.  resided.  which     position    he     hebl      until    tlie     State 

Attracted  by  the  vivacity  and  quickness  of  seceded,    (May,    18(11.)      He    then    returned' 

the  boy,  and  rather  amused  at  the  sprightliness  home  and  raised  one    of   the  largest  compan- 

of   Ins  manners,    he  invited  liim  to    take    a  ies    for   the    war   ever   raised    in    the   State, 

walk,  and  conversed  for  some  time  with   him.  of  which    he  was  elected  captain,  and  it  was 

He   so  impressed  young  Vance's  mind  by   the  incorporated    into    the    14th   Xorth    Carolina 

picture  that  he  drew  of  what  he   might  be   if  Regiment.     He  was  elected  colonel  of  the  26th 

he  would  only  cultivate   his  mind  and  apply  Regimeiit  and    attached  to  the  brigade  com- 

himself  to  stud^',   that    the    imaginative    boy  miinded  by  General  L.  O'B.  Brancli.     He  was 

resolved  to  study  in  earnest,  and  to  make  his  engaged    in    the    di.sastrous    battle     of     New 

mark  "among  those  names  which  never  die."  Berne,  and    also  in    the  seven    days'    battles 

Acting  upon   this  advice,  he   entered  Wash-  around  Richmond. 

ington    College,  Tennessee,    remaining   there  The  follo\^•ing  year  he  was  elected  Governor 

two    years,   going   thence    to  Newton  Acad-  of  the  State,  over  Colonel  William   .Johnston, 

emy;    his     funds     failing,    he    acted    for    a  of    Charlotte,   as   the    representative   of    the 

time  as   clerk   at  the   Warm   Springs.     Here  Union  party,  and  opposed  by  the  original  se- 

he  was  thi'own  in  social  contact  with  the  first  cessionists.     B}'  some  ho  was  ciiarged  with  the 

men  of  Western  Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  crime  of  deserting  his  party.     He   never  de- 


66 


WHEELER'S   KEMINISCEXCES. 


serted  the  true  interests  and  honor  of  the  State. 
In  a  letter  written  by  him  to  Governor 
Swain  in  January,  1864,  he  said: 

"Almost  every  argument  can  be  answered 
but  one — that  is  the  cries  of  our  women  and 
children  for  bread.  Of  ail  others  that  is  the 
hardest  for  a  man  to  meet. 

"But  the  historian  shall  not  say  it  was  the 
weakness  of  their  Governor,  or  that  Saul  was 
consenting  to  their  death.  As  God  liveth 
there  is  nothing  I  would  not  do  or  dare  for  a 
people  wliohave  honored  me  so  far  beyond  ray 
deserts." 

For  this  he  vi^as  willing  to  make  any  sacri- 
rtice,  even  to  death.  He  felt  as  did  the  brave 
Horatius  of  Rome. 

To  every  man  upon  this  earth 
Death  cometli  soon  or  late. 
And  how  can  man  die  better 
Than  facing  fearful  odds 
For  the  ashes  of  his  fathers, 
xVud  the  temples  of  his  Gods; 
And  for  the  tender  mother 
AVho  'landled  him  to  rest, 
And  for  the  wife  who  nurses 
His  baby  at  lier  breast. 

To  him  these  were  no  idle  words  or  empty 
professions.  During  his  whole  term  as  Gov- 
ernor this  was  fully  proved  by  acts  and  deeds. 

He,  at  the  suggestion  of  General  Martin,  pur- 
chased from  the  Clyde  a  steamship,  and  estab- 
lished a  system  of  supplies  by  carrying  cotton 
to  Europe,  and  receiving  in  return  arms  and 
necessaries  for  the  people,  that  else  must  have 
perished  for  food  and  raiment. 

If  the  troops  of  !N"orth  Carolina  were  the 
best  clothed  and  best  equipiped  men  in  the 
Southern  army,  it  was  due  to  the  sagacity  and 
energy  of  Governor  Vance. 

On  the  approach  of  Sherman's  army  the 
Governor  went  to  Statesville,  where  he  had 
some  time  previously  sent  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren ;  there  he  was  arrested  and  brought  to 
Washington  City  and  placed  in  Carroll  prison. 

There  were  many  ridiculous  statements 
made  as  to  the  capture  of  Governor  Vance, 
which  were  offensive,  and  drew  from  him  the 
following  correction: 


"  Charlotte,  ISth  October,  1868. 

"  To  Editor  of  the  New  York  World  : 

"  I  see  by  the  public  prints  that  General 
Kilpatrick  has  decorated  me  with  his  disap- 
probation before  the  people  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  informs  them,  substantially,  that  he  tamed 
me  by  capturing  me  and  riding  me  two  hun- 
dred miles  on  a  bareback  mule.  I  will  do  him 
the  justice  to  say  that  he  knew  that  was  a 
lie  wluen  he  uttered  it. 

"  I  surrendered  to  General  Schofield  at 
Greensboro,  'N.  C,  on  the  2d  May,  1865,  who 
told  me  to  go  to  my  home  and  remain  there, 
saj'ingif  he  got  any  orders  to  arrest  me  he 
would  send  there  for  me.  Accordingly,  I 
went  home  and  there  remained  until  I  was 
arrested  on  13th  May.bj'  a  detachment  of  300 
cavalry,  under  Major  Porter  of  Harrisburg, 
from  whom  I  received  nothing  but  kindness 
and  courtesy.  I  carae  in  a  buggy  to  Salisbury, 
where  we  took  the  cars. 

"  I  saw  no  mule  on  the  trip,  yet  I  thought 
I  saw  an  ass  at  the  general's  headquarters; 
this  impression  has  since  been  confirmed. 

"  The  general  remembers,  among  other  inci- 
dents of  the  war,  the  dressing  up  of  a  strum- 
pet, wlio  assisted  him  in  piiUing  down  ike  rebel- 
lion in  the  uniform  of  an  orderly,  and 
introducing  her  into  a  respectable  family  of 
ladies.  This  and  other /(2((/s  o/^er/ws  and  strat- 
egy' so  creditable  would  no  doubt  have  been 
quite  amusing,  and  far  more  true  than  the  mule 
story.    I  wonder  he  forgot  it. 

"  Respectfully  yours, 

"Z.  B.  Vance." 

How  Governor  Vance  employed  his  time 
while  in  prison  is  shown  by  the  following 
notes  received  from  him.  He  borehiscontiue- 
ment  with  all  the  patience  of  a  patriot,  and 
"  submitted  with  philosophy  to  the  inevita- 
ble." 

"  Carroll  Prison,  16  Jane,  1865. 
"  Col.  Wheeler, 

"  My  Dear  Sir:    I  desire  to   study  French 
while  in   coufinement.     I  want  a  dictionary, 
grammar,  and  OUendorf 's  method.    I  am  quite 
well,  and  see  no  hope  of  getting  out  soon. 
"  Verj'-  truly  yours, 

"Z.  B.  Vance." 

I  was,  of  course,  pleased  to  oblige  him,  and 
sent  the  books. 


BUNCOxMBE  COUNTY. 


67 


^'  July  2d,  1865. 
*■*  Cox.  J.  H.  Wheeler, 

"Dear  Sir:  Will  you  please  do  me  the 
favor  to  borrow  for  nie  the  following-  law 
books?  I  am  not  able  to  buy  them:  Black- 
stoii«,  2d  volume  only;  Greenleaf  on  Evi- 
dence; Adams  on  Equity;  Chitty's  Pleadings, 
1st  volume. 

^'  I  desire  to  refresh  my  law  studies.     I  am 
getting  on  bravely  in  JFrench. 
"  Tout  a  voiis, 

«Z.  B.  Vance." 

We  have  already  described  the  interview  of 
Governor  Swain,  at  which  Governors  Browu, 
Corwin  and  Letcher  were  present,  and  how 
cheerful  Gov.  V.  bore  his  condition. 

I  could  but  remark  how  polite  and  consid- 
erate the  officers  and  the  employees  of  the 
prison  were  to  iiim.  By  his  genial  manners 
he  had  won  their  hearts.  If  he  had  been  a 
candidate  for  any  position  in  their  gift,  he 
would  have  received  their  unanimous  vote. 

He  was  releaseA>y  the  efforts  of  Governor 
Corwin  and  others,  and  allowed  to  return  to 
his  family,  ou  parole  not  to  go  beyond  certain 
limits.  • 

In  November,  1870,  the  Legislature  so  sym- 
pathized with  his  sufferings  and  so  appreciated 
his  services,  that  he  was  elected  Senator;  but 
having  been  disfranchised  he  was  refused  by 
the  Senate,  and  in  January,  1872,  he  resigned, 
and  General  Alatt.  W.  liausoni  was  elected. 
From  1865  to  1867  North  Carolina  had  no 
members  in  either  branch  of  Congress. 

Gov.  V.  received  a  pardon  from  the  Presi- 
dent, (Andrew  Johnson,)  settled  at  Charlotte, 
and  entered  into  the  practice  of  the  law,  in 
partnership  with  that  excellent  gentleman  and 
accomplished  jurist,  C.  Dowd,  Esq.  la  enter- 
ing this  firm,  Gov.  Vance  told  his  partner  that 
"  in  every  firm  there  was  one  working  man 
and  one  gentleman,  and  that  it  must  be  under- 
stood that  he  had  to  be  the  gentleman,  as  he 
was  too  lazy  to  be'  the  other."  Admirably 
both  filled  the  assigned  role.  But  the  law  was 
not  the  natural  element  of  Gov.  V. 


In  1876,  after  a  canvas  of  unexampled  exer- 
tion and  ability  on  both  sides,  he  was  elected 
governor  by  a  majority  of  more  than  3,000 
votes  over  Judge  Settle,  now  a  judge  in  Flor- 
ida, 

He  resigned  on  being  elected  b}-  the  Legis- 
lature Senator  in  Congress  from  4th  March, 
1879,  to  3d  March,  1885,  sircceeding  Hon.  A. 
S.  Merrimon.  His  recent  speech  (19th  May, 
1879,)  on  restoration  of  the  Union,  was  a 
model  of  eloquence,  wit  and  statesmanship. 

Governor  Vance  married  on  2d  August, 
1858,  at  Morganton,  Harriet  Newell,  the  or- 
phan daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Thomas  Espy, 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  She  recentlj' 
died,  (at  Raleigh,  3d  November,  1878,)  leav- 
ing several  children.  * 

We  have  now  finished  to  this  date,  some 
slight  memories  of  the  career  of  our  Governor 
Vance. t  They  might  well  have  been  more 
elaborate  and  extended  did  our  space  and  plan 
allow.  We  have  tried  to  do  justice  to  his 
merits,  and — 

■  Nothing  exteniiate. 


Or  set  down  aught  in  malice. 
Enough  has  been  said  to  prove  the  high 
reputation  of  Governor  Vance  as  a  philan- 
thropist and  a  statesman.  As  a  popular  orator 
he  has  no  superior,  aud  but  few  equals.  His 
"  infinite  jests  and  most  excellent  fancy,"  to 
which  be  adds,  at  times,  the  most  touching 
pathos  and  brilliant  eloquence  carry  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  his  audience,  and  makes 
him  irresistible  and  triumphant  before  the 
people.  In  his  public  addresses,  as  in  the  so- 
cial circle,  he  often  illustrates  his  positions  by 
anecdote  so  pointed  and  piquant  that  the 
popular  mind  retains  with  pleasure  the  argu- 
ment, when  a  graver  mode  would  be  for- 
p-otten. 


*He  has  again  married  to  Mrs.  Marten,  of  Ken- 
tucky, uee  Steele. 

t  Much  ol  this  sketch  is  derived  from  authentic 
documents,  private  letters  and  personal  recollections. 
An  anonymous  article  from  the  papers  of  the  day,  in- 
serted, about  1868,  afforded  much  aid,  and  which  was 
freely  copied. 


m  WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES.. 

For  the  Genealogy  of  the  Vance  family,  see  the  stirrup-leather.     The  act  of  dismounting 

Appendix.  no  doubt  saved  Colonel  Vance's  life. 

His  brother,  Robert  Brank  Vance,  was  born  After   the  battle  of    Murfreesboro,  Vance 

the  24th  of  April,  1828,  and  is  the  oldest  son,  was  taken  sick  with  tj^phoid  fever,  and  sent 

and    second    child,    of    David    and    Mira    M.  home  by  General  Bragg.     In  the  mean  time 

A'ance,  of  Buncombe  County,  N.  C.  he  was  promoted    to  the  rank    of   brigadier 

His  education  was  very  limited.    His  father  general.     On   his  return  to  the    army  General 

dying  when  Robert  was  in  his  sixteenth  year,  Bragg  sent   him   back  to  North  Carolina  and 

a  great  portion  of  the   burden  of  sustaining  upper  East  Tennessee  to  organize  the  troops, 

his  mother  devolved   on  him.     On  attaining  such  as  could  be  got  up,  and  take  command  in 

his  majority  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Court  that  portion.     During  a  raid  he  made  across 

of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions,  which  office  he  the  Smok}-  mountains  into  Tennessee,  he  was 

held   for   eight  years,  and  voluntarily  retired  captured  at  Cosby  Creek,  where  the  Federals 

from  in  1856.     Mr.  Vance's  business  was  mer-  attacked   him,  and  he  riding  by  mistake  into 

chandising,  which   he  followed  until  the  war  their  ranks.     He  was   kept  in  prison  till  near 

broke  out  in  1861.    Being  Union  in  sentiment,  the    close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  paroled 

he  voted  against   secession,  but  when  the  pro-  until  exchanged. 

clamation    of  Mr.    Lincoln    was    received    at  In  1866,  he  was  elected  Grand  Master  of 

Asheville,  N.  C,  he,  in  common  with  most  of  Masons  in  North  Carolina,  which  office  he  held 

his  neighbors,  took  sides  with  the  South.    All  for  two  years. 

of  the  male  members  of  the  family,  including  In  1872,  he  was  nominated  to  a  seat  in  Con- 
his  brother  Zebulon,  and  his  three  brothers-in-  gress  from  the  Eighth  district  of  North  Caro- 
law,  (one  of  whom.  Rev.  R.  N. .Price,  was  a  lina,  and  beat  his  competitor,  W.  G.  Candler, 
traveling  Methodist  minister,)  went  into  the  a  Republican,  2,555  votes, 
army  at  once.     Robert  was  left  in  charge  of  Pie  was  re-elected  in    1874,  beating    Plato 
the  families;   but,  being  dissatisfied,  he  went  Durham,  Independent  Democrat,  4,442  votes, 
to  work  and  raised  a  company,  which  was  or-  In  1876  he  defeated  E.  R.  Hampton,  Republi- 
ganized   as   "The  Buncombe   Life    Guards."'  can,  over  8,000  majority.     In  1878,  he  was  re- 
He  was  elected  captain.     The  companies  came  elected  without  opposition  to  Congress, 
and  rendezvousedat  Asheville,  where  the  10th  At  the  time  of  this  writiiig  General  Vance 
and  the  29th  North  Carolina  Regiments  wore  has  succeeded  in  Laving  daily  mails  to  every 
organized   at    "  Camp    Patton."     Vance  was  county  town  in   his  district,  and  had  money- 
elected   colonel   of     these    forces,    receiving  order  offices  established  all  over  the  district, 
every  vote  but  one — his  own.  His  principal  speeches  in  the  House  of  Rep- 

Tiie  regiment  was  first   ordered   to  Raleigh,  resentatives  have  been  on  the  civil  rights'  hill, 

and   from  there  was  sent  to  East  Tennessee,  the  tariff,  the  internal  revenue  laws,  the  neces- 

where  it    formed    a  part   of   the  garrison  at  sity  of  fraternal  relations  between  the  North 

Cumberland  Gap,  following   E.  Kirby  Smith  and   South,  the  reinonetization  of  silver,  etc^ 

into  Kentnck3^     The  regiment  suffered   con-  which  were  acceptable  to  his  people, 

.siderably  in  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro,  Colo-  Many  times,  through  the  years  since  lay- 

nel  Vance  having  his  horse  killed  in  that  en-  men  were  admitted  into  the  councils  of  the 

gagement.  Hehad  just  gotten  off  his  horae  and  Southern  Methodist  Church,  General   Vance 

was  holding  the    bridle,    when    a   shell    ex-  has  been  elected  delegate  to  the  annual  con- 

ploded  near  b}',  a  piece  entering  the   horse  by  ferences  and  two  or  three    times  to   the  gen-  . 


BUNCOMBE  COUNTY. 


fit) 


■eral  conferences  of  said  church.  In  1876  he 
Tvas  appointed  by  the  Bishops  of  the  M.  E. 
Clinrch  South  as  one  of  the  Cape  May  com- 
mission which  settled  important  matters  be- 
tween the  Northern  and  Southern  Methodist 
Churches. 

General  Vance  has  given  many  years  of  his 
life  to  the  work  of  delivering  lectures  on 
temperance,  and  the  education  of  children  iu 
Sunday  schools. 

General  Vance  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet 
V.  AlcElroy,  daughter  of  General  John  W. 
McElroy,  of  North  Carolina.  Six  children — 
four  sons  and  two  daughters — were  born  to 
them,  four  of  wliom  are  living. 

Such  is  a  brief  but  accurate  sketch  of  Gen- 
eral Vance. 

There  are  few  public  men  in  or  out  of  Con- 
gress who  possess  that  respect  and  regard  of 
all  who  know  him,  more  than  General  Vance. 
As  a  man  he  is  true,  sincere  ai>d  frank  in  all 
the  relations  of  life.  As  a  Eepresentative  he 
isfaithful,  honest,  attentive  and  active.  His 
talents  and  success  are  duly  appreciated  in 
Cor.g'-'ess;  beicg  placed  chairman  of  the  im- 
portant Committee  on  Patents  in  the  45th 
and  46th  Congresses,  and  second  on  the  Com- 
mittee on  Coinage,  Weights  and  Measures; 
A.  H.  Stephens,  of  Georgia,  being  chairman 
in  the  present  Congress. 

As  a  friend  he  is  faithfnl,  obliging  and  sin- 
cere, and  above  all,  as  a  Christian  he  is  a  "  burn- 
ing and  shining  light,"  and  a  prominent  and 
consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Churcii. 

James  Love  Henry,  late  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  Superior  courts  of  law  and  equity,  was 
born  in  Buncombe  County,  in  1838.  He 
received  only  such  education  as  the  schools  of 
Asheville  attbrded. 

His  father,  Robert  Henry,  was  a  patriot  of 
the  Revolution,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Kings 
Mountain,  and  practiced  law  for  more  than 
sixty  years,  with  much  success. 


His  father  died  in  1862,  aged  97.  The 
maternal  grandfather  of  Judge  Henrj-,  Robert 
Love,  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  in  the 
settlement  of  Western  Carolina,  and  promi- 
nent in  the  early  history  of  this  section.  He 
figured  in  the  rise  and  fail  of  the  State  of 
Franklaud,  wliich  Governor  Sevier  attempted 
to  establish,  out  of  a  portion  of  North  Caro- 
lina, now  in  Tennessee,  ("in  1785,)  and  with 
General  Tipton  and  others,  arrested  Sevier, 
under  the  charge  of  high  treason,*  and  con- 
vej'cd  him  to  jail  at  Morganton.  Robert  Love 
is  progenitor  of  the  large  and  influential  fam- 
ily of  that  uame  which  pervades  this  and  other 
sections  of  the  west,  and  v.iio  have  occupied 
positions  of  prominence  in  every  walk  of  life. 

Judge  Henry  presided  as  judge  with  great 
acceptability,  from  1868  to  1878,  having  pre- 
viously acted  as  solicitor  for  this  (the  8th,) 
judicial  district. 

He  was  editor,  at  the  early  age  of  19,  of 
the  Asheville  Spectator,  and  served  in  the  Con- 
federate States  army  as  adjutant  of  the  1st 
North  Carolina  cavahy,  (Genei'al  Robert  Ran- 
som,) and  on  Hampton's  and  Stuart's  staff, 
and.  as  colonel  of  cavalry. 

He  now  resides  at  Asheville,  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession. 

Augustus  Summerfield  Merrimon,  lately  oue 
of  the  Senators  in  Congress  from  North  Caro- 
lina, was  born  (in  that  part  of  Buncombe 
County  since  erected  into  Transylvania,)  on 
the  15th  of  September,  1380. 

His  parents  were  Rev.  Branch  Hamline 
Merrimon  and  Mary  E.,  nee  Paxton,  whose 
father,  William  Paxton,  was  the  brother  of 
Hon.  John  Paxton,  Judge  of  the  Superior 
Courts  from  1818  to  1826,  and  wliose  mother 
(Sally,)  was  the  dangiiter  of  General  Charles 
McDowell. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest  of 
a  family  of  ten  ciiildren — seven  sous  and  three 
daughters. 


*See  Wheeler's  History  of  North  Carolina,  vol.  I,  97. 


70 


WHEELER'S  EEMlNISCElsTCEg. 


The  early  education  of  Mr.  Merrinion  was 
as  good  as  the  circumstances  of  his  father 
would  allow.  At  the  period  when  youths  of 
his  age  were  at  college,  he  aided  his  father  in 
working  the  farm  to  support  the  family,  for  in 
those  days  Methodist  ministers  were  not  op- 
pressed with  this  world's  goods.  Yet  the  nn- 
concjuerable  thirst  for  knowledge  so  possessed 
young  Merrinion  that  he  embraced  evevy  op- 
portunity for  acquiring  it.  Often  when  at 
work  on  the  farm,  during  the  hour  of  rest  for 
dinner,  he  would  be  found  cjuietly  ensconced 
in  some  shadj' place  conning  over  Ids  books. 
One  of  the  appendages  to  liis  father's  place 
was  a  saw-mill,  which  it  was  his  duty  to  at- 
tend, and  while  the  saw  was  at  work  in  cut- 
ting the  logs  into  plank,  he  would  have  liis 
granjmar  or  some  other  book,  and  improve 
everj'  moment  in  study.  His  father  appreciat- 
ing this  thirst  for  knowledge,  sent  him  to  a 
school  in  Asheville,  then  under  the  charge  of 
Mr.  ISTorwood.  Such  was  his  application  and 
progress,  that  within  the  first  session  Mr.  Nor- 
wood pronounced  him  "the  i.iest  English  gram- 
marian that  he  ever  knew." 

t[e  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  be  sent  to 
college  to  complete  his  classical  studies,  but 
the  res  avgusii  Jomi  forbid.  He  commenced 
the  stud}'  of  the  law  in  the  office  of  John  W- 
Woodfiu,in  whose  office  at  the  same  time  was 
Zebnlon  B.  Vance,  both  destined  to  occupy 
high  positions  of  honor  in  their  county  and 
State,  and  often  rivals  in  political  contests. 
Such  was  his  proficiencj'  in  his  legal  studies, 
with  sncli  inadequate  preparation,  that  in  Jan- 
uary, 1852,  lie  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
Courts,  and  in  1858  in  the  Superior  and  Su- 
preme Courts  of  the  State. 

By  his  close  attention  to  business,  his  care- 
ful preparation  aud  management  of  his  eases, 
he  soon  made  his  mark.  He  was  appointed 
Solicitor  to  several  counties  in  his  circuit,  and 
by  the  Judge,  Solicitor  for  the  District  in  1861. 
In  1860  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislatuie  as  a 


member  from  Buncombe,  by  a  few  votes  over' 
Col,  David  Coleman. 

On  the   breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  took- 
a  decided  stand  for  the  Union. 

In  tlie  excited  state  of  public  feeling  at 
this  time  of  frenzy,  such  a  step  demanded  not 
only  moral,  but  physical  courage.  Mr.  Merii- 
mou's  position  was  rudely  assailed.  Angry 
cards  passed  between  him  and  Nicholas  W. 
Woodfin,  and  a  personal  collision  was  immi- 
nent. On  tliese  occasiims,  he  bore  himself  with 
■  dignity  and  courage.  Though  not  over  fond  of 
arms,  he  felt — 

-Rightly  to  lie  greatr 


Is  not  to  stir  without  great  argument. 
But  greatly  to  find  quan'el  in  a  straw 
When  lienor  's  at  the  stake. 

But  in  the  issuing  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  procla- 
mation, calling  for  75,000  men  settled  his 
course,  and  he  entered  in  Z.  B.  Vance's  com- 
pany as  a  private,  and- marched  to  Raleigh. 
He  was  attached  to  the  Commissarj'  Depart- 
ment as  captain  for  a  short  time,  on  duty  at 
HatteraS;  Ocrocock,  Raleigh  and  Weldon.  On 
the  call  of  Governoi-  Ellis,  the  Legislature  re- 
assembled, and  he  had  to  attenck' 

In  the  fall  of  1861,  he  was  appointed  by 
Judge  French,  Solicitor  of  the  Eighth  Circuit, 
and  rhe  next  year  was  elected  to  that  pisitiou 
by  the  Legislature.  Just  at  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  a  candidate  as  delegate  to  the 
State  Convention  called  under  the  reconstruc- 
tion acts  of  President  Johnsim,  and  was  de- 
feated by  Rev.  L.  Z.  Stewart,  a  Presbyterian 
clergj'iuan,  the  Republican  candidate.'  This 
contest  was  remarkable,  as  it  was  conducted  in 
the  presence  of  the  United  States  troops  and 
baj'oncts. 

By  the  next  Legislature  he  was  elected  Solic- 
itor of  the  Eighth  Judicial  Circuit.  The  office 
of  Solicitor  was  no  soft  place  at  this  time,  but 
one  of  imminent  peril.  The  Democrats  and 
"Mossy  Backs"  were  in  daily  collision;  affrays, 
riots,  robberies,  and  murders  were  dail^'  occur- 
rences; deserters  had  to  be  arrested,  and  the 


BUNCOMBE  COUNTY.  71 

place  purified.     So  satisfactoi')-  and  firm   were  all    that   is  just   and   lawful    to   establish    the 

his  efibrls   as    Solieitor,    Mr.    .Merrinion    -won  I'lght- 

,■   .,       T    1          i,                 1     J-  ^1  •'' I  am  Vdurs  trnlv, 

the  respect  01   the  Judges,  the  regard  ot  the  ^      ^  \    >^"  MERriMON  " 

bar,  and  the  esteem  of  the  people. 

In   1866,  he   was   elected   a   Judge   of  tlie  The  executive  committee  "  died  and  gave  no 

Superior  Courts  by  the  Legislature.     Here  his  sign;"  the  conservative  character  of  thepeop'e 

services  were  eciually  acceptable.  preferred  to  \'s-ait  for  that  success  which  they 

He    held   the   first    regular   Courts  on    this  believed  awaited  them,  and   endure  for  a  sea- 

Circuit  alter  the  war  under  eireumstances  of  son  some  inconvenience  and  even  injustice, 

great  peril,  so   that  in    most   of  the  counties,  In     Deceniber    following.  Judge    ^lerrimon 

a  police  force  had  to  be  organized   umler  the  was  elected  Senator  in    Congress  for  the  term 

sheriff  to  preserve  the  place,  and  protect  the  of  six  years,  from  -1th  March,  1873. 

Court.     While    in   the    faithful    discharge  of  It  is  due  to  the  integrity  of  history  to  say 

his    duty    the     couimanding    general    of    the  this  election  produced  much  i_-.\citement,  inas- 

Hnited  States  foices,  (Canby.)  issued  military  much  as  it  was  effected  by  the  defeat  of  Gov. 

ordei's  tu  the  C<jurts,  with  instrnctions  to  the  ernor  Vance,  who  \vas   the   Democratic  noni- 

Judges  to  observe  and  administer  them.    This  inee. 

gross    military    usurpation     was    resisted     by  This,    Judge     Merrimon     contended,    was 

Judge     Meri'imon,    who,   seeing    the     Courts  brought    aliout    by  Governor    Vance  and   his 

could  not  be  held  accoiding  to  law,  and   his  friends  tampering  with  the  caucus — pledging 

oath    of   office,   resigned    his    commission    as  and  [lacking  it.     Several  Democrats  refused  to 

Judye.  go  into  the  caucus  uidess  Governor  Vance  and 

In  1872,  the  convention  at  Greensboro  noni-  Judge  Merrimon   would  botli  withdraw  their 

inatcd    him    for    Governor    against   Todd  li.  nanu'S.      This    Judge    Merrim  ui    was  willing 

Cah.lwell.  to  do,  for  the  sake  of  harmony,  but  Governor 

The  universal  opinion  of  the  Democrats  was  "N'ance,    insisting    that     he    duly    nominated, 

that  Judge  Men imon  was  fairly  elected.    The  declined   to   withdraw.       The    I'alloting  then 

returns    were:    Caldwell,   98,630;    Merrimon,  commenccil,   and    continued    for    two   weeks 

96,731;  reported  majority  for  Caldwell,  1,899.  without   any    choice.      Both    then  withdrew. 

lie  was  im[iortuned  by  the  press   and   liosts  After\\'ards,  the  name  of  Governor  Vance  was 

of  fi'iends  to  contest  this  result.     In  a  letter  to  again  lir(night  forward  by  some  members  who 

S.  A.  Ashe,  Estj.,  of  12th    September,  1872,  had  voted  for  Judge  Merrimon,  and  on  the  first 

Judge  Merrimon  says:  ballot  Judge   Merrimon  v>'as  elected.     He  re- 

"  I  am  satisfied   l;y   a   variety   of  facts  that  ceived  the  entire  Republican  vote    (72  votes,) 

have    come     to     knowledge    that    enormous  and    15    conservative    votes,    the    remaining 

frauds  were  pei'petTated  at   the   election,  and  ^^^,ty    conservatives    votiui-     for     Governor 

great  number  ot  illegal  votes  were  cast  against  „              ,„,                     ,         ,. ',.          ,.            .^ 

me  and  the   other   candidates  on   the  Demo-  ^^'^^^-      Ihere  was  a  deep  feeling   of    mortifi- 

cratic    ticket.       I    sincerely    believe   tliat  we  cation  in  se\'eral  sections  of  the  State;  not  so 

received  a  majority  of  Uie  lawful  votes.  much  because  Judge  Merrimou  was  elected, 

"  It  it  so  turns  out,  by  the  examination  now  ,     ,    ,  ^,                       -         i-  i     n-             n. 

being  made  through  the  executive  committee,  '^"^  '^^  *^^  ^'''^""'^'  ^"  '^'"'^'^   ^'"'   '""''''^  '' ^'^- 

that  .substantial  ground  for  cjntesting  can   be  brought  about. 

established     I  will    cont^l^st  the   electn,n,  and  ^y^    ^„^,,.  „„   ^^^^^    ^^    ^,^1,   question.       AVe 
vindicate  tne  iiglits  of  tlie  people. 

"  I  will  not  do  ail)  thing  rashly,  or  to  gratify  have  shown  the  appreciation  m  which  we  esti- 

party  spiirit,  or  political  revenge,  but   will  do  mate  both  of  these  distinguished  men,  and  we 


72 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


believe  that  either  would  do  honor  to  the 
State  and  defend  to  "  the  last  gasp  of  lo^^alty," 
her  character  and  her  interest.  Many  politi- 
cians will  doubtless  say,  like  Pope, 

How  liappy  woiild  •we  be  with  either, 
Were  the  other  clear  charmer  away. 

Gf  Judge  Merrimon's  career  in  the  Senate  it 
is  not  necessary  to  speak.  It  has  given  him  a 
uational  reputation  for  integrity  of  purpose, 
for  unsullied  patriotism,  and  extensive  acquire- 
ments. We  may  read  its  "  lEstory  in  a  nation 's 
eyes."  To  the  interests  of  his  constituents 
he  has  ever  manifested  vigilance  and  cantion. 
No  one  has  ever  aiiplied  to  him  for  his  kind 
othces  -that  failed  to  receive  prompt  and 
efficient  attention.  Always  at  his  post, 
vigilant  in  observation,  he  has  proved  himself 
a  faithful  sentinel  of  the  rights  of  the  State, 
■  of  individuals,  and  the  Nation. 

That  he  deserves  high  reputation,  is  not 
questioned. 

He  must  have  intrinsic  .merit  who.,  in  spite 
of  the  disadvantages  of  a  defective  education, 
has  become  the  peer  of  the  proudest  of  our 
laiid,  and  raised  himself  from  the  labojs  of 
a  saw  Tnill  to  the  liouorsof  a  Senate  cnamber. 

He  was  succeeded  hy  Governor  Vance, 
March,  1879. 

Judge  Alerrimon  married  on  14th  Septem- 
ber, 1852,  Margaret  J.  Baird,  by  whom  he  has 
an  interesting  family. 

Thomas  Lanier  Clingman  resides  at  Ashe- 
ville,  lu  this  county. 

He  was  born  in  the  county  of  Yadkeu,  then 
Surry  Couny.  July  27,  1812,  the  son  of  Jacob 
Clingman  and  Jane  Poindexter,*  and  named 
for  Dr.  Thomas  Lanier,  bis  half  uncle. 


*Alexander  Clingman,  the  grandfather  of  General 
Cliiigiaan,  came  to  America  from  (iermaDy  before  the 
Kevoliition.  The  name  signifies,  in  German,  a  swords- 
man and  a  fighter.  He  was  a  soldier  in  many  battles 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  a  prisoner  taken  at 
Charleston  at  Lincoln's  surrender.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Kaiser  and  had  several  children,  among 
them  was  Jacob,  who  left  four  children,  Thomas, 
John  Patillo,  Elizabeth,  who  married  Richard 
Puryear,  and  Alexander.  Tlie  father  of  the 
mother  of  Gen  1  Clingman  was  of  the  Poindexters  of 


His  early  editcation  was  conducted  bj'  pri- 
vate instructors.  He  joined  the  sophomore 
class  at  the  University,  and  graduated  in  1832, 
with  a  class  distinguished  in  after  life  for 
usefulness  and  talents.  Judge  Thomas  S. 
Ashe,  now  of  the  Supreme  Court;  James  C, 
Dobbin,  Secretaiy  of  the  Navy,  1853-'57;  John 
II.  Haughton,  Cad.  Jones,  and  others,  were  of 
the  same  class. 

In  a  diary  kept  by  Grovernor  Swain  at  that 
date,  I  found  the  following: 

"June,  1832.  The  graduating  class  acquitted 
themselves  with  much  credit,  especially  j'oung 
Clingman,  of  Surry  County.,  who,  if  he  lives, 
will  be  an  ornament  to  the  State." 

.Mr..  Clingman  entered  upon  the  study  of  the 
law  with  great  energy,  and  was  about  to  enter 
upon  the  practice  when  he,  in  1835.,  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Surry 
County,  which  was  a  field  more  germane  to 
his  tastes,  where  he  took  a  decided  position. 

After  this  service  was  accomplished  he  re- 
moved to  Buncombe  County,  where  he  still 
resides.  He  acquired  much  reputation  for 
boldness  and  ability  as  a  speaker,  especially  in  a 
debate  with  Colonel  Memininger, at  Columbia, 
S.  C,  in  which  Colonel  Memininger  found 
liimself  overmatched.  Mr.  Clingman,  in  181:0, 
was  elected  by  a  large  majority  to  the  Senate 
of  the  State  Legislature  from  Buucombe 
County. 

This  was  an  exciting  epoch  in  political  his- 
tory, and  parties  (Democratic  and  Whig) 
waged  a  fierce  and  ferocious  warfare.     In  the 


Virginia.  Her  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Henry 
Patillo,  of  Grandville ;  her  first  liusband  was  Kobert 
Lanier,  whose  sister  was  the  mother  of  Hon.  Lewis 
Williams,  i'oindexter  is  a  Norman  name,  signifying 
spur  horse,  tie,  Alexander,  was  one  of  the  three  prom- 
inent Whigs  or  Regulators  who  were  compelled  by 
Tryou  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  every  six  mouths, 
at  Court. 

Jane,  Clingman's  mother,  nee  Poindexter,  was  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Patillo,  who  was  a  prominent  Whig 
in  the  Revolution. 

Rev.  Mr.  Patillo  was  a  Presbyterian  mini.-ter,  who 
did  good  service  and  whose  sermons  have  been  pub- 
lished in  a  volume.  Two  of  the  sons  of  Mr.  PatUlo 
married  the  sisters  of  Robert  Goodloe  Harper. 


^HN'COMBE   COUNTY. 


73 


Xegislature  or  on  the  stump,  Mr.  Clingman  led 
the  cohorts  of  the  Whites,  and  like  Henry  nf 
Navarre,  his  white  plume  was  seen  proudly- 
floating  in  the  van  of  every  contest.  Such 
was  his  abilit}'  and  eloquence  that  he  wtts 
elected  a  member  of  the  28th  Congress  :(1843-, 
1845,)over  that  veteran  politician  Hon.  James 
Graham.  He  was  elected  to  the  30th  Con- 
gress, 1847-'49,  and  successively  to  1857-'59, 
when  (in  May,  1858,)  he  succeeded  Hon.  Asa 
Biggs,  as  Senator  in  Congress,  in  which  ele- 
vated position  he  continued  until  1861,  when 
tlie  State  seceded  from  the  Union. 

To  attempt  to  detail  all  the  events  in  the 
political  career  of  Mr.  Clingman,  and  the 
prominent  parts  filled  by  him,  would  far  ex- 
ceed the  limits  of  our  work.  His  political 
histor}'  is  so  interwoven  with  that  of  the  Na- 
tion, that  an  accurate  sketch  of  the  one  would 
be  a  record  of  the  other.  In  his  long  and  va- 
a'ied  career  there  were  few  questions  that  he 
did  not  examiae  and  exhaust.  So  acceptable 
were  his  views  that  he  was,  during  his  last 
year's  service  in  the  House,  the  chairman  of 
one  of  its  most  important  committees  (For- 
eign Affairs.) 

His  early  career  was  in  unison  with  Mr. 
Clay,  (with  whoni  he  was  personally  a  great 
favorite,)  and  the  Whig  party;  but  he  never 
allowed  the  shackles  of  party  co  bind  him  to 
any  cause  in  his  opinion  inimical  to  the  true 
interests  of  the  State  or  the  people.  When 
his  convictions  of  right  were  settled,  he  fol- 
lowed where  they  led  regardless  of  conse- 
quences, political  or  personal.  He  became 
convinced  that  the  Whig  party  had  become 
thoroughly  denationalized,  and  that  the  only 
national  party  with  which  Southern  patriots 
<;ould  consistently  act,  with  any  hope  of  good, 
was  the  Democratic  party.  His  exertions  and 
influence  were  used  in  promoting  the  election 
of  Governor  Reid,  and  of  General  Pierce.  He 
has  for  years  been  an  ab'e,  decided  and  con- 
sistent Democrat. 


On  retiring  from  the  Senate  with  his  distin- 
guished colleague.  Governor  Thomas  Bragg, 
he  felt  his  duty  called  him  to  the  field,  and  by 
his  efforts  to  defend  his  native  soil.  He 
joined  the  Confederate  army  and  attained  the 
rank  of  brigadier  general.  He  was  in  man3- 
engagement  in  which  he  conducted  his  com- 
mand with  military  skill  and  undaunted 
bravery. 

He  was  distinguished  for  his  defence  of 
Goldsboro,  (17th  December,  1862,)  which  he 
saved  from  a  superior  force  under  Foster, 
whose  retreat  was  so  precipitate  that  he  left 
much  of  his  materials,  as  blankets,  muskets, 
and  •even  horses. 

General  Clingman"'s  brigade  consisted  of  the 

8th  Regiment,  Colonel  Shaw. 

31st  Regiment,  Colonel  Jordan. 

51st  Regiment,  Colonel  McKethan. 

61st  Regiment,  Colonel  Radclitte. 

In  July,  1863,  he  took  command  at  Sulli- 
van's Island,  which  exposed  position  he  held 
until  December  following,  during  the  most  ac- 
tive part  of  the  seige  of  Charleston.  He  was 
then  ordered  to  Virginia,  and  in  the  attack  on 
New  Berne,  February,  1864,  led  the  advance 
force  of  General  Pickett's  army,  in  which  he 
was  wounded  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell.  On 
the  16th  May  following,  in  the  battle  of 
Drury's  Bluff,  he  was  ordered  with  General 
Corse  to  attack  General  Butler.  This  was  done 
with  such  spirit  that  the  lines  of  Butler  were 
broken,  and  he  retreated  rapidly  to  Bermuda 
Hundreds,  where  he  was,  to  use  General 
Grant's  expression,  "  bottled  uj3." 

He  was  then  ordered  to  Cold  Harbor,  and 
on  31st  May,  met  the  advance  of  General 
Grant's  army,  and  a  severe  engagement  oc- 
curred. The  next  evening  (1st  June)  one  of 
the  severest  engagements  of  the  war  occurred, 
in  which  General  Clingman's  command  re- 
ceived heavy  loss,  in  rank  and  file,  from  its 
exposed  position.  Every  stafl"  officer,  as  well 
as  himself,  was   wounded.     One-third  of  the 


74 


WHEELER'S  KE'MINISCEKCES. 


command  fell  on  the  field,  including  Colonel 
Murcliison  and  Major  Hendereon,  of  the  8th 
Regiment.  They  lield  the  position  and  saved 
the  day. 

On  the  lOth  of  June  following,  General 
Clingman  rejanlsed  an  attack  on  the  lines  of 
Petersharg,and  on  the  evening  following,  held 
his  position  against  the  attack  of  two  army 
corps  (the  9th  and  18th)  commanded  by  Gen- 
erals Burnside  and  Smith,  numbering  in  the 
aggregate  43,000  men.  Thr<;e  brigades  on  his 
right  gave  way  early  in  the  engagement,  but 
he  held  his  position  until  11  o'clock,  p.  m., 
when  the  engagemtnt  ceased — and  Petersburg- 
was  saved. 

On  the  19th  of  August,  following,  an  attack 
was  made  on  the  enemjf's  lines  on  the  Weldon 
railroad,  near  Petersburg,  by  which  2,100  pris- 
oners were  tarken,  and  many  killed  and 
wounded.  In  this  affair  General  Clingman 
received  so  severe  a  an'ouucI  that  he  was  for 
several  months  k«pt  out  of  the  field,  and  was 
only  able  to  join  his  command  a  few  days 
prior  to  Johnson's  surrender. 

When  the  war  closed  (8th  April,  1866,*) 
General  Clingman,  like  many  others,  was 
left  desolate  and  depressed  in  mind,  wounded 
and  exhausted  in  body,  and  utterly  impover- 
ished; yet  he  was  ever  ready  to  aid  in  build- 
ing up  the  waste  places  of  his  country,  and  to 
repair  as.  far  as  possible  the  desolations  of 
internecine  strife.  He  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Convention  of  1876,  and  was  vigilant 
and  active  in  the  cause  of  the  people. 

These  are  rapid  and  unsatisfactory  sketches 
of  the  public  services  rendered  his  country  by 
General   Clingman. 

In  his  private  life,  he  is  exemplary  and  con- 
sistent.    He  is   a   member    of  the   Episcopal 


*The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  JStates  in  case  of 
U.  B.  V.  Kiem  in  January,  1872,  decided  the  beginning 
of  the  civil  war  was  on  April  19,  i8Ui,  date  of  procla- 
mation as  to  blockade,  and  tlie  end  was  AprU  S,  1S6G, 
date  of  President's  proclamation  declaring  the  war  at 
an  end. 


Church,  an    admirer    of    its   tenets,    and    arr 
observer  of  its  ordinances. 

Though  his  fame  rests  on  his  long  and  im- 
portant service  as  a  statesman  and  his  gal- 
lantry' as  a  soldier,  yet  he  has  not  neglected 
the  pursuits  of  literature  and  of  science.  His 
able  defence  of  religion,  and  its  support  by 
science,  gained  him  "golden  opinions  from  all 
sorts  of  men,"  lioth  North  ar?d  South;  he  has 
in  various  publications  demonstrated  to  the 
country  and  to  the  world  the  capabilities  and 
advantages  of  AVestern  Carolina — its  healthful 
climate  and  prolific  soil.  Maiij-  have  been  in- 
duced by  his  descriptions  to  seek- a  home  with 
us,  bringing  wealth,  talent,""  and-  industry. 
He  Iras  made  important  contributions  to 
the  science'  of  geology  and  mineralogy.  His 
articles  on  these  suljjects  have  appeared 
in  SilHman's  and  other  journals,  and  rank 
with  tho-se  of  ].)ana,  Guyot,  Shepard,  and 
other  savans  of  the  age.  He  has  presented 
much  and  varied  infoniiation  a-s  to  moun- 
tains of  North  Carolina,  which  he  has  explored 
in  person,  and  in  compliment  of  such  exertions 
his  name  has  been  worthily  bestowed  on  one 
of  its  highest  peaks. 

General  Clingman,  as  our  readers  may  know, 
has  never  mari'ied.  Ilis  busy  life  and  active 
services  in  the  cause  of  his  country  have  denied 
him  that  pleasure.  But  he  is  far  from  under- 
estimating female  society,  and  is  a  great 
admirer  of  grace,  beauty  and  intelligence. 

No  one  possessing  his  warmtb  of  fiiendship 
for  his  own  sex  can  beindifterent  to  the  charms 
of  the  other.  As  a  friend.  General  Clingman 
is  frank,  sincere  and  faithful,  and  this  is  recip- 
rocated deeply  by  those  who  knew  him  best. 
No  one  that  I  know  ever  maintained  such  a 
hold  on  the  attections  of  the  people.  The  citi- 
zens of  his  district  possess  such  unbounded 
confidence  in  bis  judgment  and  integrity  thLit 
they  followed  him  in  whatever  course  he  has  , 
pursued.  For  more  than  1 5  years  (  with  excep- 
tion of  one  Congress,)  he  was  elected  by  their 


BUNCOMBE  COUNTY. 


75" 


BiiffVages.  No  matter  how  adroitly  the  district  states  that  "he  had  never  seen  more  corn- 
was  adversely  arrans^ed,  or  what  principles  he  posure  and  firmness  in  danger  than  was  mani- 
advocated,  the  people  were  his  devoted  sup-  fested  by  Mr.  Clingman  on  this  occasion." 
porters,  and  never  deserted  him.  On  seeing  his  fi-iend  covered  by  the  dust  and 
I  recollect  when  the  State  was  redistricted,  gravel,  and  standing  at  his  post  unmoved  he 
in  1852,  a  few  who  aspired  to  his  place  thoughthe  was  mortally  wounded.  He  rushed 
arranged  the  district  so  that  he  would  likely  to  him  and  asked  him  if  he  was  hurt.  "  He 
be  defeated.  But  the  power  and  the  popu-  has  thrown  some  dust  on  my  new  coat,"  he 
ku'ity  of  General  Clingman  disappointed  their  replied,  quietly  brushing  off  the  dust  and 
aims    and   hopes.  .    He    was    elected    by    an  gravel. 

increased    majorit:y.      Although    kind,   social         On  other  occasions,  as  with  Hon.   Edward 

and  friendly    in    his   private    intercourse,  his  Stanley    and    others,   General    Clingman    has 

character  is  not  of  that  negative  kind  so  con-  evinced  a  proper  regard  for  his  own  honor  by 

cisely  described  by  Dr.   Johnson   of  one  "who  repelling    the   insults  of    others;  and    in    all 

never    had   generosity    enough   to    acquire   a  these  public  opinion  has  sustained  the  propriety 


friend,  or  spirit  enough"  to  provoke  an  enemy." 
Whenever  the  rights  of  his  State  and  his  per- 
sonal honor  were  infringed,  he  was  prompt 
and  read}'  to  repel  the  assailant.  He  has  fol- 
lowed the  advice  of  Polonius  to  his  son  — 

lieware  of  entrance 

Into  a  qnurrel;  but  Ijeingin, 
l?o  bear  thyself  tiiat  thy  oyposer 
\\  ill  beware  of  thee. 

In  1845,  Hon.  William  L.  Yancey,  of  Ala- 
bama, well  known  in  his  day  as  '•  a  rabid  fire 
eater,"  attempted  some  liberty  with  Genei-al 
Clingnian.  A  challenge  ensued.  Huger,  of 
South  Carolina;  was  Yancey's  friend;  and 
Charles  Lee  Jones,  of  Washington  City,  was 
the  friend  of  Clingman.  They  fought  at 
Bladensburg. 

Mr.  Jones,  the  second  of  General  Clingman, 
in  his  graphic  description  of  this  duel,  pub- 
lished in  the  C.ipiinl,  states: 

"  After  the  prir.ciples  had  been  posted,  Mr. 
Huger,  who  had  won  the  giving  of  the  word, 
asked,  'Are  you  ready  ?     Fire ! ' 

"  Mr.  Clingman,  who  bad  remained  perfectly 
cool,  fired,  missing  his  adversary,  but  drawing 
his  tire,  in  the  ground,  considerably  out  of  line, 
the  bullet  scattering  dust  ami  gravel  upon  the 
person  of  Mr.  Clingman.  After  this  fire,  the 
difficulty  was  adjusted." 

Hon.  Kenneth  Kaynor,  the  colleague  of  Mr. 
Clingman    in    Congress,  was   on  the  ground. 


of  his  conduct;  he  has  so  borne  himself  that 

the   aggressoi-  has  never  attempted   to  repeat 

his  insolence. 

He  has  been  accused  of  being  amintious.    If 

this  lie  so,  in  reph',  the  words  of  Anthony  of 

Cjesar  are  appi'opriate — 

He  is  my  fripnd,  ''aithfiil  and  .iust  to  me. 
But  P.i'utns  says  he  is  ambitious, 
And  Brutus  is  an  honorable  man. 

J.  ('.  L.  Gudger,  now  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Superior  Courts, was  born  in  Buncombe  County 
in  1838;  learned  in  the  law,  which  he  has  suc- 
cessfull}'  practiced  for  fifteen  years.. 

He  entered  the  Confederate  army  as  a  pri- 
vate in  18(]1,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  captain. 

After  the  war  was  o\-er  lie  removed  to- 
Waynesville,  in  Haywood  County,  where  he 
was  extensively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  when  he  was  elected  to  the  high 
position  he  so  worthily  occupies. 

Robert  M.  Furman  resides  in  Buncombe 
County,  although  a  native  of  Franklin  County, 
where  he  was  l)orn  21st  September,  1846.  at 
Louisburg.  He  early  entered  the  Confederate 
army,  but  on  his  health  failing  he-  was,  at  the 
end  of  five  months,  discharged.  He,  on  recov- 
ery, again  entered  tlie  army  (in  1804,)  and 
served  until  the  war  closed..  His  young  life 
has  been  spent  in  the  editorial  line,  in  which 
he  attained  much  success.     In  1S66  he  was  in 


76 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


charge  of  the  Louisburg  Eagle.  He  next 
established  the  Henderson  Index,  and  became 
afterwards  connected  with  the  Norfolk  Cour- 
ier, and  the  Raleigh  Sentinel.  In  1872  he 
became  editor  of  the  Asheville  Cilizeyi.  He 
was  reading  clerk  of  the  Senate  of  the  State 
Legislature  of  1876.  He  holds,  also,  the  posi- 
tion of  clerk  to  the  United  States  Senate 
Committee  on  Railroads,  of  which  General 
Ransom  is  chairman. 

Thomas  Billiard  Johnston  resides  at  Ashe- 
ville; born  1st  April,  184.3,  at  Waynesville, 
educated  at  Colonel  S.  D.  Lee's  Academy  and 
.the  University,,  but  from   ill  health    did  .not 


graduate;  entered  the  army  in  Z.  B.  Vance'^s 
company,  14th  North  Carolina,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Alalvern  Hill  was  severely  wounded, 
which  disabled  hira  from  active  service  in  the 
iield.  After  war  was  over,  he  read  law  with 
that  accomplished  jurist  and  noble  hearte'd 
gentleman.  Judge  J.  L.  Baily,  and  was 
licensed  to  practice  in  1866.  In  1870  he  was 
nominated  to  the  House,  and  carried  the  county 
by  400  votes,  a  gain  of  600  for  the  party.  He 
was  one  of  the  managers  in  the  impeachment 
trial  of  Governor  liolden.  He  was  re-elected 
in  187-2,  and  elected  to  the  Senate  in  1876. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


£URKE  COUNTY. 


"Waightstill  Avery,  born  1741,  died  1821. 
'There  is  no  name  in  the  annals  of  North  Caro- 
lina that  is  more  deserving  of  being  perpetu- 
ated than  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  His 
family  were  the  devoted  friends  of  liberty,  and 
many  of  them  martyrs  to  its  cause.  In  the 
Revolutionary  war  there  were  eight  brothers 
of  this  name  and  family,  all  patriots.  Some  of 
them  were  massacred  at  Groton,  Connecticut, 
and  at  Fort  Griswold;  some  perished  at  Wyo- 
ming Valley.  Some  of  this  family  still  reside 
at  Groton,  Connecticut,  (where  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born;)  some  reside  at  Oswego 
and  Seneca  Lake,  and  some  came  to  Virginia. 

It  was  early  in  the  year  1631  that  the  ship 
Ax'abella  arrived  in  Massachusetts  Bay,  from 
Loudon,  and  landed  passengers  at  the  place 
where  now  stand  Boston  and  Charlestown, 
and  where  Governor  John  Winthrop,  senior, 
had   commenced   an   English  settlement  the 


year  before.  Among  the  passengers  were 
Christopher  Avery,  of  Salisbury,  England,  and 
his  little  son  James,  then  eleven  years  of  age. 
They  proceeded  to  the  point  of  Cape  Ann, 
where  Gloucester  now  stands,  which  was  at 
that  time  one  of  the  most  nourishing  iishing 
establishments  along  the  shore,  where  tish 
were  cured  for  the  European  markets  by  fish- 
ermen from  England,  and  in  connection  with 
which  were  agricultural  and  other  profitable 
industries. 

Christopher  settled  there  as  a  farmer,  and 
became  the  possessor  of  valuable  and  produc- 
tive lauds,  which  he  cultivated  to  advantage. 
He  had  left  his  wife  in  England,  like  many  of 
the  leading  men  who  first  came  over  "  to  spy" 
out  the  land,"  for  it  was  not  easy  to  persuade 
their  wives  to  leave  their  comfortable  English 
homes  and  venture  ofi'  upon  the  ocean  on  a 
passage  of  nearly  a  hundred  days  in  a  small 


BTJKKE  COUITTT. 


77 


TCBsel,  cTowded  with  passengers,  to  share  the 
doubtful  fortunes  of  an  unknown  wilderness. 

The  vessels  sent  from  England  by  the  mer- 
chant adventurers  had  for  years  rendezvoused 
at  Cape  Ann  to  cure  and  prepare  the  large 
quantities  of  lish  taken  bj'  thera  for  the  Euro- 
pean markets,  and  it  was  a  remunerative  trade 
for  the  farmers  there.  It  had  been  a  fishing 
and  curing  station  for  years,  and  with  its 
variety  of  veg-etables  and  abundance  of  fish, 
added  to  the  game  and  other  animal  food 
obtained  in  trade  with  the  Indians,  the  thriv- 
iing  community  did  not  lack  the  means  of 
good  and  wholesome  living.  They  also  had 
their  little  chapel  where  common  prayer  was 
oft'ered  on  the  Sabbath  by  "  one  Master  Rash- 
ley,  their  chaplain,"  as  we  are  told  bj'  Leck- 
:ford.  When  the  Puritans  afterward  settled 
at  Boston  they  receiv-ed  and  fellowshipped 
Chaplain  Rashie}-  for  eight  or  ten  j^ears, 
although  he  was  not  of  them  exactly. 

For  ten  years  Mr.  Avery,  with  his  son  James, 
enjoyed  that  pleasant  community,  his  greatest 
privation  being  that  of  the  disinclination  of 
his  wife  to  come  over  and  join  thera  in  their 
new  home.  As  he  could  not  persuade  her  to 
cross  the  ocean,  he  was  compelled  to  send  her 
80  much  of  his  earnings  and  savings  as  he 
could  spare  for  her  support  there.  She  never 
came  to  America. 

In  1642  the  Cape  Ann  settlement  had  become 
so  considerable  that  the  General  Court  of  the 
Colony  incorporated  it  as  the  Town  of  Glou- 
cester, and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Blinman,a  Dissenting 
minister,  who  had  made  an  unsuccessful  effort 
to  settle  with  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth,  was, 
by  the  Boston  authorities,  sent  to  Gloucester 
with  a  small  company  of  Welshmen,  who  had 
accompanied  him  over  the  sea,  to  settle.  This 
was  not  so  pleasant  for  Christopher  Avery,  who 
had  so  long  been  the  leading  inan  of  the  set- 
tlement with  Chaplain  Rashley,  but  he  was  a 
man  of  so  decided  mark  that  he  was  neverthe- 
less elected  over  and  over  again  as  selectman 


of  his  new  town,  notwithstanding  the  per- 
sistent and  shameful  persecution  of  the  new- 
comers. 

In  1643  his  son  Jtmies  Av^ery,  then  23  years 
old,  went  to  Boston  and  hrought  to  his  home 
in  Gloucester  his  young  bride,  Joanna  Green- 
slade,  who  had  with  her  a  certificate  of  good 
standing  in  the  Boston  church,  dated  January 
17,  1644. 

Not^vithstandlng  Mr.  Blinman's  ecclesiasti- 
cal precedence,  he  was  rather  overshadowed 
by  Christopher  Avery,  the  civilian  and  some- 
times first  selectman.  Insomuch  that  after  he 
had  been  there  six  or  seven  years  he  became 
"dissatisfied  with  his  teaching,"  (as  old  Gov- 
ernor Winthrop  wrote  to  his  son  John,  then 
Governor  of  Connecticut,)  and  gladly  accepted 
the  call  to  settle  at  the  mouth  of  the  Thames, 
(Pequot,)  where  Xew  London  now  stands. 

He  was  accompanied  b}'  most  of  the  leading 
members  of  his  church  at  Gloucester,  and 
among  them  James  Avery  with  his  young  wife 
and  three  children.  James  sold  all  his  land  at 
Gloucester  to  his  father  Christopher  in  1651, 
for  he  had  settled  at  New  London,  October 
19,  1650,  with  what  was  called  the  Cape  Ann 
Colony.  Mr.  Blinman  preached  at  New  Lon- 
don about  as  long  as  he  had  at  Gloucester,  and 
then  left,  dissatisfied,  for  England.  Christo- 
pher Aver}-  remained  in  Massachusetts  until 
after  Blinman  had  left  for  England,  and  then 
joined  his  son  James  at  New  London,  and  in 
the  va,lley  of  the  Pequonuc. 

James  Avery  and  Joanna  Greenslade  had 
ten  children,  three  born  at  Gloucester,  before 
1650,  and  seven  at  New  Loudon,  afterwards. 
Their  youngest  son,  Samuel,  was  born  August 
14,  1664,  who  married  Susan  Palmer,  daughter 
of  Major  Edward  Palmer  and  granddaughter 
of  Governor  John  Winthrop,  Jr.,  on  the  27th 
of  October,  1686,  and  with  her  had  ten  child- 
ren, to  wit:  Samuel,  b.  August  11, 1687;  Jona- 
than, b.  January  18,  1689;  William,  b.  August 
2&,  1692;  Mary,  b.  January  10,  1695;  Christo- 


78 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


pher,  b.  Februaiy  10,  1697;  Hiimplirejr,  b.  July  b.  Jnl.y  8,  1706.     The  deacon  was  a  cotempa^ 

4,  1699;  ISTathan,  b.  January  30,  1702;  Lucy,  b.  rary  of  Samuel  Avery,  b.  1664,  who  was  the 

April   17,1704;  AYaitstill,  b.  March   27,1708,  grandfather  of    AVaightstill,  of  Noith   Caro- 

(had    two   wives;)     Grace,  b.  June    2,  1712.  lina.     Alike  prominent  in   Church  and  State 

When  that  portion  of  New  London  east  of  the  affairs,  Avery,  the  town's  first  selectman,  and 

Thames  was  set   oW  as  the  separate  town  of  Seabury,  the  first  deacon  of  the  church,  they 

Groton,  in  1705,  Samuel  Avery,  the  father,  was  were  neighbors,    friends,  and    their   families 

chosen  the  first   moderator,  and  became  the  were  intimate, 

first  selectman,  which  responsible  position  he  Samuel  Seabury,  b.  July  8, 1706,  v\'as  licensed 
held  for  twenty  3'ears —nearly  up  to  the  time  and  preached  as  a  Congregational  minister  in 
of  his  death.  1726,  at  the  new  church  in  North  Groton.  lie- 
On  tiie  5th  of  February,  1724,  Humphrey  declared  himself  a  convert  to  Episcopacy  in 
Avery,  (the  sixth  child  of  Samuel,)  b.  .July  4,  1730,  and  next  year  went  to  London  and  was 
1699,  married  Jerusha  Morgan,  daughter  of  ordained  by  the  Bishop  of  London.  Returned 
William  and  Margaret    (Avery)  Morgan,  and  in    1732,   and    was    rector    of    the    Episcopal 


had  twelve  children,  to  wit:  Humphrey,  b. 
March  10,  1725;  William,  b.  September  13, 
1726;  Solomon,  b.  July  17,  1728,  who  died 
August,  1728;  Solomon,  b.  June  17, 1729;  Sam- 
uel, b.  October  5,  1731;  James,  b.  August  13, 
1733;  Jerusha,  b.  June  7,  1735;  Paulina,  b. 
April  3,  1787;  Christopher,  b.  May  3,  1739; 
AVaitstill,  b.  May  10,^1741;  Isaac,  b.  October 
27,  1743;  Nathan,  b.  November  20,  1746. 

It  was  this  Waitstill,  the  tenth  child  of 
Humphrey,  who,  after  graduating  at  Prince- 
ton, (Nassau  Hall)  N.  J.,  in  1766,  studied  law 
in  Maryland,  and  moved  to  North  Carolina  in 
1769,  when  he  entered  college  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  he  matriculated  as  Waightstill, 
thus  changing  the  spelling  of  the  old  Winthrop 


church  in  New  London  for  eleven  years. 
Moved  to  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  in  1743, 
where  he  kept  a  high  school  a-  well  as  preached 
until  1764,  the  year  of  his  death.  He  it  ivas, 
iindoubtedli/,  who  prepared  WidtsdU  Acevi/for  col- 
le/je,  ivhich  he  entered  in  1762. 

His  son,  Samuel,  born  at  Groton  1729,  went 
to  Englaml  in  1784,  where  he  was  consecrated 
the  first  Bishop  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  Amer- 
ica. On  his  return  he  tonk  charge  of  the 
church  at  New  London,  where  he  died  in 
1796.  My  opinion  and  belief  is  that  on  this 
trip  to  England,  he  was  accoinpanied  by  his 
father's  pupil,  Isaac,  youngest  brother  of 
Waightstill  Avory,  who  became  a  rector  of 
that  church  in  Virginia,  and  who   is  said  to 


name.      His  eldest  brothei',  Humphrey,. moved  have   lieen   ordained  in  England.     He  was  21 

from  Groton,  where  his  family  and  ancestors  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  old  tutor's  death, 

had  lived  so  many  years,  to  Hempstead,  Long  by  whom,  no  doubt,  he  was  educated  for  the 

Island,  where   he  raised  a  large  family.     His  Episcopal   ministry,  and   about    40  when    or- 

brother,  Waitstill,  sixteen  years  younger  than  dained  in  England. 

himself,  as  well  as  his  3-oungest  brother,  Isaac,  There  is  a  family  tradition  m  North  Caro- 
hved  with  liim  in  their  youth,  a^id  were  both  Una  that  AVaightstill  graduated  at  Yale  col- 
prepared  for  college  at  the  select  school  of  the  lege  before  going  to  Princeton,  and  that  he 
Rev.  Samuel  Seatiury  there.  was  a  tutor  there;  but  his  name  nowhere  ap- 
Deacon  John  Seabury,  of  Groton,  who  had  pears  in  the  Yale  catalogues,  and  all  the  dates 
married  Elizabeth  Alden,  in  1697,  grand-  and  circumstances  seem  to  show  its  incorrect- 
daughter  of  John  Alden,  of  the  Mayflower,  ness.  If  ho  had  graduated  at  Yale,  the  fact 
settled  in  Groton,  1704,  and  had  a  son,  Samuel,  would   be  stated   in   the  Princeton,  as  well  as 


BURKE  COUNTY. 


79 


t'ho  Yale  catalogues;  but   nowhere   does  it  so 
appear. 

As  the  name  AYaitstili  is  so  historical,  it  is 
to  Le  regretted  that  the  master  spirit  of  the 
Meckleniiui'g  declaration  and  tlie  patriarch  of 
the  North  Carolina  bar,  ever  changed  the 
spelling.  Still  was  the  name  of  one  of  the 
maternal  ancestors  of  the  Winthrops,  in  Eng- 
land, at  Groton  manor,  and  JT'/i/ was  another. 
Mrs.  Susan  (Palmer)  Avery  had  an  uncle, 
Wait  sail,  who  in  a  matter  of  record  at  Kew 
London,  A[iril  16,  I71o,  is  sty]ed  Slajor  Gen- 
eral  Wait  Still  Winthrop,  the  middle  name  was 
often  omitted  in  the  signature  in  those  early 
da^s.    Susan  named  her  son,  b.  March  27, 1708, 


after    her    distinguished    uncle,   an 


her 


llumphrej'gave  the  name  to  the  distinguislu'd 
North  Carolinian.  The  first  James  Avery,  aiid 
Edwaril  I'almcr,  were  distinguished  in  nulitary 
and  civil  life;  lioth  were  high  comnianding 
officers  in  successful  wars  with  the  Indians 
They  had  served  many  years  together  in  the 
Legishituro  and  upon  the  bench,  an;l  in  the 
early  history  of  New  London,  they  are  con- 
stantly named  together  as  taking  the  lead  in 
all  public  affairs.  The  families  being  so  inti- 
mate, it  is  not  rcmarkabh?  that  Samuel,  the 
youngest  son  of  Janics  Axeiy,  should  have  wed 
Susan,  the  daughter  of  Major  I'almer,  and 
granddaughter  of  Governor  John  Winthrop, 
Jv.,  of  Connecticut. 

For  this  full  and  satisfactory  account  of  the 
early  history  of  tins  family-,  we  arc  indelited 
to  the  unpul)lished  manuscript  of  J.  George 
Harris,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  residing 
at  Groton,  wlio  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Chris- 
topher Avery,  the  conmion  ancestor  of  all  the 
Averys  nametl. 

Of  this  family  there  were  eleven  who  were 
massacred  at  Fort  Griswold,  at  Groton,  Con- 
necticut, by  tlie  Englisli  troops,  commanded 
by  that  infan\ous  traitoi',  Benedict  Arnold, 
on  the  (Jth  of  September,  1781;  about  800 
troops  under  his  command  attacked  this  fort, 


defended  only  b}'  about  160  Americans.  After 
a  stout  resistance  they  took  it  after  heavy 
losses  on  both  sides.  Colonel  Ledyard,  com- 
mander of  the  fort,  had  ordered  his  men  to 
cease  firing,  and  stood  near  the  gates  prepared 
to  surrender.  The  British  entered;  the  officer 
shouted,"  who  commands  this  fort?  "  Colonel 
Ledj'ard  replied  "  I  did,  sir;  Imt  you  do  now," 
presenting  his  sword  with  its  point  towards 
himself.  His  sword  was  tlirust  back  through 
his  body  and  he  fell  prone  on  the  earth.  This 
was  a  signal  of  indiscriminate  slaughter,  and 
the  British  crossed  the  parade  ground  in  plat- 
toons,  firing  upon  the  defenseless  garrison,  who 
liad  grounded  their  arms.  With  the  ba_yonet 
they  stabbed  the  dead  and  dying.  Of  the 
command  of  1(!0  they  left  scarce  20  aide  to 
stand;  there  they  in  heaps  fallen  one  upon 
anotlier,  as  brave  a  band  as  fought  with  Leon- 
id.as  of  Thermop\dai.  Of  these  are  "immortal 
names  that  were  not  doomed  to  die,"  and 
eleven  of  the  name  of  Aver}^  perished  in  that 
most  infamous  massacre  by  this  demon  of  de- 
struction. 

In  a  letter  from  bis  brother  Solomon  Avery, 
of  Jul^'  11,  1783,  a  copy  of  the  original  is  to 
he  found  in   "  Uni.  Mag.,"  IV,  245,  he  states: 

"  Eleven  Averys  were  killed  in  the  fort  at 
Groton,  and  seven  wounded;  many  AverN'S 
iia\'e  been  killed  in  this  war.  There  has  been 
no  Tory  named  Avery  in  these  parts." 

From  such  a  stock  was  Waightstill  Avery 
descended. 

Waightstill  Avery  came  to  North  Carolina. 
He  was  truly  an  acquisition  to  any  State.  He 
was  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar.  He  graduated 
at  Princeton  in  17<J(J,  studied  law  with  Little- 
ton Dennis,  of  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland, 
and  came  to  North  Carolina,  entering  that 
province  February  4, 1769,  obtained  a  license 
to  practice  his  profession,  through  Governor 
Dobbs,  April  5,  1769,  ami  settled  in  Mecklen- 
burg, at  the  h<iuse  of  Ilezekiah  Alexander. 
His  diary  is  preserved  in  the  "  University  Mag- 


WHEELER'S  liEMINlSCEKCES. 


aziiie,"  vol.  IV, p.  3G6. giving  a  narration  of  his 
travels  through  the  State,  from  which  it  will 
be  seen  that  he  was  welcomed  and  appreciated 
hy  the  leading  men  of  the  country. 

After  entering  the  State,  February  4,  1769, 
having  passed  the  Virginia  line  he  arrived  at 
Edenton,  where  he  became  acquainted  with 
Air.  Johnston,  then  clerk  of  the  court,  after- 
ward Governor  and  judge,  and  also  Joseph 
Hewes;  he  passed  on  to  General  Allen  Jones' 
plantation,  near  the  present  town  of  Gaston; 
thence  to  Halifax,  and  arrived  at  Salisbury  on 
March  2,  1769.  Here  he  met  Edmund  Fan- 
ning, who  was  a  native  of  the  same  province, 
a  man  of  iine  address,  a  scholar,  and  a  lawyer 
of  high  attainment,  who  used  evei-y  art  aud 
blandishment  to  draw  Avery  into  an  alliance 
with  Tryon  and  the  adherents  of  royalty.  A 
personal  frientlship  grew  up,  but  no  political 
alliance.  After  traversing  every  section  of 
the  province,  from  the  Albemarle  and  the  Cape 
Fear  to  the  mountains,  we  tinally  find  him 
settled  at  the  house  Hezekiah  Alexander,  who 
agreed  to  board  him  "at  the  rate  of  £12  for 
eight  months,  making  allowance  if  he  should 
not  be  thei'e  so  long  in  the  year."  Here  he 
associated  with  the  patriots  of  the  incipient 
Kevolution,  the  Alexanders,  the  Brevards, 
the  Graiiams,  Davidsons,  Polks  aud  others, 
with  whom  he  cordially  sympathized  and 
united  in  the  spirit  of  liberty  aud  independence 
that  soon  pervaded  the  lovely  valleys  of  the 
Yadkin  and  the  Catawba. 

This  period  was  one  of  stirring  interest. 
The  sentiment  of  revolution  was  beginning  to 
rouse  the  gallant  men  of  that  day  to  arms,  and 
the  section  where  he  had  located  was  tlie  Hrst 
and  foremost  in  the  fray.  He  united  with  the 
men  of  Mecklenburg  "  in  the  declaration  of 
independence  of  the  20th  May,  1775,  and 
pledged  his  life,  his  fortune,  and  most  sacred 
honor  "   to  the  sacred  cause  of  liberty. 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Provincial 
Congress  which  met  at  Hillsboro,  August  21, 


1775,  and  the  next  year  to  the  same,  whic"h 
met  at  Halifax,  November  12,  1776.  This 
body  formed  the  State  Constitution,  in  which 
he  rendered  important  service,  and  was  one 
of  the  committee  who  formed  this  instrument, 
so  wisely  and  perfectly  formed  that  under  it 
the  State  lived  for  nearly  sixty  years  in  pros- 
perity and  peace.  The  next  year  (1777,)  he 
represented  the  county  of  Mecklenburg  in  the 
Legislature.  William  Sharp,  Joseph  Winston, 
Robert  Lanier,  and  himself,  made  a  treaty 
with  the  Chei'okee  Indians  at  the  Long  Island 
of  the  Holstein, '•' a  treaty  made  without  an 
oath,  and  one  that  has  never  been  violated." 
On  January  12,  1778,  he  was  elected  Attorney - 
General  of  the  State. 

July  3, 1779,  he  was  appointed  colonel  of 
Jones  County,  (where  lie  had  removed,)  in 
place  of  Nathan  Bryan,  resigned,  and  tingling 
the  climate  of  the  low  country  was  impairing 
his  health,  he  removed,  in  1781,  to  the  county 
of  Burke,  and  settled  on  a  beautiful  and  fer- 
tile estate  near  Morgauton,  on  the  Catawba 
River. 

The  year  previous  (1778,)  he  had  married, 
near  New  Berne,  Mrs.  Leah  Frank,  widow  of 
Mr.  Frank,  who  lived  and  died  in  New  Berne, 
and  daughter  of  William  Probart,  of  Snow 
Hill,  Maryland,  a  wealthy  merchant  there,  who 
died  on  a  visit  to  London. 

In  1780,  whilst  the  British  occupied  Char- 
lotte, under  Lord  Cornwallis,  his  office  was 
set  on  iire,  and  all  his  books  and  papers 
destroyed.  In  1781  he  removed  to  Burke 
County,  and  there  he  resided,  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  until  the  date  of  liis  death, 
1821.  He  represented  this  county  in  the 
Legislature  in  1782,  '83,  '84,  '85,  '93,  in  the 
House,  and  m  1796  in  the  Senate.  At  the 
period  of  his  death  he  was  considered  "  the 
patriarch  of  the  i  ar." 

It  is  doubtful  if  any  one  family  in  this  State 
suffered  more  severely  than  did  the  distin- 
guished and  gallant  Averys. 


:b"urke  county. 


81 


Alphomso  Calhoun  Avery,  now  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Superior  Court,  son  of  Colonel 
Isaac  T.  Avery,  resides  in  Burke  County.  He 
is  the  eldest  male  survivor  of  thisdistinguished 
family.  His  three  elder  brothers,  Waightstill, 
Clark,  and  Isaac  J.,  (as  we  have  recorded.) 
were  killed  m  the  late  civil  war. 

He  was  born  about  1837,  liberally  educated, 
graduated  at  the  University  in  a  large  class  of 
70  members  in  1857,  among  whom  were  B.  B. 
Barnes,  John  W.  Graham,  L.  M.  Jeggitts, 
Thomas  S.  Kenan  and  otiiers.  In  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  cnmniencement,  Mr.  Aver}', 
then  in  his  sophomore  year,  received  at  the 
hands  of  Governor  Swain  a  copy  of  Shake- 
speai'e,  a  prize  offered  by  the  professor  of 
rhetoric  for  the  best  composition  in  that  class. 
'•Uni.  Mag.,"IV,  278. 

He  studied  law,  and  was  just  commencing 
the  practice  when  he  obayed  the  call  of  his 
country  to  do  duty  for  her  defence.  He  was 
engaged  at  the  battle  of  Manassas,  where  his 
leader,  the  gallant  Colonel  C.  F.  Fisher,  fell, 
and  did  noble  service  under  Pender.  During 
the  last  closing  years  of  the  war,  he  was  on 
the  staff' of  General  D.  H.  Hill. 

Since  the  war  he  has  devoted  himself  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  of  which  he  was  the 
pride  and  ornament,  only  occasionally  inter- 
rupted by  his  election  to  the  Legislature.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Senate  in  1866  and  again 
1867,  and  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention in  1875. 

He  was  the  Democi'atic  elector  in  the  8th 
district;  and  by  his  ability  and  exertions  did 
much  to  insure  its  success. 

He  was  elected  Judge  of  Superior  Courts, 
which  elevated  position  he  holds  now.  He 
married  Susan,  youngest  daughter  of  Rev. 
Robert  A.  Morrison,  and  sister  of  Mrs.  Stone- 
wall Jackson. 

William  Waightstill  Avery  was  born  at 
Swan  Ponds,  in  Burke  County,  on  the  25th  of 
May,  1816.     He  was  the  oldest  child  of  Col- 


onel Isaac  T.  Avery  and  Harriet  E.  Avery. 
His  father  was  the  onl^-  son  of  Waightstill 
Avery,  and  his  mother  was  the  eldest  daughter 
of  William  W.  Erwin,and  a  granddaughter  of 
William  Sharpe. 

There  were,  during  his  l:)oyhood,no  classical 
schools  in  the  Piedmont  region  equal  to  Bing- 
ham and  others  in  the  central  counties,  and  on 
attempting  to  enter  colle.';e,  in  the  3^ear  1832, 
W.  W.  Avery  found  that  he  was  not  thor- 
oughly prepared  in  the  ancient  languages.  He 
remained  at  Chapel  Hill  during  the  vacation 
and  prosecuted  his  studies  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  late  Dr.  Mitchell  and  Abram  More- 
head,  Esq.,  then  a  tutor,  and  so  faithfully  did 
he  appl}'  himself  that  in  one  j'ear  he  stood  at 
the  head  of  his  class,  and  gi-aduated  with  the 
first  honors  in  1837  in  same  class  with  Perrin 
Busbee,  Peter  W.  Ilairston,  Pride  Jones  ami 
others. 

He  studied  law  with  .Judge  Gaston  and  was 
licensed  to  practice  in  the  Superior  Courts  in 
1838. 

He  was  from  bo3'hood  an  ardent  admirer  of 
Mr.  Calhoun,  and  naturall}^  became  a  States- 
rights  Democrat.  He  was  unsuccessful  as  a 
candidate  for  the  Legislature  in  1840;  but  in 
1842  was  elected  as  a  Democrat  from  Burke 
County,  though  Governor  Morehead,  the  Whig 
candidate  for  Governor,  carried  the  county  by 
a  very  large  majority. 

He  had  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  as  a 
lawyer,  and  did  not  appear  again  actively  as 
a  politician  till  the  year  1850.  In  May,  1846, 
he  was  married  to  Corinna  M.  Morehead,  a 
daughter  of  the  late  Governor  Morehead.  She 
is  still  living. 

He  served  afterwards  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, as  a  memlier  from  Burke,  in  1850  and 
1852. 

In  1856  he  was  chairman  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina delegation  in.  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  that  nominated  President  Buchan- 
an, and  during  the  same  year  was  elected  to 


82^  WHEELEE'S   REMINISCENCE'S. 

the  State  Senate,  of  which  body  he  was  chosen  After  the  expiration  of  his    terra    iu    Con- 
Speaker,  gross  in  1862,  he    returned    to  his  home  with 

In  1858  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress,  to  antliorit}'  from  the  President  to  raise  a  regi- 
fiil  the  vacancy  made  by  the  appointment  of  ment;  but  was  prevented  from  carrj-ing  out 
Hon.  T.  L.  Clingman  as  United  States  Sen-  his  purpose  by  the  earnest  protestsof  his  aged 
ator.  Colonel  David  Coleman,  who  was  also  father  and  four  brothers,  who  were  already  in 
a  Democrat,  opposed  him,  and  after  they  had  active  service.  They  insisted  that  he  was  be- 
canvassed  a  large  portion  of  the  district,  Hon.  yond  the  age  for  service,  and  it  was  his  duty 
Z.  B.  Vance  announced  himself  a  candidate,  to  his  family  and  country  to  remain  at  home; 
and  Colonel  Coleman  withdrew;  but  the  dis-  He  was  an  earnest  and  active  supporter  of 
trict  had  given  Mr.  Buchanan  a  verj'  small  the  Confederate  cause,  and  contrilnited  lib- 
majority,  and  the  dissension  was  such  that  erally  to  the  government  and  for  the  main- 
Vance  was  elected.  tenance  of  the  families  of  soldiers. 

In  1860,  W.  W.  Aver}-  was  again   chairman  In  18fi4  an  incursion  was  made   by   a    party 

oftheKortli   Cardlina  delegation   in  the    Na-  of  so-called    Unionists  from    Tennessee,  com- 

tional  Convention  at  Charleston,  and  seceded  mandcd    b}-    Colonel   Kirk,    who     afterwards 

vVith  the  southern  wing   of  the  party  that  af-  gained  a   very   unenviable  notoriety   in  North 

terwards  nominated  Mr.  Breckenridge.     Dur-  Carolina.     This  party,    after    surprising  and 

ing  the  same  year  he  was  again  elected  to  the  capturing  a  small  Ijod}'  of  conscripted   bo^'s  in 

State  Senate,  and  declined  the  nomination  for  Burke  County,  retreated    tpv/ards  Tennessee. 

Speakin-  in   i'avor  of  his    friend  H.  T.  Clark,  Mr.  Avery    with  a  body  of  North    Carolina 

who    become    Go\'ernor    after   the   death    of  militia  pui'sued  the  part}',  and  in  attacking  the 

Governor    Ellis.     After    the    election    of  Mr.  retreating   forces  at   a   strong  position  in  the 

Lincoln   he  was   an    avowed   secessionist,  and  nnjuntains,  was   mortall}'  wounded.     He  was 

strongl}'  urged  the  call  of  a  convention  durisig  removed  to  his  home  in  Morganton,  where  he 

the  winter  of  1860  and  1861.  died  on  the  .3d  day  <.f  July,  186-1. 

After    the    State    seceded    on    the    20th  of  In  all  the   relations   of  life    ho    was   distin- 

May,  1861,  he  was  elected  by    the  Convention  guished  for  his  kindness  and  afialilit\',  and  his 

as  one  of  the  members  from  the  State  at  large  unselfish  love  for  the  comfort  and  happiness 

of    the   Provisi'.inal    Congress.     He    served  in  of  others.     No    man    has    been    more    missed 

that  body  until   the   Provisional  Government  and    lamented    by    the    communit}'   in   which 

was  succeeded  by  the  f'ei'mauent  government,  he  lived,  and    his    aged    father,  (then    in    his 

provided  for  in   the   Constitution  adopted  in  eightieth  year,)  went   down  to  his  grave  sor- 

1861.     He  was    a    member   and   chairman   on  rowing  for  the  loss  of  this  the  third  son    who 

the  Committee  on  ^[ilitary  Aiiairs.  had  falle".  in  l)attle  within  one  year. 

A  majority  of  the  Democrats  in  the  Legis-  Fo:-  the  Gjuealogy  >)f  the  Avery  family  see- 

lature  of  1861  voted  for  Mr.  Avery  for  Sena-  Appendix, 
tor  in  the  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States; 

but    a   large    minority   supported  Hon.  T.  L.  McDowell  Fajkly  of  Burke  CocNir. 

Clingman,  while  the  Whigs    voted    for  a  can-  There  are  no  families  in  the  State  that  have 

didate  from  their  own  party.     After  balloting  rendered  more  important  service  to  the  State 

for  several  weeks  the  friends  of  the  two  candi-  than  the  McDowells. 

dates   compromised   by   electing  Hon.   W.  T.  Although  careful   research   has   been    made 

JJortch.  _  foi-  years  in  n  cords  of  the  State,  and  families. 


BURKE  COUNTY.  83 

and  by  extensive  correspondence,  yet,  in  the  ceived.  In  compiling  gonealno'ical  tallies,  or 
earlier  periods  of  our  history',  tlie  want  of  the  pedigrees,  gi-eat  attention  is  necessar^y  in 
facilities  of  the  press,  and  a  carelessness  in  clearly  stating  the  nnndjer  of  generations,  in 
preserving  family  records, some  obscuritj"  rests  anj'  given  period,  as  the}'  form  a  guide  to  the 
on  the  history  of  the  early  founders  of  this  probability  of  persons  having  sjirnng  from  any 
family.  particular  ancestor  or  individual.  A  genera- 
In  ni_y  "  History  of  North  Carolina,"  as  to  tion  is  the  interval  lietweeu  the  birth  of  a 
this  family,  it  is  stated  that  Charles  and  Jo-  father  and  the  birth  of  sun.  Thirt3--tliree 
seph  McDowell  were  brothers,  the  sons  of  years  have  l;een  allowed  to  a  generation,  or 
Joseph,  who,  with  his  wife  Margaret  O'Neal,  three  generations  for  every  hundred  years, 
had  emigrated  from  Ireland,  settled  in  AVin-  The  bii'th  and  death  dates,  as  well  as  the  loca- 
chester,  Viiginia,  where  Charles  and  Joseph  tion,  should  be  stated,  since  "  cbronoli)gy  and' 
were  born.  For  authority  of  these  facts,  state-  locality  are  the  e\es  of  history."'  Tlie  repeti- 
ments  were  fui-nishcd  from  members  of  this  tion  of  the  same  names,  without  dates  or 
family  and  others  \\-hich  were  believed.  Re-  [ilaee,  creates  confusion  in  our  American  gene- 
cent  and  more  thorough  exaujimitions  make  alogy,  as  it  lias  caused  in  this  instance, 
these  statements  doubtful.  A  letter  from  one  -John  McDowell,  called  "Hunting  .iohn." 
of  the  family*  to  me,  states:  who   resided   at  Pleasant  Gardens,  was  one  of 

^          .        ,      .         .                    ,       ,  the  early  pioneers  of  AV^estern  Carolina.     He 
"  It  is  sin'i:ular  how  inaccurate  has  been  any  ..... 
knowledge  as  to   this  family.     An   investiga-  ^^'''^' i'   ^^   believeo,  a  native  of  Ireland.     He  ' 
tion,  instituted  son:e  time  ago,  with  a  view  of  and  a  man   by  the    name  of  Henry  "Widener, 
establishing  a  descent  whieli  wuild  lead  to  the  (^miuiy  of  wbose  descendants  now  live   in  Ca- 
secuiint!;   of  a  largo  estate    through  Margaret  .       i      ri        j-      i  •      ^i  j.'  i\-i  ■. 
riiA-'     11        1        'r    *i      -e    i-    \           .1      ii";,,.,  tawha  County,  known  ny  the  name  ot   White- 
O'JNeal,   developed    tlie  tact,  beyonn   all  ques- 
tion, that  her  husband  (the  father  of  General  "(^''W  c^mie  to  this  country  when  it  was  an  un- 
Charles  McDowell,  and    General  Joseph,)  was  hrokeu  wilderness,  for  the  purpose  of  hunting, 
named  .Tnhn  instead  of  Juseph,  tbat  they  mar-  ,^,,j   securing  homes  for  their  families.      John 
ned  111  Ireland,  and  In'ed  at  Qn-.ikei'  .Meadows, 
in  Riirke  Conntv  "  McDowell  built  his  house  on  the  west   siile  ot 

the    Cataw  ba  River,  cm    land    now  called   the 

Lanman,  in    his    "  Biograi^bieal    Annals    of  jiany  Field,  a  part    of  the    tine    body  of  land 


Contcress,"  states: 


\\ell  known  as  "  The  Pleasnnt  Gardens,"  which 


"Joseph  McDowell  was  a  Rei.resentative  in  for  i'ertility   of  soil,  he:dthfulness  of  climate 

Congress  irom    1793   to  17!)5;  and  again  from  jmd  splendor  of  sceneij,  cannot  be  excelled. 

1797  to  1799."  rj^,|^^   j.^jg  ,.,j.  jjj^   ,_,-,,^,j^  p,.  ^i^g  ^-ji^g   Qf  j^jg 

Tlie  family  tradition  and    record   is,  he  died  settling,  or   the  date   of  his   deatli,  from   the 

in  1795.     The    first  error  does  not  destroy  the  loss  of  family  records,   cannot    be   given;   hut 

truth  of  history  that  tlie  family  were  of  Irish  fi-oni   tradition,  he    lived    in   this  lovely  spot 

origin;  and  the  second  arises  from  there  being  with    bis  wife  (Mrs..  Annie  Edmundston)  to 

two   of  the  same   name   of  the  same   family,  a  good  old  age. 

Every   effort   and    [.ains   have   been    taken    to  He  was  a  famous  hunter,  and    delighted  in 

make  the  present  sketch  con-eet.     If  anv  error  "  trapping,"  and  to  a  late  pei'iod  of  his  life,  he 

ecurs.  the  coriectiuiis  will   be   gratefully  re-  could  be  seen  on    bis,  way  to    the  mountains, 

_  with  four  large  bear  traps  tied   behind  him  on 


o 


*Dr.  G.  W.  JSIidial,  of  Newton,  N.  Cto  whom  1     his  horse,  with  his  trusty  lifie  on  his  shoulder, 
am  iiKleWed  for  much  information  as  to  tlieMcDowell     ^^^  ^^^^^^  excursions  he  would  go  alone,  and  be 


84 


WHEELER'S  liEMIXrSCEISTCES. 


absent  fov  a  montli  or  more,  hunting  the  deer, 
turkies,  and  Ijeurs,  and  in  silent  eomnumion 
■with  nature  and  witli  natui-e's  God.  lie  re- 
alized the  exquisite  lines  ot  Byron — 

Crime  came  not  near  him  ;  she  is  not  the  child 

Of  solitnde.    Health  shrank  not  from  him, 
For  her  home  is  in  the  rarely  trodden  wild  ; 

Tall  and  SAvift  of  too i  ^yel■e  they, 
Beyond  the  d\ya.flug'  city's  pale  abortion, 

15ecanse  their  thoughts  had  never  learned  to  stray 
On  career  piin  ;  the  green  woods Avere  tlieir  portion, 

No  sinking  sjdriti^told  them  they  grew  gray, 
No  fashion  made  them  apes  of  her  distortion 

Simple  and  civil ;  and  their  rifles 
Tho'  very  trne,  were  not  nsed  for  trifles. 

lie  left  two  daughters  and  one  son:  Anna, 
who  married  Williani  Whitson;  Rachel,  Avho 
imarried  John  Carson;  and  Colonel  Joseph 
McDowell,  who  was  born  on  25th  February, 
1758,  at  Rle.isant  Gardens,  in  Burke  County. 
He  was  always  called  "Colonel  Joe  of  the 
Pleasant  Gardens,"  to  distinguisli  him  from 
"  General  Joe  of  Quaker  Meadov>-s." 

He  was  a  soldier  and  a  statesman,  and  the 
most  distinguished  of  the  name. 

He  earlj-  entered  the  profession  of  arms.  At 
the  age  of  18  he  joined  General  Rutherford  in 
an  expedition,  in  1776,  against  the  Cherokee 
Indians,  in  which  he  displayed  much  gallantry 
and  desperate  courage.  It  is  knov/n  that  in  a 
hand-to-liand  fight  he  killed  an  Indian  chief 
with  his  sword. 

He  was  active  in  repressing  the  Tories,  and 
took  part  in  the  battle  at  Ramsour's  Mills,  on 
•20th  June,  1780,  near  Lincolnton,  as  men- 
tioned by  General  Graham  in  eulogistic  tei'ms, 
for  his  conduct  on  that  occasion.,  and  materially 
aided  in  achieving  a  complete  victory  over  a 
superior  force. 

At  Cane  Ci'eek,  in  Rutherford  Count}',  with 
General  Charles  McDowell,  he  led  the  militia, 
i-hiefly  of  Burke  County,  and  had  a  severe 
skirmish  with  a  strong  detachment  of  Fer- 
guson's army,  then  stationed  at  Gilbert  Town, 
and  drove  them  back. 

Immediately  afterward  he  aided  in  measures 
which  culminated  in  the  glorious  victory  of 
King's  Mountain. 


Tins  was  the  darkest  period  of  the  dubious 
conflict.  Gates  was  defeated  at  Camden; 
Savannah  and  Charleston  surrendered  to  the 
British;  Sumter,  at  Fishing  Creek,  (18th 
August,  1780;)  Cornwallis,  in  '-'all  the  pride 
and  circumstance "  of  a  conqueror,  held  the 
undisputed  possession  of  Charlotte  and  its 
vicinity. 

Ferguson,  with  strong  force,  was  winning 
the  attachment  of  the  people  from  liberty  to 
:,loyalty;  while  the  Tories  ravaged  the  whole 
country  with  vindictive  fury. 

There  was  not  a  regular  soldier  south  of 
Virginia,  and  ever}'  organized  force  was  scat- 
tered or  disbanded.  The  time  had  come,  and 
these  lirave  men  felt  tliat  they  must  "  do  or 
die." 

Anud  all  these  dis  istroas  circumstances,  the 
patri(.itic  spirits  of  Cleaveland,  Campbell, 
Sevier,  and  McDowell  did  not  despair.  They 
determined  to  attack  the  forces  of  Ferguson. 
They  were  all  of  equal  rank,  and  as  thetrojps 
were  in  the  district  of  Charles  McDowell,  he 
was  entitled  to  the  command. 

From  a  manuscript  letter  of  Shelby,  in  my 
possession,  he  says: 

"  Colonel  McDowell  was  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  district  we  were  in,  and  had  com- 
manded the  armies  of  the  militia  all  the  sum- 
mer before,  against  the  same  enerny.  He  was 
brave  and  patriotic,  but  we  considered  him  too 
far  advanced  in  life  and  too  inactive  co  com- 
mand the  enterprise. 

"  It  was  decided  to  send  to  headquarters  for 
some  general  officer  to  command  the  expedi- 
tion. 

■'  Colonel  McDowell,  who  had  the  good  of 
his  country  more  at  heart  than  any  title  of 
command,  submitted,  and  stated  that  he  would 
be  the  messenger  to  go  to  headquarters.  He 
accordingly  started  immediately,  leaving  his 
men  under  his  brotiier,  Major  Joseph  Mc- 
Dowell." 

The  next  day  Shelby  urged  that  time  was 
precious  and  delays  dangerous.  The  advance 
was  made.  Colonel  Joseph  McDowell,  the 
subject  of  our  present  sketch,  led  the  boys  of 


BTJKEE  -COUXTT. 


85 


Burke  and  Rutherford  Connties  to  battle  and 
to  victor}-,  (7tli  October,  1780,)  and  his  com- 
mand was  on  the  right  wing  of  the  attaclving 
forces,  and  aided  greatly  in  insuring  victor}-. 
Ferguson  fell  bravely  lighting  and  his  army 
completely  routed. 

The  next  important  battle  in  which  Colonel 
Joseph  McDowell  was  engaged  was  the  Cow- 
peus,  fought  by  Morgan  and  Tarleton  on  17th 
Januar}',  1781,  in  which  he  led  the  Xorth 
Carolina  militia,  which  terniinated  in  a  glori- 
ous victory  of  Morgan,  whose  name  is  p-e- 
served  in  gratitude  for  his  services  by  the 
■county  town  of  Burke. 

This  ended  the  military  career  of  our  pat- 
riotic soldier. 

His  civil  services  were  equall}'  lirilliant; 
from  his  elevated  character,  his  acknowledged 
abilities,  and  popular  address,  he  was  always 
a  favorite  with  the  people.  His  name  is  pre- 
served by  calling  a  county  for  him  erected  in 
1842.  He  was  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Commons  in  1787  and  1788;  also  a  member  of 
the  Convention  that  met  at  Uillsboro,  1788, 
to  consider  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  of  whicii  he  was  the  decided  opponent, 
and  which  was  rejected  by  a  majority  of  100 
votes.  He  was  again  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1791  and  1792;  in  1793  he  was  elected 
to  represent  this  district  in  the  Congress  of 
of  the  [Jnited  States. 

Of  the  influence  and  the  popularity  of  the 
McDowells  there  can  l)e  no  more  ample  proof 
than  that  in  1787,  1788  and  1792  the  Senator 
and  botli  of  the  members  of  the  Housj  were  of 
this  family. 

His  presence  was  tall  and  commanding,  of 
great  digiiity  of  demeanor,  and  of  impressive 
eloquence.  Scrupulous  in  his  statements  and 
faithful  in  all  business  transactions. 

He  married  Mary,  the  daugliter  of  Geoi'ge 
Motfett  of  Augusta  County,  Virginia.  lie  died 
in    April,  1795,   leaving   two    sons,  John  and 


James,  and  one  daugliter,  Annie,  who  married 
Captain  Charles  McDowell,  of  '■  Qnaker  Mead- 
ows." 

His  widow^  became  the  second  wife  of  Col- 
onel John  Carson,  whose  first  wife  was  Kachel, 
daughter  of  "Hunting  John,"  of  Pleasant 
Gardens,  a  sketch  of  whom  we  shall  present 
when  the  McDowells  are  finished. 

John  ^IcDowell,  sou  of  Colonel  Joseph  and 
of  Mary  Moftett,  above,  was  esteemed  a  man 
of  superior  intellect,  and  of  a  retiring  and 
modest  disposition,  of  exemplary  purity  of 
life  and  character.  He  v\'as  averse  to  public 
life;  yet  without  any  etfirt  on  his  part,  and 
indeed,  against  lii:^  wishes,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  f nun  Kntherford 
County  in  1820  and  1821. 

He  married  ilary  Mansricld  Lewis,  of  A'l- 
gusta  County,  Yirginia,  and  lived  on  ]3road 
Eiver,  14  miles  above  Rutherfordton,  until 
they  moved  to  the  village  for  the  purpose  of 
educating  their  children. 

Their  children  were  l>r.  Joseph  ^[cDowell; 
iMary,  who  married  the  Rev.  \Y.  A.  Game- 
well;  Dr.  James  McDowell,  (fcxas;)  Nancy; 
Martha,  who  married  Dr.  G.  W.  Michael, 
(Newton;)  Mira,  who  married  Col.  .T.  M.  C. 
Davis,  who  fell  in  the  civil  war;  Sally;  John, 
who  was  colonel  of  a  regiment  in  the  civil  wai". 
His  sister  Annie,  only  daughter  of  Col- 
nel  Joseph  and  ^lary  .NLoft'ctt  McDowell, 
married  Captain  Chai'les  McDowell,  son  of 
General  Ciiarles,  of  Qaalcer  Meadows,  from 
which  union  there  were  five  daughters  and  one 
son,  namely:  Eliza, married  Nicholas  W. Wood- 
fin;  Mary,  married,  first,  General  John  G. 
Bynum,  aiid  sec  )i]d,  Juilge  It.  .M.Pearson; 
Mira,  mariied,  first,  Ji>hn  Woodfin,  second^ 
John  Burnett;  Margaret,  married  William 
McKesson;  James,  married  Julia  Manlj-,  killed 
in  battle  at  Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  on 
Marye's  Heights;  colonel  of  ISOd  Regiment  in 
civil  war.  \  ,_     ,  ,  XcA^ 


S^ 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCEjSTCES". 


James  McDowell,  the  second  son  of  Colonel 
Joseph  McDowell  tliat  lived  to  niannood,  pos- 
sessed the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him. 

He  was  a  meniber  of  the  Senate  in  the  Legis- 
lature, from  Burke  Conuty,  in  1832,  and  filled 
other  offices  of  trust.  Like  each  one  of  Col- 
onel Joseph  McDowell's  children,  he  was 
remarkable  for  his  modesty,  for  his  integrity, 
and  his  open-handed  charity. 

He  owned  the  I'ieasant  Gardens,  where  he 
lived  until  advanced  in  life.  He  then  moved 
to  Yancey  County,  where  he  died.  He  married 
Margaret  Erwin,  and  left  five  children,  name- 
ly: Dr.  Joseph  McDowell,  Dr.  John  Mc- 
Dowell, of  Burke  County;  William  McDowell, 
of  Asheville;  Kate,  who  married  Alontraville 
Patton ;  Margaret,  who  married  Marcus  Erwin. 

These  are  the  descendants  of  the  branch  of 
which  "  Hunting  John  "  w";is  the  ancestor. 
.  John  McDowell,  of  Quaker  Meadows,  was 
the  cousin  of  "Hunting  John,"  (Dr.  W.  A. 
Michal.).  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this 
region  of  country,  and  settled  "at  Quaker 
Meadows,"  on  the  Catawba  Eiver,  about  a 
mile  from  Morganton.  He  was  a  native  of 
L-elaud,  and  married  Margaret  0'JN"eal,  (the 
widow  of  Mr.  Greenlee,)  b}'  whom  he  had  three 
sons:  Hugh  McDowell,  General  Charles  Mc- 
Dowell, Major  John  McDowell. 

Hugh  McDowell,  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
O'iN'eal,  of  Quaker  Meadows,  left  three  daugh- 
ters: Mrs.  McGintry,  Mrs.  McKinsey;  Mar- 
garet, who  married  James  Murphy,,  who  left 
one  son,  John  Miirph^-,  who  married  Margaret 
Avery,  and  left  three  daughters  and  one  son: 
Margaret,  who  married  Thomas  G.  Walton; 
Sarah,  who  married  Alexander  F.  Gaston,- 
son  of  Judge  Gaston;  Harriet,  who  married 
'William  M.  Walton;  John  IL  McDowell,  who 
married  Clara  Patton. 

General  Charles  McDowell,  (son  of  John  and 
Margaret  O'Neal,  of  Quaker  Meadows,)  born 
in  1743;  died  1815,  was  probably  a  native  of 
Ireland.     On  the  commencement  of   our  Rev- 


olutionary troubles,  he  was  the  commander  of 
an  extensive  district  in  his  section  of  country, 
and  was  a  brave  and  daring  officer. 

It  was  not  until  the  year  1780  that  western 
N"orth  Carolina  became  the  field  of  military 
operations  in  the  Revoluti(jnary  war.  After 
subduing  the  States  of  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina,  the  British  forces  advanced  to  this 
State  and  commenced  making  demonstrations. 
McDowell  was  active  in  counteracting  their 
movements. 

In  June,  1780,  having  been  joined  by  Shelby, 
Sevier,  and  Clarke,  of  Georgia,  near  Cherokee 
Ford  on  Broad  River,  McDowell  determined 
to  attack  the  British  at  a  strongly  fortified 
post  on  the  Pacolet  River,  under  comnnind  of 
Patrick  Moore,  which  he  gallantly  performed 
and  compelled  him  to  surrender. 

He  also  attacked  the  Tories  at  Musgrove 
Mill  on  the  Ent)ree  River  and  routed  them. 

Many  other  brilliant  afi:'.urs  in  this  section 
marked  his  energy  and  efficiency  as  a  soldier. 
We  have  recorded  the  facts  of  his  missing  a 
participation  in  the  battle  of  King's  Moun- 
tain. 

As  tlie  several  officers  held  equal  rank,  by  a 
council  of  officers  McDowell  was  dispatched 
to  headquarters,  then  near  Salisbury,  to  have 
General  Sumner  or  General  Davidson,  who  had 
been  appointed  brigadier  general  in  place  of 
General  Rutherford,  taken  prisoner  at  Gates' 
defeat. 

This  closed  his  military  career.  The  [)eople 
of  his  county  were  not  ungrateful  to  him  for 
his  long  and  successful  military  service.  He- 
was  the  Senator  from  Burke  from  1782  to 
1788,  and  he  had  been  also  in  1778,  and  mem- 
ber of  the  House  1809-'10-'ll.  He  died  31st 
March,  1815.  He  mari'ied  Grace  Greenlee,  who 
was  distinguished  among  "  the  women  of  the 
Revolution."  She  was  a  woman  of  renuirka- 
ble  energy  and  firmness.  Mrs,  Ellet  has  re- 
corded her  extraordinary  character,  and  relates 
that  on  one  occasion  sonie  bummers,  in   the 


BmmE  COtrN"TY.  ST 

absence  of  lier  liLisbaiid,  plundered  her  house.  Athan  A.  McDowell  served  in  the  Creek 
With  S!ime  few  fi-iends  she  pursued  the  iiui-  war.  He  was  shei'itf  of  Bnrke  Country.  Sen- 
raudei's  and  compelled  them,  at  the  muzzle  of  ator  in  the  Legislature,  1815.  He  removed  to 
a  musket. to  give  up  lier  property.  While  her  Henderson  Count}'.  He  married  Ann  Good- 
husband  was  secretly  making  p:)W(^er  in  a  son,  the  stepdaughter  of  Colouel  AVilliam 
eave,  she  aided  him,  and  burnt  the  charcoal  Davenport,  of  Caldwell  County,  and  left  one 
herself  This  vcr}- powder  did  good  service  in  son,  Charles,  and  one  daughter,  Louisa,  who 
the  battle-  of  King's  Mountain.  Previous  to  n^arried  Hon.  James  C.  Harper,  whose 
her  marriage  with  General  Charles  McDowell,  daughter  married  Hon.  Judge  Cilly. 
she  was  the  v/ife  of  Captain  Bowman,  who  James  R.  McDowell  lived  a  bachelor,  and 
fell  in  the  battle  of  Ramsour's  mill.  She  was  died  at  the  old  homestead.  He  was  a  very 
the  daughter  of  Margaret  O'Xeal,  by  Mr.  great  favorite  with  all  who  knew  him.  He 
Greenlee,  anterior  to  the  union  with  the  father  often  contended  with  H(in.  Samuel  P.  Carson 
of  General  Charles  McDowell.  She  had  a  in  the  political  tield,  with  alternate  success, 
daughter  Ijy  this  marriage  with  Captain  Bow-  He  was  a  member  of  the  House  in  1817-'1S 
man,  named  Mary,  who  married  Colonel  Wil-  and  '19,  and  of  the  Senate,  in  lS2o-'2o. 
liam  Tate,  and  who  was  the  mother  of  Junius  Sarah  married  Colonel  William  Paxtou, 
Tate,  and  Louisa,  who  was  the  mothei-  of  the  brother  of  Judge  Paxton;  had  several  chil- 
fivst  Mrs.  Z.  B.  Vance.  dren;  one  of  wh(UH  married  Rev.  Brank  Mer- 

She  had  by  General  Charles  McDowell,  three  rimon,    father    of     Hon.    A.    S.     Merrimon, 

sons  and  fonr'daughters:  Captain  Charles  Mc-  United  States  Senator;   Eliza  Grace  married 

Dowell;  Athan   A.;  James  R.;   Sarah;    Eliza  Stanhope  Erwin;    Margaret    married   Colouel 

Grace;    Mai'garet;    Sallie;    in   whom    and    in  William  Dickson,  whose  son  was  in  the  Legisla- 

whose  descendants,  tlie  blood  of  Grace  Green-  ture  ]842-'44;  Sallie;  Mrs.  Christian. 

Ibe  courses.  It  is  curious  as  well  as  interesting,  .Major  John   McDowell,  third  son   of  John 

to  observe  the  etiect  of  blood.     Dr.  Rush  de-  <i"fl   Maigaret  O'Xeal,  of  Quaker    Meadows, 

clared    that    "  the    blood    of    one    intelligent  and    brother    of   General    Chai-les    McDowell, 

woman   would    redeem    three    genei'ations    of  lived  on  Silver  Creek,  in  Bui'ke  County, about 

fools."  nine  miles  from  Morganton. 

'Ibis,  like   the  golden  thread  of  Ariadne,  is  He  was   a   member    of   the    Legislature   ini 

clearly    traceable    in     the    genealogy   of    this  1792-'94. 

family,  marking  with  intellect,  beauty,  and  in  He   had    the  sad  mishap  to   lose  his  sons 

enterprise,  in  clear  and  detinite  lines.     As  Dr.  (three,)  and  a  nephew,  at  the  same  time,  by 

Johnson,  in    his    eiiitaph    of    Goldsrjiith,    ex-  the  burning  of  his  house. 

presses  the  beautiful  idea-  He  left  two  daughters:  Margaret,  whomar- 

jSfiEtetiget,  quod  non  onaivit.  ried  Robert   McElrath;  and   Hannah,  niarried 

Of  these  Captain  Charles  McDowell,  who  was  Joh"  McElrath. 

always  called  "  (kptain  Charles,"  owned  the  General  Joseph  McDowell  was  the  son  of 
homestead  of  "The  Quaker  Meadows."  He  John  and  Margaret  (of  Quaker  Meadows,)  had 
was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Burke  tlie  reputation  of  a  brave  otKcer  of  the  Rev- 
County  in  1809-'10-'ll.  He  was  much  res-  olution,  a  soldier  and  a  statesman.  We  regret 
spected;  an  ardent  politician.  (For  his  de-  that  so  little  is  known  of  his  character  and. 
scendants  see  sketch  of  Annie  McDowell,  services.  The  aged  men  of  Burke  that  knew 
whom  he  married.)  him  describe  him  as  beinggenial  in  his  temper 


88  WHEELER'e  EEMINISCENCES. 

and  benevolent.     I:i   appearance   he  was  tall  George  MnH'ett,  of  Aug-nsta  Count}'-,  Ya.,  and 

and  comn.iandin.u;.  the  sister  of  Margaret,  wife  of  GeneralJosepb 

lie  was   a  great   favorite   with   the  people.  McDowell. 

He  was  for  eight  years  successively  elected  to  Their  children  were  Samuel  Price;  AVilliam 

the  House  of  Conimons,  17f>0  to  1758,  and  Sen-  M.;  Matilda;  George  and  Jonathan  L. 

ator  in  1791  to  1795.     He  was  elected  a  mem-  Colonel   John    Carson    died    on    tiie   5th  of 

her   of   CoiiL'.ross   in    17!i7-'9f).      He    married  March,  1841. 

Margaret  Motfett,  sistci- of  the  wife  of  Colonel  Joseph  McDowell  Carson,  son  of  John  Car- 
Joseph  McDowell.  He  lived  on  the  east  side  son  and  Rachel  McDowell,  his  first  wife,  was 
of  John's  River,  ahont  seven  miles  from  Mo r-  distinguished  for  his  integrity  and  brilliant 
o-anton.  intel'ieet.     He  };)racticed   law  for   many  years 

Oiie  of  his  sons,  Hugh   Harvey,  resides  in  -with   eminent    success.     He    much    preferred 

Missouri  and  is  the  father  of  Mrs.   Governor  the  steady  and  uniform  life  of  a  jurist  to  the 

Parsons.  uncertain  and  fitful  career  of  a  politician.   Yet 

Anotlier  soil    ;  Joseph   J.,)   is    a    citizen  of    he  represented  his  county  in  the  Legislature; 

Ohio,  and  was  elected  a    member  of  Congress  in  the  Connnons  in  1812,  1813, 1814  and  18o5; 

froni  Ohio  in  1843-'47.                    •  and  in  the  Senate  in  1832,  1836,  and  1838,  and 

One  of  his  daughters  married Christ-  was   <a    mendjer  of   the   State   Convention   of 

man,  and  after  his  death  married  Judge  Wake,  1835,  to  amend  the  Constituti.m.    He  lived  on 

of  Kentucky.                       '  Green  River,  in  Rutherford  County.     He  mar- 


The  Caksons  of  Borke  County. 


ried    his   cousin    Rebecca,  daughter  of  James 
Wilson,    and    had  many  descendants;  Tench, 

John  Carsou  was  the  progenitor  of  this  fam-  who  married    a    daughter   of   Vardy  AieBce; 

ily,  so  distinguished  in  the  iuma'sof  our  State.  Rachel,  who  married  Otis;  Jason,  who  married 

lie  was  a   native   of  Ireland,  born    on    24th  Moore;  Alargaret;  Charles;  Joseph   McDowell^ 

day  of   j,i;ircli,    1752;    came   to   America  and  John;  Catheiine;  James;  Mikon. 

Settled  in  Burke  (^ountj-  about  1773.  One    of    his  gi'anddaughters,  Reijccca,  was 

He  possessed  naturally  r.  powerful  intellect,  the  wife  of  the   late   Washiugton  Id.  Hardy, 

great  decision  t)f  chariicter,  mueii  capacity  for  libraria.n  of  the  pre.-e.it  House  of  Representa- 

bnsiness,  quick,  resolute,  impulsive.     He  was  fives,  (1879.) 

consecpiently   a   man    of  prominent    character  \Villiam   M.    Carsju,    sou    of    Colonel  John 

and  of  much  intiuence  in    his  county,  and  for  Carson,  by  his  second   wife,  was  born  Deeem- 

many  years  its  leading  magistrate.  her  o,  1801. 

In   1805  and  1S06   he  was  a  member  of  the  He  represented  Burke   Couuty  in  1838  and 

Legislature  frnm  Curke  Couuty.  1840.     He  had  no  fondness    for  political  life, 

He    lived    on   JJuck   Creek,  accumulated    a  but  was  deservedly  very  popular,  and  received 

large  estate,  and    raised   a   large   family.     Pie  nearly  a  unauiujous    vote  for  the  Le.gisiati.ire. 

was  twice  married.     His  first  wife, as  before  But  having  n.)  political   as[iirations   declined 

stated,    was     the     daughter     of     -'Huuting"  public  ser\dce. 

John    McDowell,    and    their    children     were  He    was    twice    married,    first    to    Almyra, 

James,    Jas;U),   Joseph    McDowell,    Rebecca,  daughter  of  Samuel  "Wilson,  of  Tennessoe;  a.ud 

John,  Charles  and  Sally.  ijis  second  wife  was   Catherine,  the    widow  of 

His  second  wife  was  the  widow   of  Colonel  Samuel  P.  Ca.rsDU,  daughter  of  James  WilsiUi, 

Joseph  McDowell,  who  was   the   daughter  of  of  Tennessee.     He  lived    on  Buck  Creek,  in 


BUEXE  COUNTY.                                                           89 

'McDowell  Couiitj',  where  he  died  in  the  fall  of  a  Re\'olntionary  soldier,  and  delivered  a  haud- 

1862.  some  eulog}'  upon  him. 

But  the  most  distinguished  of  this  famil\'  As  the  canvass  progressed,  it  became  evi- 

was  Samuel  P.  Carson.  dent  to  Vance  and  Graham,  that   Carson,  al- 

Samuel  Price  Carson  was  the  eldest  son  of  though  so  j'oung,  was  not  onlj^  a   candidate, 

Colonel  John   Carson  by  his   last   wife,   who  but  that  he  possessed  talents  of  a  high  order, 

was  the  widow  of  Colonel  Joseph  ^IcDowell,  and  was  winning  hosts  of  friends.     The  con- 

of  the  Pleasant  Gardens.  test  became  warm,  and  before  the  time  for  the 

He  was  born  in   the  county  of  Burke,    on  election,   Walker,  who   had    been   completely 

ithe  22d  day  of  January,  1798.  won  by  Carson's  kind  and  considerate  treat- 

llis  life,  although  short,  was  an   eventful  raent,  withdrew  from  the  contest   and  gave 

one.     He  entered  political  life  earl}',  and  was  liim  the  whole  weight  of  his  influence, 

-elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1822,  and  again  This  decided  the  contest,  and    Carson  was 

in  1S24.     But  this  was  afield  mnch  too  small  elected. 

for  his  aspirations.     In    182-5,    he   became   a  The  contest  in    1827,  between   Carson  and 

candidate  for  a   seat   in   the    United    States  Vance,  terminated  in  an  unha|)p3'  manner. 

Congress.      His   competitors    were    t!ie   Hon.  Samuel  P.  Carsmi's  temperament  was  such 

Felix    Walker,    Hon.   Robert    B.    Vance,  and  that  he  could  not  liear  confinement ;  therefore, 

Hon.  James  Graham.  slow,  plodding  stud}-,  was  out  of  the  question, 

Mr.  Walker  was  an  old  man,  and   had  been  and   regular  systematic    learning  he    did  not 

the  member  from  1817  to   1823.     He  seemed  possess.     Yet   his  inquiring  mind  caused  him 

highly  anmsed  at  the  idea  of  Carson's  aspiring  to  read  with  a\idity  whatever  came  to  hand, 

to  such  a   position.     In    his   final    speech   he  and  with  powerful  perceptive  faculties,  and  a 

announced  Vance    and   Graham  as   his   cjm-  remarkably  tenacious  memory,  he  understood 

petitors,  and  added,  "and  I'm   told  there's  a  his  subject  at  a  glance,  and  whatever  he  read 

boy   from  Burke,   who  lUinils  to  be  a  candi-  he    retained,  consjqueutly  he   was  a   well-in- 

date."  formed  man. 

In  their  speeches,  Vance,  who  Wiis  then  Con-  Fond  of  merriment,  with  a   genial,  social 

gressman,  and  Graham  made  the  usual  excuses  disposition,  and  possessing  great  wit,  he  was  a 

for  being  candidates.     Each  had  had  so  many,  delightful  companion,  and  "the  soul"  of  every  • 

and    such    strong  solicitations,   that    he    was  social  circle  which  he  entered, 

unable  to  resist  the  pressure  upon   him,   and  A  great  judge  of  human   nature,  he   could 

had  at  last,  as  a  matter  of  duty,  consented  to  adapt  himself  to  every  one;  and  with  the  most 

present  himself.     Cai'son  was  not  lo,)ked  upon  captivating  manners  he  won  all  whom  he  met. 

as  being  in  the  way  by  either,   and   all  their  Generous  to  a  fault,  a  man  so  endowed  could 

batteries    were  turnefl   upon   Walker.      They  not  be  otherwise  than  immensely  popular  with 

told    the    people    that  at    Washington    City  the  people.     And,  with  a  superior  intellect 

he  bo'irdal  Old  of  town,  and  I0:dked  in;   and    rid-  fine  conversational   powers,  a  chivalrous  sense 

iculed  the  old  nian  without  stint  or  mercy.  of    honor,    and    devoted    attachment    to    his 

Carson,  when  he  took  the  stand,  told  the  friends,  he  was  as  much  sought   by  the  great 

people  that  all  his  friends  had  solicited   him  as  by  the  more  humble. 

not  to  run,  and  he  was  a  candidate  because  lie  Perhaps  no  man  ever  possessed   warmer  or 

wanted  to  ^0  to  Congress.     He  treated  Mr.  AVal-  more  devoted  friends, 

ker  with  the  greatest  respect;  spoke  of  him  as  As  a  speaker  he  was  argumentative,  and  his 


90  WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 

powers  of  analysis  were   very  2;i'eat,  enabling  taking  his  position  lie  told  his  second,  the  Hon. 

him  to  make  his  subject  [ilain  to  the  most  sini-  AVarren  R.  Davis,  of  South  Carolina,  that  he- 

ple.     At  times,  not  often,  he  would   illustrate  did    nut  intend  to  kill  him ;  that  he  could  hit 

a    point    with    anecdote,   and    always    with  him  anj'whcre  he  pleased,  (Carson  was  a  re- 

eftect.     He  had  great   command  of  language,  markablj*  good   shot  with   a  pistol.)  and  that 

possessed  a  powerful  imagination,  and  a  charm-  he  intended  oidy  to  wound  him.     Da\is   re- 

ing  voice.  Perfectly  free  from  aft'ectation,self-     plied  to  him  that Tancehad  con}e  there 

yjossessed.  with   a  manner   dignified,  ea^y,  and  to  kill  him;  that  if  he  only  wounded  him,  au- 

graceful,  he  had  tlie  power   of  swaying  the  other  meeting  would  be  the  result,  and  if  he 

feelings  of  the  crowd  at    will,  and   often  held  did   not   promise   to  try  to  kill    him,  that    he 

his  hearers,  as  if  spell-bound,  by  his  elocjuence.  (Davis)  could  not  be  a  party  in  the  affair,  and 
He  was  indeed  an  orator.                                        '  that  he  must  seek  another  second.     This  had 

He    was    said   to   be   the    l^est    impromptu  its  influence  on  the  mind  of  his  principal,  and 

speaker  in  Congress.  a  tragic  effect. 

The  next  event  to  be  noticed  in  this  sketch,  Their  positions  ^'ere  tal-:en;  the  word  was 

is  one  which  could  not  but  have  saddened  the  given,  and  Vance  IctI  to  die  in  a  few  hours, 

whole  after  life  of  a  man  possessing  the  kind,  Carson,  like  Hamilton,  was  very  much  averse 

warm  heart,  and  benevolent  feelings  of  Samuel  to    duelling,  and   althtmgh  on   two   occasions- 

P.  Carson.  afterwards,  he  r^greed  to  act  as  second  in  affairs 

In  that  day,  duelling  was  sustained  by  pub-  of  honor,  be  only  accepted  the  position  in  each 

lie  sentiment,  and  it  being  ruinous  to  charactei'  instance   with  the  hope  and  for  the  purpose  of 

to  decline  a  challenge,  or  to  neglect  to  send  effecting  an  amica-ble  adjustment  of  the  difii- 

one,  under  proper  provocation,  it  was   a  com-  culty,  and  in  both  instances  ha  succeeded, 

mon    thing,  particularly  among  gentlemen  in  In  one  of  these,  a  strong  and  decided  politi- 

political  life.  cal    opponent   of    Samuel  f*.    Carson,  evinced 

Dr.  Robert    B.  Vauce,  Carson's   rival  before  his  appreciation  of  the  man  !>y  calling  on  him 

the  people,  and  his  competitor  in  the  last  two  to   act   as  bis  second   in    a  difliculty  with  one 

elections  for  Congress,  ^\-as  a  man   of  brilliant  who  was  both  a   political  and  personal  friend 

talents,  and   possessed   many  noble  traits    of  of  Carson.     The  parties  alluded  to  were  the 

character.      He   was    vevy   popular   with    the  Hon.  David  F.  Caldwell  and  the  Hon.  Charles 

people;    and    Carson's   own    personal    friends  Fisher,  of  Salisbury.     In    tlie  other,  he  acted 

esteemed  him  highly.  as  second  to  Governor  Branch,  of  Xorth  Caro- 

Unfortuuatel}',  passions   aroused  in  political  lina,  in  a  ditticult}'  with  Governor  Forsj'thjOf 

contests   became  morbid  with  him,  and  he  was  Georgia;  Archer,  of  Virginia,  being  the  friend 

led    by  them  to  provoke  a  challenge  in  such  a  of  the  latter. 

way  that  Carson  could  not  decline  to  send  it;  General   Jackson    was   elected  President   of 

this  was  by  an  insult  to  his  father.     The  chal-  the  United   States  in  the  fall  of  1828,  and  on 

lenge   was   promptlj'  accepted.     They  met   at  the  4th  of  March,  1829,  commenced  an  ad- 

Saluda   Gap,   on    the    South    Carolina    State  ministration  which  will  ever  be  memorable  in 

line.  the  annals  of  the  country. 

Carson  was  accompanied  to  the  field  bj^  the  In  that  year  Carson  was  re-elected  to  Con- 

Hon.  David  Crockett,  and  other  friends.     He  gress.     He  and   General  Jackson   belonged  to 

shrank  from  the  idea  of  taking  Vance's  life;  the  same  political  party,  and  a  warm  atW  inti- 

and,  perfectly  cool   and  self-possessed,  before  mate  personal   friendship    grew    irp    between 


BURKE  COCnSTT.                                                           91 

tliem,  which  was  destined  to  be  tried  bj'po'.it-  In  neither  of  the  States,  hovrever,  was  there 

teal  dissensions  that  divided  parties,  alienated  such  unanimity  anionii-  the  friends   of    nuUifi- 

friends,   and    came   very    near    dissol\-inci;   the  cation  as  to  make  it  prudent,  in  their  judgment, 

bonds  of  the  Union  itself.  to  attempt  to  put  it  into  practical  etfect. 

Leading  statesmen  of  the  South  considered  ^^^-^  change,  too,  in   the  administration    led 

high  rates  of  tantf  upon  foreign  importations  them  to  expect  a   satisfactory  mndiiicati..n  of 

as    destructive    to  the    interests    of  the    nun-  the  obnoxious  law;  and  .hiring  the  summer  of 

manufacturing  States.     They  regarded  it  as  1829  their  etforts  were  directed   towards  in- 

exceedingly  unjust  on  the  part  of  the  General  Anencing   the  public  mind  iu   opposition  to  it., 

Govcrnn.ent  to  institute  such  a  policy.     They  The  opponents  of  the  administration  had  a 

conceived  that  no  snch  iri, position  is  authorized  cleci<led  majority    in    Congress,  and  the  Presi- 

by  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  ^'^'-'^  vetoed  ^:everal  bills  that  had  lieen  passed 

that  any  act  of  (Congress,  providing  for   the  'j.V  that  body,  which  were  antagonistic  to  the 

collection  of  excessive   duties,  is  in  violation  views  of  the  States  Rights  party ;  <md  for  some 

of  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  that  instru-  time  there  was  no  open  I, reach   between   Gen- 

ment,  and  is  therefore  "  null  a^nd  void,  and  no  ^ral  Jackson  and  his   party   friends,  and  to  all 

1     .  •»  appearances  they  were  in  harmony.     But  vari- 

r„,            ,                   .      -.    .           .                   ,    ,  ous   disturbing   elements    were    in     existence 
iliose  who  entertained  these  views  regarded 

the  cai'se  in  the  i'undaniental  law  which 
acknowledges  that  all  powers  not  delegated 
to  tlie  (ilenerjl  (government  are  reserved 
to  the  States  as  one  of-  the  gi'eatest  import- 
ance; and  that  on  its  faitiiful  observance  de- 
pends the  growth,  development  and  welfare 
of  the  individual  States,  and  the  perpetuit}' of 
the  Union. 


and  intiuences  were  at  v.'ork  whicli,  by  the 
end  of  the  second  .session  of  the  2Ist  Congress, 
the  lieginiiing  of  1831,  indicated  plainU-  that 
there  was  a  dix'ision  among  the  friends  of  the 
administi'ation. 

In  the  election  for  members  of  C(uigress  in 


1831,  Mr.  Carson  was  again  elected. 

In     the    Presidential    election    which    took 

phice    in    1832,   the  ultra   States   Rights  men 

In  1824,  a  vehement  but   inetiectual  opposi-  having  lo.st  confidence  m  General  Jackson,  re- 

tion   was  made  in    Congress   to   a  protective  fused  to  support  him,  and  there  were  different 

tariff  bill;  andwhe:i  that    body  passed  a  law  parties,  some  of  which  possessed  great  strength, 

increasing  the  rates  of    duty,  as   was  done  in  ;„  opposition  to  him;  but  the  elements  of  op- 

1828,  the  whole   country    became   profoundly  position  were  too  incongruous  to  admit  of  any 

agitated.     The   delegation  in    Congress  from  m^ion   between    them,  and    General   Jackson 

South  Carolina  held  a  meeting,  and  discussed  ^jy^^g  re-elected. 

the  question  of  resigning  their  seats;  and  also  ^-^,.g..  |,.^,-|  j,,^,,^  Y>een  questions  presented  to 

the  question  of  declaring  the  law  to   be  void,  ^hg  country  which  involved  such  interests. 

and  of  no  effect  within  the  State.  On  the  27th  of  November,  of  the  same  year, 

Virginia,    South     Carolina,     Georgia,    and-  the    Convention   of  South    Carolina  met,  and 

other    Southern   States  passed   resolutions  in  soon  after  the  Act  of  Xullification  was  passed, 

their  respective  Legislatures,  exhibiting   their  Everywhere  the  feelings  of  the  people  were 

extreme  opposition  to  the  measure;  antl  every  wrought  up  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excitement, 

where  throughout   the    South   there  were  in-  Passions  were   aroused  in   man}-  places,  almost 

dications  of  imminent  di'.nger  of   a  disruption  to  a   state   of  frenzy',   and   to   all   appearances 

of  the  Union.  civil  war  was  inevitable. 


92  WHEELEK'S   REMINISCENCES. 

Congress  met,  and  by  a  modification  of  the  manner  which  shows  the  kindly  impulsive  na- 

tarift',    oil     was    poured    upon    the    troidjled  ture   of  Mr.   Carson.     At  a    large  public    ball, 

waters.       Soon     all     warlike     demonsti'ations  Mr.  Carson  in    turning  saw  Mr.  Webster,  who 

ceased,    but    still     bitterne-'S     rankled    in    the  was   standing  with  his    arms  folded    in  rather 

■  bosoms  of  many.  an  absti'acted    niannor.     Giving    way    to   the 

Samuel  1'.  CcUvon  believed  that  the  doctrine  impulse   of   the  moment,  he   immediately   ad- 

of  States  Eights  contained  a  vital  principle  in  vanced   to   him  with  his   hand   extended,  and 

our  Government,  and  v\-as.  therefore,  one  of  its  said,  in    his    usual    hearty   manner,    "How   do 

warmest  advocates.     A   large  majority  of  the  you  do,  sir?"     Mr.  "Webster  grasped    his  hand 

people  of  his  district  regarded  the  preservation  most    coi'dially  and    exclaimed:  "Carson,  I  al- 

of  the  Union  paramount  to  every  other  Ijless-  wa^'s   liked  you,  I   knew  you    tt>  be  an  honest 

iug,  and  at   the  Cbagressiomil   election   which  inan."     And  tiiey  were  friends  ever  after, 

took  place   in   18-33,  he    was    defeated   by  the  Mr.  Carson  continued  feeble;  and  indeed,  he 

Hon.  James  Grahanj.  never    regained    his    healtli.      He    pa.ssed    his 

But  Mr.  Carson  had  lost  liis  health,  and  was  time  in  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  the  society-   of 
not  able  to  canvass  liis  district.  his  friends,  until  the  j-ear  1835,   when   he  re- 
He  never  appeared   before  the  people  of   his  solved  to   remove   to   Texas — then   struggling 
district  again.  under   the    op[.iressions   of   Mexico.     In    that 

Mr.   Carson    I'Cnew  the  strength   of  General  year  he  visited  that   country  for   the   puipose 

Juckson's  p)rejudiee3,  and  the  vigor  of  his  tern-  of  selecting  a  hijme;  and  when  he  returned,  he 

per,  and  being  a  ver^-  warm  personal  friend,  could  not  but  have  been  gratified  at  the  strik- 

telt  anxious  to  know  what  his  feelings  towai'ds  iug  evidence  which  the   [leople  of  his  native 

him' were   after   the  change   in   their  political  count}'. had  given  of  their  confidence  in  him, and 

relati'ons.  their  liigh  esteem.      They   h<id  elected    him, 

Therefore,  upon    meeting  General  Jackson's  during    his   absence,  as   their  memlier  of  the 

brother-in-law,  immediately  after  returning  to  State  Convention,  ^vhich  was  held   that  j'ear, 

W^ashiugton,  he   inquired  what   the  General's  1S3.5.  He  accept i.d  the  position,  and  discharged 

feelings tovvaid  him  were.     He  replied:  "They  the    duties    with    fidelity    and    acceptability, 

always   were  to   be  of  the  kindest  sort,  be  is  In    the    fall   of  18-36,   he    reuujved    with    his 

i'ond  of  your  company;  that  he  does   not  dis-  family  to  tlie    county    which  he  liad  selected,; 

lii-ce  }ou  or  Sam  Houston."  and  the  same  year  was  elected  member  of  the 

There  never  seemed  the  slightest  abatement  Convention  of  Texas,  of  wniich  General  I)a\'id 

iu  the  warmth  of  his  feelings  for  Carson.     His  G.  Burnett  was  President,  and  which    created 

invitations   to   him    were  just   as  frequent  as  the  Republic. 

ever;  theii'  friendly  and  social   relations  were  This  was  a  dark  and  gloomy    hour.     Gladly 

never  disturbed  in  the  slightest  degree.    VVlieu  did  Texas  welcome  such  a  man   as  Samuel  P. 

in  Washington  Citj'  2vir.  Carson  was  a  general  Carson.     Iu    the    organization    he   ^vas    made 

favoiite  among  the  members  of  Congress,  their  Secretary  t>f  State;   and  it  was  owing  to   his 

relations  were   \eiy  kind,  and   his   intercourse  intimate  acquaintance  and  personal  popularity 

with  them  was  very  pleasant.  with  the  public  men  of  the  United    States   ho 

A  coolness   occurred   between,  him   and   the  was  sent  to  "Washington  Gity  to  intercede  for 

great  Daniel  Webster,  whicli   prevented  them  the    recognition    of  the   Republic   among  the 

from  speaking  to  each  other  for  three  or  four  nations  of  the  earth, 

years.     It  was  terminated  howes'er,  and  in  a  At  this  time  the  whole  civilized  world  was 


bukke  couxtt. 


93 


sTiocked  at  the  horrible  massacre  of  Alamo,  and 
syiiipathized  with  Texas,  struggling  against 
the  immense  armies  which  AJexico  had  hurled 
upon  her.  Her  destruction  seemed  inevitable. 
Under  these  circurn-tances,  recognition  was 
out  of  the  question.  But  when  Texas,  on  the 
field  of  San  Jacinto,  h;id  scattered  the  hosts 
of  Mexico,  and  made  manifest  her  ability-  to 
maintain  herself  against  that  power,  recogni- 
tion by  the  Cnited  States  came,  and  Mr. 
Carson,  without  doui.t,  did  much  towartis 
preparing  this  countiy  for  it._ 

He  was  not  al)le  much  longer  to  discharge 
the  active  duties  of  life. 

His  wife  was  Catheiine,  a  daughter  of 
James'Wilsiin,  of  'i'ennessee.  to  whom  he  was 
married  on  the  10th  day  of  May,  1831.  With 
her  and  his  little  daughter,  to  whom  he  was 
devoted,  he  spent  the  most  of  the  remainder  of 
his  life. 

He  died  at  Little  Eock,  Arkans:is,  in  No- 
vember, 1840,  leaving  one  chuighter,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  McD.  Whitson,  of  Talla- 
dega, Alabama,  a  great  grandson  of -'Hunting'' 
John  McDowell. 

But  Caison  was  never  the  same  man  after  the 
aii'air  whirh  terminated  in  the  death  of  the 
feailess  and  talented  Vance,  the  uncle  of  the 
Governor  and  General  Vance,  as  lie  was  before 
the  tragic  event.  From  ii  ruddy  and  robust 
complexion,  iiis  countenance  so  expressive  of 
genius  and  good  humor,  a  frame  active  and 
buoyant,  in  his  pallid  cheek,  his  sunken  eye, 
antl  tottei-ing  step,  he  showed  the  deep  pangs 
and  ravages  of  remorse.  As  expressed  by- 
Home,  in  Douglas; 

Happy  hi  my  uihid  was  lie  that  died, 

For  many  deaths  has  the  survivor  suffered; 

In  the  wild  desert  on  a  rock  he  sits, 

Or  on  some  nameless  stream's  untrodden  banks, 

And  ruminates  all  day  on  his  unhappy  fate. 

At  times  alas !  not  in  liis  perfect  mind. 

Holds  secret  coiivetse  witli  Iiis  departed  friend. 

And  oft  at  iiiglit  forsakes  liis  retless  couch. 

To  make  sad  orizous  for  him  he  slew. 


material  as  to  the  !McDovi-ell  family,  I  must 
again  express  my  thanks  to  Dr.  Michal. 

Israel  Pickens  i-epresented  Burke  County  in 
the  Semite  in  1808  and  1809,  with  Isaac  T. 
Avery  and  CharlesMcDowell  as  colleagues  tlie 
latter  year. 

He  was  a  native  of  Mecklenburg  County,  of 
tlifit  part  now  Cabarrus;  born  SOth  January, 
1780. 

He  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Pickens,  who  done 
good  service  in  the  Revolutionary-  war  against 
the  British  and  Tories. 

He  was  educated  in  Iredell  County,  and  fin- 
ished his  education  at  AVashington  College, 
Pennsylvania,  w-here  he  also  completed  his  law 
studies.  He  was  licensed  to  plead,  and  settled 
in  Morganton. 

He  \\-as  the  Representative  in  Congress  from 
this  district  in  1811  to  1817,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Hon.  Pelix  Walker. 

He  voted  f(n'  tlie  war  of  1812,  and  was  a  firm 
supporter  of  Madison. 

In  1817  he  removed  to  Alabama. and  settled 
at  St.  Stevens,  and  was  appointed  by  the 
President,  Register  of  the  Land  Oiiice.  On 
the  death  of  Governor  Bibb,  he  was  elected, 
in  1821,  Governor  of  that  State,  and  again  in 
1823;  and  in  182(i,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Chal- 
mers, he  was  appointed  Sjuat  )r  in  Congress 
from  Alabama. 

He  was  appointed  United  States  Judge  for 
Alabama,  which  he  declined  to  accept.  In 
the  fall  of  182C,  in  consequence  of  a  serious 
affection  of  the  lungs,  he  resigned  his  seat  in 
the  Senate;  he  repaired  to  Cuba,  hoping  that 
his  health  would  be  restored  by  the  mild  cli- 
mate, where  he  died  24th  April,  1827.* 

David  ISTewland  was  a  native  of  Burke 
County,  and  represented  the  county  in  1825- 
'27  and  '28  in  the  Commons,  and  in  1830  in 
the  Senate.  In  1832  he  was  a  candichite  for 
Congress    against    Hon.   James   Graham,  and 


For   the  above   sketch,  anil  for  most  of  the        *Pickett's  Alabama,  II,  432. 


94 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


believed  that  lie  was  fairly  elected.  It  was 
nearly  a  tie  in  the  popular  vote,  and  Graham's 
seat  was  contested  by  him.  The  House,  unahle 
or  unwilling  to  decide,  referred  the  election 
back  to  the  people,  and  Graham  was  elected. 
He  immigrated  to  Wisconsin,  and  was  so  suc- 
cessful in  politics  that  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legishiture,  and  on  sevei'al  occasions  was  chosen 
.Speaker.  But  broken  down  in  fortune  and 
health  and  hopes,  he  went  to  Washington 
City,  where  lu  engaged  in  "  the  wild  hunt  for 
toflice."  Aftor  fruitless  attempts,  failing  to 
obtain  any  position,  however  menial,  he  sunk 
in  despair,  and  on  20th  December,  1857,  his 
body  was  found  in  the  Tiber.  He  had  com- 
mitted suicide. 

— -Alas,  poor  Yorick !  I  knew  him,  Horatio.  A 
fellow  of  infinite  jest,  and  most  excellent  liumor. 

Todd  R.  Caldwell  was  born  in  Morganton, 
February  19,  1818.  His  father,  John  Cald- 
well, was  a  native  of  Ireland;  settled  in  Mor- 
ganton  in  1800,  and  became  a  leading  merchant 
in  that  place. 

He  was  well  educated,  and  graduated  at  the 
University,  1S40,  in  a  hirge  class,  with  such 
men  as  Judge  Barnes,  Judge  Shipp,  John  W. 
Cunningham,  WilUani  Johnston,  and  others, 
with  honor.  He  read  law  with  Governor 
Swain,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840, 
and  sjon  attained  an  extensive  practice. 

He  entered  the  arena  of  politics  in  1S42, 
and  continued  in  its  e.xciting  pursuit  as  long 
as  he  lived.  He  was  an  (dd  Line  Whig  of  the 
strictest  sense. 

In  1848  he  was  one  of  the  electors,  and  cast 
the  vote  of  the  State  for  Taylor  and  Fihiiore. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  he  was 
the  friend  of  tiie  Union  and  the  foe  of  seces- 
sion. 

In  1865,  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  first 
State  Convention  that  met  after  the  war.  In 
1868  he  was  nominated  as  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor on  same  ticket  with  Governor  Ilolden,  and 
was   elected.      On    deposition    of    Governor 


Holden.  in  1871,  he  succeeded  him  as  Gover- 
nor. 

As  a  criminal  lawyer  he  had  much  reputa- 
tion; and  as  a  politician,  much  success,  rarely 
failing  in  an  election  liefore  the  people.  In 
1872  he  was  nonunated  as  Governor,  and 
opposed  b}'  Judge  Merrimon.  After  a  heated 
canvass  he  was   elected. 

He  married  the  eldest  daughter  of  William 
Cain,  and  niece  of  late  Judge  RutHn.  He 
died,  after  a  short  illness,  at  Hillsboro,  on  the 
11th  February,  1874,  and  was  succeeded  as 
Governor  by  Hon.  C.  A.  Brogden,  of  AVayne 
Count}'. 

R.  C.  J^earson  was  one  of  the  most  useful 
and  patriotic  citizens  of  Burke  County ,■^vllere 
he  was  bm-n,  lived  and  died. 

lie  was  an  honest  and  intelligent  merchant, 
a  skillful  financier  (president  of  the  branch 
bank  of  the  State,)  and  one  of  the  most  earn- 
est friends  of  internal  improvements  in  the 
State.  From  the  day  he  organized  the  first 
stockholders'  meeting  in  1855,  at  Salisbury,  of 
the  Western,  N.  C,  Railroad,  and  through  the 
weary  years  that  followed,  ha  was  the  stay 
and  backbone  of  the  belt  of  counties  between 
Rowan  and  Buncombe.  What  Alorehead  wtts 
to' the  Central,  so  was  Pearson  to  the  Western 
Railroad. 

But  it  was  in  private  life,  as  a  friend  and  a 
neighbor,  that  the  traits  of  his  real  character 
were  most  conspicuous.  During  the  long  and 
bloody  civil  war,  although  firmin  his  devotion 
to  his  native  land  and  people,  his  house  and  his 
heart  was  open  to  all  Confederate  wounded  sol- 
diers, and  an  as_yluui  for  their  widows  and 
orphans.  His  death  caused  a  deeper  sorrow  than 
was  ever  evinced  in  our  community,  and  his 
nieuiory — 

Sleeps  in  blessings. 

And  has  a  touib  of  orphan  tears, 
Wept  over  him. 

He  left  several  children  to  imitate  his  exam- 
ple and  emulate  his  virtues. 


CABARllUS  COUNTY. 
CITAPTEK  IX. 
CABARFUS  COUNTY 


'95 


Caljarrns  County,  daring  the  Revolution  and 
before  a  part  of  Mecklenburg,  showed  early 
resistance  to  the  powers  and  oppressions  of 
its  rulers.  The  people  lost  no  opportunity 
■of  opposing  the  Royal  Grovernment. 

I  found,  in  the  London  Rolls  Office,  the  list 
of  persons  who  were  concerned  in  destro3"ing 
the  ammunition  intended  for  Governor  Trj^on's 
arm}-,  en  route  from  Charleston  to  Salisbni'v, 
in  1771,  inclosed  in  a  dispatch  from  Governor 
Martin;  and  the}'  are  preserved,  as  many  of 
the  descendants  of  these  bold  and  [latriotic 
men  still  reside  in  tlds  section,  as  follows: 

James  Ashmore;  Benjamin  Cochran;  Robert 
Caruthers;  Robert  Davis;  Joshua  Hadley;  John 
White;  James  White;  William  White,  Jr. 

We  present  a  name  wortliy  of  respect  and 
remembrance.  Our  pages  have  T)een  hitherto 
devoted  to  tlie  soldier  and  sttitesman,  but  we 
now  dwell  upon  one  who  stamped  upon  bis 
day  and  generation,  as  a  divine,  a  cliaracter 
worthy  of  all  Gl'ecian  or  Roman  fame. 

Rev.  John  Robinson,  J).  D.,*  was  in  all  re- 
spects one  of  the  highest  type  of  men  in  mmd 
and  manners;  resplendent  in  purity  and  use- 
fulness of  his  lit'e;  peerless  in  consecrated 
genius;  like  Masselon,  he  was  trulj^the  Legate 
of  the  Skies.  He  was  horn  in  this  county, 
near  Sugar  Creek  Church,  and  received  his  ac- 
ademic education  from  Mr.  Archibald,  and 
completed  it  at  Winnsb)ro,  South  Carolina. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  179-3,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  popular  and  acceptable  minis- 
ters of  the  Presbyterian  faith;  ho  taught 
school  for  many  years,  and  some  of  the  first 
minds  of  the  country  were  developed  l.i}-  his 
learning  and  assi(h^it3^  t     These  have  adorned 


*Historical  sketch  of  Poplar  Tent  Chiircli,  by  Wm. 
S.  Harris. 

t  As  Governors  Owen,  Pickens,  Murphy,  and  Hon. 
Charles  Fisher,  D.  M.  Ijarringer,  Col.  Daniel  Coleman 
and  others. 


every  station  of  life;  in  testimony  of  their 
grateful  appreciation  of  his  services,  his 
pupils  built  a  handsome  monument,  on  which 
is  a  beautiful  inscription  appropriate  to  his 
character.  And  although  an  ordinarj'  life  has 
elapsed  since  his  decease,  his  memor}-  is  still 
cherished  by  manj-  with  afi:"ection. 

He  married  Mary  Baldwin,  whose  lovely 
character  did  much  to  temper  the  ardent  en- 
thusiasm of  her  husband.  Only  four  children 
reached  maturity,  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 
His  eldest,  Samuel,  was  adventurous  and  daring 
in  temper.  He  participated  in  the  South 
American  and  Turkish-Grecian  struggles,  and 
attained  command  of  a  splendid  ship,  which 
was  lost  at  sea  in  February,  1843,  with  all  on 
board. 

Connected  with  Cabarrus  County'  and  the 
church  is  the  name  of  Rev.  Hezokiah  James 
Balch,  who  was  born  at  Deer  Ci'cek,  Hai'ford 
Cimnty,  Maryland,  in  1748.  He  was  a  gifted 
divine  and  a  finished  scholar.  He  graduated 
at  Princeton  in  1766,  in  the  same  class  with 
Waighstill  Aver}',  Oliver  Ellsworth,  of  Con- 
necticut, Luther  Martin,  of  Maryland,  and 
others.  He  came  to  North  Carolina  in  1760. 
He  was  the  first  pastor  of  l^'oplar  Tent  Church, 
and  remained  so  until  his  death.  He  com- 
bined in  his  character  unspotted  piety,  enthu- 
siasm, and  firmness.  He  was  earnest  and 
patriotic  in  the  cause  of  liberty;  and  took  an 
active  part  with  the  men  of  Mecklenburg,  to 
whicli  Caliarrus  then  belonged,  in  the  conven- 
tion that  declared  Independence  on  the  20th 
of  May,  1775.  He  did  riot,  however,  live  to 
see  the  warmest  wish  of  his  heart  gratified, 
the  independence  of  his  country',  for  which  he 
was  ready  to  give  up  his  life.  He  died  in 
1776. 

In  the  ancient  graveyard  of  the  ven- 
erable  Poplar   Tent    Church,   stands  a  moss- 


WHEELEirS   REMINISCENCES. 


covered  monument  which    bears    this  inscrip- 
tion— 

Beneath  this  marble 
are  the  mortal  remahis  of 
Hezekiah  James  Balch, 
first  pastor  of  Poplar  Tent  Congregation,  and  one  of 
the  oiiginal  members  of  the  Orange   Iresbytery.    He 
was^icensed  a  preacher  of  the  Everlasting  Gospel  of     fliaoiice  in  public  affairs.     He  was  an  educated 
the  Presbytery  of  Donegal  in  176G,  and  rested  from  his 

man;  graduated    at  the  University    in    1799, 

and    died   on    the    18th   October,.  1845,   near 


of  General   John  Phifer,  (son  of  Martin    and' 
Bets,)'  Locke.)     lie  was  a  useful  man,  of  deci- 
sion  of  character,  patriotic  and   enterprising 
He  often  represented  Cabarrus  in  the  Legisla- 
ture from  1808  to  1815,  and  wielded  great  in- 


labonrsin  A.  D.  1776;  having  been  Pastor  of  the  Uni- 
ted Congregations  of  J'oplar  Teut  and  liocky  Piiver 
about  seven  years. 

He  was  distingnit-hed  as  one  of  a  Committee  of  three 
who  prepared  the  Declaration  of  Independence; 
and  his  eloquence,  the  more  effectual  from  his  acknowl- 
edged wisdom,  purity  of  motive,  and  dignity  of  charac- 
ter, contributed  much  to  the  unanimous  ad'  ption  of' 
that  iustrumeni.  ou  20th  May,  1775. 

Yet  there  are  some  few  of  modern  times 
^^■ho  alleged  that  no  such  convention  ever  oc- 
curred. 

The  Phifeu  Family. 

The  ancestor  of  this  large  family.  Alar- 
tin  Phifer,  (or  Pilfer,)  was  a  native  of  Switz- 
erland, and  emigrated  to  Amcriea;  went  first 
to  Pennsyh'ania,  and  afterwards  came  to  North 
Carolina,  with  the  current  of  German,  Irish 
and  Scotch,  and  settled  in  the  then  Mecklen- 
burg County.  He  was  much  respected  for  his 
industry,  frugality,  and  sound  sense.  lie  was 
elected  in  1777  a  member  of  t!ie  Legislature 
from  Mecklenburg,  with  Waightstill  Avery  as 
a  colleague  in  the  Comnmns,  and  John  Mc- 
Knitt  Alexander  in  the  Sent,te.  lie  married 
Margaret  Blackweldcr.  He  died  in  1789, 
leaving  three  sons. 

For  the  Genealogy  of  the  Phifer  Family, 
see  Appendix. 

The  genealogical  table  h;is  been  carefully- 
compiled,  and  it  is  believed  to  be  accurate.  It 
emijraces  three  generations  and  can  be  ex- 
tended. It  presents  the  members  of  a  hirge 
family',  many  of  whom  are  distinguished  for 
their  services  and  talents,  and  all  for  their 
sterling  \irtues  and  exemplary  characters.  The 
services  of  John  Phifer,  son  of  Martin  and 
Mai'garet     Blackwelder,    in     the  war  of   the 


Concord.* 
The  Family  of  BARRmoERs  of  Cabarrus. 

John  Paul  Barringer,  (or  as  he  wrote  his 
panic,  Paul  Barringer,)  the  founder  of  the 
family  in  North  Carolina,  was  born  in  Wurtem- 
burg,  in  German}',  on  4th  of  June,  1721.  He 
settled  first  in  Pennsylvania,  and  afterwarde 
in  Cabarrus,  then  Meckleidjurg,  about  1750.  ■ 

Wlieti  the  Revolution  broke  out,  he  took  a. 
decided  stand  with  the  oppressed  [.)eople  of 
his  State,  and  from  his  devotion  to  tlieir  cause, 
he  suffered  severely,  for  he  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Tories,  and  carried  to  South  Carolina. 

He  was  elected  a  mend:ier  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, the  first  from  Cabari'us  after  its  division.' 
from  Mecklenburg  in  1793,  atid  was  a  promi- 
nent and  influential  citizen  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  which  occuri'cd  on  1st  January,  18  07. 
He  married,  first,  Ann  Elizabeth  Iseman;  and 
second,  Catherine  Blackwelder,  by  whom  he 
had  several  children,  viz: 

Diuiiel  L.  Barringer,  born  in  .\Iecklen- 
iiurg  County,  Octobei'  1st,  1788,  studied  law, 
and  settled  at  Raleigh,  lie  was  elected  a 
member  of  thellouse  of  Commons  from  Wake 
County,  1813-'iy-'21;  and  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  1826  to  18-35. 

He  removed  to  Tennessee,  and  was  one  of 
the  Presidential  electors  in  1S44,  voting  for 
Mr.  Clay.  He  was  the  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  of  that  State.     He  married 


"  Much  of  the  material  of  the  sketch  of  the  Phifers 
has  been  gathered  from  correspondence,  and  from  an 


Revolution,  and  in  the  Councils  of  the  State,     e.xcellent  article  in  North  Carolina  University  Maga- 

zine  (Vol.   V.,   p.  418,  November,  Ihob,)   entitled  A- 
deterve  a  perpetual  remembrance;  as  also  those     memoir  of  Coir   el  John  Phifer. 


CABARRUS  CO[IN"TY.  97 

Miss  White,  sister  of  Mrs.  D.  L.  Swain.     He  Colonel  Geor£;e  Alexander  and  Major  Thos. 

died  October  16th,  1852.  Harris  were  natives  of  Cabarrus  and  officers  of 

General    Paul    Barringer,   the    eldest    son  the  Continental  line.     The}'  both  were  brave 

by  a  second  marriage,  was  born  1778.     He  re-  and  true — fonght  nndcrthe  eye  of  Washingti^n 

ceived    a   good    English    education,    and    was  at  Monmouth  and  Trenton   and  in   the   battle 

distinguished  for  his  business  habits  and  his  of  Camden,  where   both  were  taken  prisoners 

strong  practical  sense.     He  was  a  member  of  and  Harris  severely  wounded.* 

the  House  of  Commons  from  1806  to  1815,  and  T>v.  Charles  Harris  was  born  in  1763;  while 

in  1822  in  the  Senate  of  the  Legislature.  but  a  ^outh  pui-sning  his  studies  in  Charlotte, 

He    married     a     second    time,    Elizabeth,  he  joined  the  corps  of  cavalry  under  General 

daughter    of  Matthew  Brandon,    of  Rowan,  W.    R.    Davie,   and    rendered    good    service 

whoso  family  are  distinguished  for  their  abil-  under  Ihat  brave   and   daring   officer.     After 

ities,  patriotism  and  love  of  independence.  the  war  was  over  he  resumed  his  studies,  and 

Matthew    Brandon     was   a    soldier    of   the  he  finished  his  classical  as  well  as  his  medical 

Revolution,   and     was    with    General    Joseph  stud}'    in    Philadelphia,  under  the  charge  of 

Graham  and   Colonel  Locke  in    opposing  the  that  eminent  professor,  Benjamin  Rush.     On 

advance  of  the  British  near  Charlotte,   when  his  return   he  settled   first  in  Salisbur}-,  and 

Graham    was    sevei'ely    wounded     and   Locke  practised  with  great  succe.-s.     He  then  moved 

killed.     His  relative,  William  Brandon,  was  a  to  Cabarrus,  where  he  lived  a  long  and  useful 

lieutenant   in  the  Continental  army,  and  was  life,  and  died  in  1825. 

the  first  child  born  south  of  the    Yadkin.     He  He   established  a   medical    school,  and    was 

died  in  'i'ennessoe  m    1836,   aged    ninety-nine  eminent  as  a  physician  and  sui'geou. 

3'^^''*-  His  school    was    well   patronized   for  more 

General    Barringer  died  at   Lincolnton   on  than  forty  years;  pcrha^^s  the  only  one  ever 

June  20th,  1844,  and  his   wife  followed   him  established  in  the  State.     Among  his  pupils 

soon  after,  (in  Xovember  of  the   same  year.)  ^^^re  l)r.  Charles  Caldwell,  formerly  a  Profes- 

Fnr  Genealogy  uf  the  Barringer  family,  see  gor  in  Transylvania  University, Louisville,  Ken- 

^I'Pendix.  tucky,  Dr.  Robert  McKensie,  and  Dr.  Robertr 

Nathaniel   Alexander  was  a  native  of  this  B.  Vance,  member  of  Congress  from  Asheville. 

county  when  yet  a  portion  of  Mecklenburg.  jjig  g,,,,^  William   Shakespeare  Harris,  was 

His  early  education  was  commenced  in  a  hum-  n,u,.h  esteemed  for  his  taleiits  and  worth.  lie 

hie  log  cabin  at  Poplar  Tent,  near  his  paternal  represented  Cabarrus  in  1840. 

mansion,  the  Morebead  Place,  thence  he  went  Robert     Simonton    Young    was    a    distiu- 

to  Princeton,  where  he  graduated  in  1776.  He  guished,  useful  and  exemplary  citizen  of  this 

studied    medicine,  and  was   a  successful   phy-  eonnty.     Active  and   patriotic,  he  was   much 

®^'^'^"-  esteemed.     He  was  an  officer  in  the   Confed- 

He  represented  Mecklenburg  in  the  House  grate  Army,  and  fell   in  battle  near  Peters- 

of  Commons  in  1797,  and  in  the  Senate  in  1802.  buro-  in  1864. 

Li   1803  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  8th  jiq  married  first  a  daughter  of  John  Phifer; 

Congress,  1803-'05.     In   1805  he   was  elected  second,  a  daughter  of  A.  M.  Burton.  No  nobler 

Governor  ofthe  State,  and  served  till  his  death,  offering  was  ever  laid  on   the  altar  of  public 

8th  March,  1808.     He   married  a  daughter  of  service. 

Colonel  Thos.  Polk.     His  remains  lie  in  the     

Presbyterian  church  yard  at  Charlotte.  *MSS.  letters  of  Wm.  S.  Harris.. 


98  WHEELER'S   KE MINIS CEXCES. 

Daniel   Coleman,  (born  2Stli   March,  1799,)'  trict.     After  serving  for  four  years  he  retired 

was  born  in  Kowan  Count}';  moved  to  Cabar-  from  the   practice,  and  engaged  in   constrnc- 

rus  in  1823.  tion,  with  Dr.  E.  R.  Gibson,  of  the  North  Caro- 

Educated  at    Rocky  River  Aeademj-,  con-  Una   Railroad.     Appointed    to    office    in    the 

ducted  by  Dr.  J.  M.  V/ilson,  father  of  J.  liar-  Treasury,    in    1871,    which   position  he   held 

vey  Wilson,  of  Charlotte,  and  finished  under  until  the  time  of  his  demise. 
Dr.  John  Robinson,  at  Poplar  Tent,  1823,  and         He  married    Maria,   daughter   of   John    E. 

the  latter  part  of  this  year  settled  at  Concord.  Mahan,  of  Concord,  and  had  two  sons,  William 

In  the  Spring  following  he  was  elected  Clerk  M.,  late  Attorney  General  of  North  Carolina, 

.of  the    County   Court,  and    served    till  1828.  and  Daniel  Ra^Mnond,  who  is  now  a  teacher  in 

Read  law  with  Judge  David  F.  Caldwell,  and  the   Deaf   and   Dumb  Institution,  at   city  of 
was    licensed    to   practice.     In  1830  to  '33  he  ■  Belville,  Province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
.was   engrossing    clerk,  and  1834  -'35,  reading         J.    McCalib  Wiley    was   born  in    Cabarrus 

clerk  of  the  State  Senate.  County,  in    1806;  removed    to    Bibb   County, 

In  1836  he   was  appointed  Third  As^stant  Alabama,  1836;  served  in  the  army  in  the  war 

-Postmaster-General  under  Amos  Kendall,  and  with  Mexico;    member  of  Board   of  Visitors 

-served  till  May,  1841.  to  West  Point;    elected  Judge  of  the  Eighth 

He  returned  home  and  resumed  his  practice  Circuit    of  Alabama  1865;  elected  member  of 

at  the  bar,  and  in  1848,  was  elected  by  the  39th    Congress,    and    in    1871,   again   elected 

Xegislature,  Solicitor  of  the  Sixth  Judicial  Dis-  judge. 


CALDWELL   COUNTY. 

Caldwell  Count}' has  no  Revolutionar}' wor-  Patterson,  worthily  enjoyed   the   regard   and 

thies  to  present,  having  been  formed  in  1841,  respect    of    his  coantrj'.     He    died    recently, 

from  the  counties  of  Burke  and  Wilkes.    But  much  regretted. 

she  presents  a  munber  of  names  worthy  of  James  C.  Harper,  who  represented  the  dis- 
regard, trict  in   42d   Congress  (1871-'73;)  resides  in 

Samuel  F.  Patterson  lived  and  died  in  this  this  county.     He  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 

•county.     He  was  highly  esteemed,  and  filled  born   in    Cumberland   County,  6th  December, 

many  positions  of  much  responsibility  with  in-  1819;  raised  in  Ohio  on  a  farm,  and  settled  in 

tegrit}'  and  honor.     As  a  financier  he  had  few  this  county  in   1840,  wiiich  he  represented  in 

superiors.     lie  was,  in    1836,  Treasurer  of  the  the    Legislature   in    1866    and    1868.     He    in 

State,  and  President   of  the  Raleigh  and  Gas-  Congress,  as  in  the  Legislature,  Avas   distiu- 

ton  Railroad.     He  was  averse  to  popular  pro-  guished  for  his  close  and  faithful  attention  to 

motions,  but  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  his    duties,  never  in   the  A\'ay  in   obstructing 

State  Legislature  in  1S64.  useful  legislation,  and  never  out  of  the  waj-in 

He  married  a  daughter  of  General  Edmund  opposing  wild  and  extravagant  measures. 

Jones,  long  a  member  of  the  Legislature  frtjm  He  married  Louisa,  daughter  of  Athan  Mc- 

Wilkes,   and    universally    respected    for    his  Dowell,   aud    the   granddaughter   of  General 

probity  and  intelligence.     Ilis  son,  Rufus   L.  Charles  and  Grace  Greenlee  McDowell.     The 


CALDWELL  COUNTY— CAMDEX  COUXTT.  99 

■•patriotic  character  of  Grace  Greenlee  has  al-  that  Korth  Carolina  appreciates  and   elevates 

Teac\v  been    alluded  to.  integrity  and  talent  wherever  found. 

One  of  Mr.  Harper's  daughters,  Emma,  mar-  George  Nathaniel   Folk  resides  at  Lenoir, 

ried   Clinton  A.  Cilly,  who  was,  in  1868,  one  Caldwell   County.     He  is  a  native  of  Isle  of 

of  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  (if  North  Wight  County,  Virginia;    born  in  February, 

Carolina.     Judge    Cilly   is   a   native   of  New  1831.     He  removed    to  Watauga    County  in 

Hampshire,  and  was  an  oftieer  in  the  army  of  1852,  and  represented  that  county  in  1856  and 

the  United  States  during  the  whole  war.     He  1861.     He  entered  the  Confederate   arm\'  and 

is  a  nepVi'-w  of  the  Hon.  Jonathan  Cilly, a  dis-  served  two  years  in  the  1st  Regiment  North 

tinguished    member    of    Congress,    who   fell  Carolina  Cavalry,  and  was  promoted  to  a  colo- 

February  24,  1838,  at  Bladensburg,  Maryland,  uelcy  of  the   6th    North    Carolina    Cavalry, 

in  a  duel  with  William  J.  Graves,  of  Ken-  Wounded  at  the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Vine 

tucky.  Vine,  and  in  East  Tennessee.     He  removed  to 

Judge  Cilly,  having  settled  since  the  war  in  Le':oir  in  1866,  and   represented  that  district 

North  Carolina,  is  a  standing  reproof  to  tlie  in  the  Legislature  in  1876.     He  is  esteemed  as 

idea  that  meritorious  men  of  northern  birth  an   able   lawyer,  and  was  Chairman  of  the  Ju- 

are  not  welcome  to  the  State,  and  an  evidence  diciary  C/omniittee. 


CAMDEN  COUNTY. 

General  Isaac  Gregory  was  born,  lived  and  that  many  recollect,  who    was  remarkable  for 

died  in  this   county.     He    was   a   brave   and  style  of  dress  and  line    equipage,  whicli  won 

patriotic  ofHcer   in    the   Revolutionary  army,  for  him  the  sobriquet  of  "  Beau  Gregory."    His 

and  did  some  service  in   the    cause    of  Inde-  resembknce  to  General  LaFayette  was  a  sub- 

pendence.     He    was  one    of    the   Committee  ject  of  remark  by  all  who  knew  them  both, 

of  Safety  in   1776  for   the  Edenton    district.  He   was   fond   of  gay    life    and    pleasure, 

and  by  the  Provincial  Congress  that   met  at  but  not  of  labor,  either   mental  or  physical. 

Halifax,    April    4,   1776,    he    was    appointed  He   was   a  member  of  the   Legislature  from 

one  of  the  held  officers  of  one   of  the  vegi-  Pasquotank  in  1828.     Sheriff  for  some  years, 

nients    of    Pasquotank,    of     which    Camden  and  postmaster  at  Elizabeth  City, 

was   then    a  part.*      He   commanded  a  bri-  Dempsey  Burgess,  Avho  resided  and  died  in. 

gade  of  State  troops  at  the  ilUfated  battle  of  this  county,  was  also  one  of  the  tield  officers 

Camden,  and  was  wounded  severely.     Bnt  he  appointed     lieutenant-colonel    with     General 

was  more  of  a  politician  than    a   soldier.     He  Gregory.      He    succeeded    William    Johnson 

was  the  first  Senator  from  Camden  County  in  Dawson  as  a  member   of  Congress  1795  and 

the  Legislature,  1778,  in   which  he   u'as  eon-  1797,  and  re-elected  in  1797  and  1799. 

tinned,  with  some  intermission,  until  1796.  nis  brother-in-law,    Lemuel    Sawyer,    born 

We  regret  our  material  is  so  scant  of  the  1777^  ^jed  1852,  was  one  of  the  most  eccentric 

services  and  the  character  of  General  Gregory,  men    and  successful   politicians  who  entered 

He  left  a  sou.  General  William  Gregory,  that  public    life  about   this  time.     He  was  elected 

*  Autobiography  of  Lemuel  Sawyer,  page  7.  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1800. 


100 


WHEELER'S  KEMINISCENCES. 


He  belonged  to  a  large  and  distinguished 
faiuil}'.  His  brother  Enoch  was  the  first  col- 
lector of  the  customs,  appointed  in  1791  by 
Washington,  and  filled  this  responsible  office 
till  his  death,  in  1827. 

He  was  born  in  Camden  Count}'  in  1777. 
He  was  educated  at  Flatbrush  Academy,  on 
Long  Island,  under  charge  of  Dr.  Peter  Wil- 
son, with  such  distinguished  associates  as  Wil- 
liamand  John  Duer, Troop  and  Telfair,  of  Geor- 
gia. He  studied  law,  but  never  made  the  pro- 
fession his  object  in  life.  He  preferred  the 
giddy  pursuits  of  politics  and  of  pleasure.  After 
serving  a  session  in  the  Legislature,  he  was 
elected  one  of  the  electors  in  1804  for  Presi- 
dent, and  voted  for  Jetferson,  to  whose  prin- 
ciples and  politics  he  was  a  constant  follower. 

On  the  retiring  of  General  Thomas  Wynns, 
of  Hertford  County,  from  Congress  in  1807, 
Mr.  Sawyer  was  elected  to  the  I3th  Congress 
over  William  H.  Murfree,  and  from  that  date 
.to  1829  (with  but  few  intermissions,)  he  was 
re-elected  by  the  people  over  the  most  prom- 
inent and  powerful  opf)onents;  among  them 
were  Mr.  Murfree,  Governor  L'edell  and  others. 

What  was  the  secret  of  this  extraordinary 
success  of  twenty  years'  service  it  is  difficult 
to  conjecture,  for  he  was  not  gifted  as  a 
speaker;,  he  was  negligent  of  his  duties,  often 
a  whole  session  passing  without  his  appearing 
a  single  day  in  his  seat;  eccentric  in  his  con- 
duet  and  priviite  life,  if  not  disreputable  in 
some  instances,  as  he  himself  confesses  in  his 
autobiography.  Doubtless  his  principles,  as 
his  votes  and  his  speeches  in  Congress  show, 
were  of  the  straightest  sect  of  Democracy, 
and  stern  advocate  of  the  rights  of  States. 
He  commenced  his  political  career  by  voting 
for  Jeflersou,  and  ended  it  by  advocating 
Jackson,  Van  Buren  and  Polk. 

He  had  a  great  fondness  for  literature,  and 


wrote  "  The  Life  of  John  Randolph,"  his  own: 
biography,  "  Black  Beard,"  and  other  produc- 
tions. His  easy  disposition,  his  liberality,  and 
his  social  eccentricities,  while  they  made  him 
many  friends,  brought  him,  at  the  close  of  life, 
to  guttering,  if  not  to  want.  His  life  was  pro- 
longed beyond  its  usefulness,  if  he  ever  was 
useful  in  an}'  capacity. 

His  latter  days  were  spent  in  Washington 
City.  He  was  another  of  the  many  instances 
of  persons  who,  charmed  in  more  prosperous 
days  by  the  glamor  of  this  gay  metropolis, 
feel,  as  did  Madame  Maintenon,  that  "  there 
were  a  hundred  gates  bj'  which  one  may  enter 
Paris,  but  only  one  by  which  you  should  leave 
it."  This  he  realized,  for  he  died  1852,  aged 
75,  in  Washington,  where  he  had  eked  out  a 
precarious  existence  from  the  salary  of  a  S'liiall 
office  in  one  of  the  departments.* 

His  autobiography  draws  the  last  melan- 
choly scene  of  his  life,  which,  in  his  own  lan- 
guage— 

"  I  have  drained  the  hitter  cup  of  existence 
to  the  dregs.  I  have  no  earthly  object  to  live 
for;  nor  have  I  the  means  to  do  so  with  that 
comfort  and  ease  which  alone  can  reconcile 
superannuated  infirmity." 

His  nephew,  Samuel  T.  Sawyer,  lived  in 
Edenton,  son  of  Dr.  Matthias  E.  Sawyer.  He 
was  a  lawyer  by  profession;  often  in  the  Legis- 
lature (1829  to  '32,  and  in  Senate,  1S31,)  and 
elected  to  Congress  1837- '39. 

He  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Pierce  collector  of 
Norfolk;  he  became  the  editor  of  the  Argus, 
and  served  as  commissarj'  in  the  late  civil 
war.  He  died  in  New  Jersey,  29th  Novem- 
ber, 1865,  aged  65  years.f 


*From  National  Intelligencer,  of  lotli  January,  1852,- 
Died.— Suddenly,  on  Friday,  9th  January .  1852,  at  the 
residence  of  G.  R.  Adams,  11th  street,  near  F,  (in  Wai-h- 
ington  City,)  of  a  disease  of  the  heart,  Hon.  Lemuel 
Sawyer,  for  many  years  a  member  of  Congress  from 
North  Carolina. 
fLanman's  Biographical  Annals. 


CARTERET  COUNTY. 


iOl 


CHAPTER  X. 
CARTERET  COUNTY. 


This  county  has  the  honor  of  being  the  first 
land  sighted  by  the  expedition  sent  out  under 
the  auspices  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  to  this  con- 
tinent. Two  ships,  one  called  "the  Tiger," 
and  the  other  "the  Admiral,"  commanded  by 
Philip  Amadas  an  d  Arthur  Barlowe, after  enter- 
ing the  Ocracocke  Inlet,  sailed  up  the  sound, 
and  landed  on  Roanoke  Island,  now  in  Dare 
County, in  July,  1584. 

The  patent  from  Queen  Elizabeth  to  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh,  as  well  as  the  report  of  the 
officers,  is  recorded  in  Hakluyt's  Voyages,  III., 
301. 

No  people  have  a  clearer,  and  more  perfect 
record  of  history  than  the  people  of  our  state. 
From  this  time  to  the  present,  it  is  preserved 
in  veritable  and  intelligible  language. 

No  fabled  fugitives  from  justice,  no  Norman 
tyrant  with  force  of  arms,  no  Pizarro  bent  on 
spoil  and  plunder,  formed  the  first  civilized 
settlement  of  our  country;  but  "men,  high- 
minded  men,"  under  the  peaceful  commis- 
sion of  lawful  authority,  and  with  the  cordial 
consent  of  the  native  inhabitants  of  the 
country, 

" were  the  first  that  ever  burst 


Into  that  silent  sea." 

What  a  proud  record  for  our  contemplation 
and  pride! 

Connected  with  the  name  of  Carteret,  is  a 
tradition  that  this  was  the  refuge  of  the 
colony  of  White,  who  was  the  Governor  of 
Roanoke  Inland  In  the  year  1.590,  he  returned 
to  Carolina,  after  a  visit  in  England  of  over 
a  year's  duration,  but  his  colony  had  disap- 
peared. 

White  only  discovered  the  word  "Croaton" 


carved  on  the  bark  of  a  tree.  Doubtless  they 
had  become  amalgamated  with  tlie  native 
Indians,  for  some  of  these  had  blue  eyes,  and 
said  "their  parents  could  read  from  a  book;" 
and  there' are  names  extant  in  Carteret  corres- 
ponding with  the  names  of  White's  colon}-.* 

Subsequently  (1712,)  the  Indians,  especially 
the  Cores  and  Tuscaroras,  waged  a  bloody  and 
destructive  war  upon  the  whites  in  this  region. 
Much  property  and  many  lives  were  destro3-ed, 
among  them,  John  Lawson,  the  earliest 
historian  of  the  state.  His  work  was  pub- 
lished in  London  in  1709,  and  is  considered  as 
good  authority,  giving  the  best  description  of 
North  Carolina,  its  products  and  natural  his- 
tory. 

Lawson's  book  has  been  so  highly  appre- 
ciated, that  the  legislature  ordered  it  be  re- 
printed.    The  original  copies  are  very  rare. 

He  gives  a  particular  account  of  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  the  dift'erent  tribes  of 
Indians  of  Carolina.  The  account  he  gives  of 
their  cruelty  to  prisoners  is  graphic  and  terri- 
ble, and  was  most  fearfully  i-ealized  by  Lawson 
in  his  own  person.     He  says: 

"Their  cruelties  to  their  prisoners  are 
such  as  none  but  Devils  out  of  Hell  could 
invent.  They  never  miss  skulping  of  tliem, 
which  is  to  cut  tlie  skin  from  tiie  tem- 
ples, and  taking  the  whole  b.ead  of  hair  along 
with  it.  Sometimes  they  take  the  top  of  tlie 
skull  with  it,  which  they  preserve  and  carefully 
keep  by  them  for  a  tropU}'  of  their  conquest 
over  their  enemies.  Others  keep  their  enemy's 
teeth  which  are  taken  in  war,  whilst  others 
split  pine  into  splinters  and  stick  them  into 
the  prisoner's  body,  yet  alive,  then  they  light 
them  which  burn  like  so  many  torches,  and  in 
this  manner  they  make   him   dance  around  a. 


*See    Hawk's  History  of  North  Carolina,  I.,  100, 


202. 


102  WHEELER'S    EEMINISCENCES. 

great  fii'e,  every  one  butt'eting  and  deriding  him  and  she   was   fully   armed  and  equipped  with 

till  he  expires.  cannon,  guns,  and  men. 

This  cruel    fate    was   fearfully  realized    by  The  swiftness  of  the  vessel,  the  skill  with 

Lawson  and  his  negro  servant,  and  would  have  which  she  was  managed  by  Burns,  his  intimate 

been   bj'    his  associate,  the  Baron   De   Graaf-  knowledge  of  the  dreaded  and  dangerous  coast 

fenreidt,  whose  life  was  onl\'  saved  b}'  his  tine  of  Carolina,  and  the  daring  of  a  chosen  crew  of 

appearance,  and  because  he  wore  a  gold  medal  men,  soon  made  the  name  of   Otway  Barns  a 

which  the  Indians  thought   was  an   indication  terroi-  to  all  the  British  in    American  waters, 

of  high  rank.  He  captured  and  destroj'ed  a  large  number 

Colonel   Moore,  of  wliom   we  have  already  of  English    prizes,   and   amassed   fortunes  for 

written,    closed    this    war    by  marching    into  himself  and  his  comjiati'iots. 

Carteret,      and      completely     subduing     the  '-   He  lirought  into  Beaufort  heavy  cargoes  of 

savages   in    a   decisive  battle  near   the   pres-  valuables,  and  established  quite  a  market  for 

ent   tov.'u   of  Beaufort.      Here,  within   ''the  the  merchants  of   all  eastern   Carolina.     His 

sound  of  the  church-going  bells,"  occured  the  house  was  but  a  short  distance  from  the  pres- 

last  desr>erate  struggle  of  the  red  man  in  this  ent  Atlantic  Hotel,  on  the  top  of  which  he 

section  for  donjinion  over  his  native  soil,  which  established  an  observatoi'y,  from  which  he,  by 

he  could  not,  and  ought  not  hold.  aid  of  a  sp^^-glass,  commanded  an    extensive 

In  1712,  a  fort  was  built  on  Core  Sound,  view  of  the  ocean.  Here  would  the  daring- 
named  in  honor  of  Governor  Hyde,  to  protect  sailor  watch  and  wait,  while  his  ship  was  kept 
the  inhabitants.  with  a  ready  crew  and  anchor  tripped.     When 

There  are  many  names  connected  with  Car-  ever  he  espied  a  vessel   sailing  under  English 

teret  worthy  of  record,  as  the  Bells,  EuUers,  colors,  he  would  hurry  up  the  '-Snap  Dragon" 

Bordens,Hellens,  Marshal  Is,  Sheppard,Piggots,  and  pursue  the  prize.     From  the  sailing  quali- 

Wards,  and  others.  ties  of  his  ship,  Burns  would  soon  overhaul  and 

Otway  Burns,  who  represented  this  county  capture  the  pursued  vessel, 
often,  (1822  to  1834,)  is  woithy  of  our  mem-  Such  was  the  damage  done  bj-  Captain 
ory.  His  name  is  more  securely  preserved  in  the  Burns  to  the  commerce  of  England,  that  the 
capital  of  the  Count}'  of  Yancey,  He  repre-  British  Council  held  consultations  to  devise 
sented  Carteret  Count}^  in  the  state  senate,  some  means  for  his  capture.  Finall}',  they  order- 
when  (1834)  Yancey  County  was  erected,  ed  the  construction  of  a  fast  sailing  vessel,  fully 
Doubtless  the  compliment  secured  his  read\-  armed,  with  a  large  crew,  but  built  as  a  mer- 
advocac}'  for  its  formation.  chant    ship.     This   ship   met  our  gallant  "  tar 

He  came  to  Beaufort  from  Onslow  County,  heel"   on  the  coast,  and   b}'   a  ruse,  captured 

where  he  was  born,  when  quite  young,  and  him  and  liis  crew  without  tiring  a  gun.     The 

engaged  in  a  seafaring  lii'e.     He  became  a  cap-  Englishman,  rigged  as  a  merchantman,  with 

tain  on  a  coasting  vessel  plying  between  Beau-  his  guns  concealed  as  well  as  his  crew,  suffered 

fort  and  New  York.  the   "Snap  Dragon"    to    run   alongside,  and 

When  the  M'ar  of  1812   commenced,  he  ob-  hauled  down  his  colors  in  token  of  surrender, 

tained  from  the   Government  of  the   United  As  Burns  and  his  men   commenced  to  board 

States,  letters   of   marque   and    reprisal,   and  the  prize,  h^.  guns  were  run  out  and  manned 

built,  through  the  aid  of  several  wealthy  per-  by  the  crew,  Avho  suddenly  appeared  on  deck, 

sons,  as  a  stock  compan}-,  a  fast  sailing  ship ;  on  and  the  harmless  merchantman  was  presto  con- 

;her  he  bestowed  the  name  of  "  Snap  Dragon,"  verted  into  a  terrible  man-of-Avar,  with  shotted 


CASWELL  COUNTY, 


103 


cannon  ready  to  fire.  Burns,  with  heartfelt 
chagrin,  was  compelled  to  surrender.  Thns  he 
and  his  crew  were  taken  prisoners. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  released, 
and  he  returned  home.  With  the  character- 
istic extravagance  of  a  sailor,  he  squandered 
his  propertj'  and  was  very  poor  in  the  declin- 
ing years  of  his  life.  His  generous  qualities 
and  social  temperament,  with  the  fame  of  his 


daring  exploits  at  sea,  (about  which  be  was 
very  fond  of  talking.)  made  him  a  gro.it  favor- 
ite of  the  people.  He  was  ''  sudden  a;id  quick 
in  quarrel,  "  full  of  frolic,  fnn  and  ligMC,  and 
towards  the  close  of  his  life  became  very  dis- 
sipated. He  died  in  1849,  while  iu  command 
of  a  light  Ijoaf.  His  eventful  life  was  so  in- 
teresting that  it  once  formed  the  suoject  of 
a  lecture  hj  Governor  S\vain. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
CASWELL  COUNTY. 


This  county  having  been  formed  since  our 
Declaration  of  Lidependence,  her  revolutionary 
history  is  connected  with  that  of  Orange 
County,  from  which  it  was  taken.  It  preserves 
the  name  of  Richard  Caswell,  who  was  one 
of  the  most  active  and  efficient  patriots  of 
that  eventful  epoch.  He  was  the  first  gov- 
ernor after  the  Ro\'al  governor  had  left,  and 
did  great  service,  not  only  as  governor,  but  as 
a  soldier  and  statesman. 

He  was  a  native  of  Maryland;  born  in  Cecil 
County  on  August  3,  1729.  The  year  in  which 
the  Lord  I'roprietors  of  North  (^arolina  sur- 
lendered  their  charter  to  the  Crown,  George 
II.  then  being  King. 

Mr.  Caswell  came  to  North  Carolina  when 
quite  a  youth  to  seek  fame  and  fortune.  lie 
was  duly  appreciated,  and  appointed  clerk  of 
Orange  County,  and  deputy  surveyor  of  the 
colony. 

He  read  law,  and  practiced  it  with  great 
success.  He  settled  in  Lenoir  County,  then 
Dobbs,  where  he  married  Mary  Mcllweane, 
and  afterwards  he  removed  to  Johnston 
County.  The  people  were  not  slow  to  dis- 
cern   his    abilities,    and    he    was    elected  to 


represent  them  in  the  assembly  in  175-1.  So 
acceptable  were  his  services  that  he  vras  con- 
tinued until  1771,  being  chosen  speaker  during 
the  last  t\Vo  sessions.  He  was  tlie  colonel  of 
the  county,  and  as  such  commanded  the  right- 
wing  of  Tryon's  army  at  Alamance,  May  16, 
1771.  This  was  his  first  appearance  in  the 
profession  of  arms,  which  was  congenial  to 
his  nature,  and  in  which  he  was  destined  to 
be  so  conspicuous. 

Like  many  other  patriots  of  that  day,  the_y 
forbore,  as  long  as  patience  v/ould  allow  them, 
the  cruelties  of  the  mother  country  towards 
tlie  colonies,  but  when  the  attempts  (jf  Eng- 
land to  subjugate  the  liberties  of  tlie  people 
became  too  oppressive  he  did  not  lie.-.il.ate  to 
advocate  the  rights  of  the  many  thus  threat- 
ened by  power  and  oppression. 

By  the  first  Provincial  Congress  that  organ- 
ized in  opposition  to  the  Royal  Government, 
(August  25th,  1774,  at  New  Berne,)  he  was, 
with  William  Hooper  and  Joseph  Hewes,  ap- 
pointed delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress 
at  Philadelphia,  and  attended  for  three  years. 

He  was  lo(^ked  upon  with  great  respect  by 
the  Royal  Governor,  Martin,  and  his  course 


104 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


gave  Martin  much  chagrin,  as  will  appear  from 
a  copy  of  his  dispatch,  dated — 

'  Aiigiist  28th,  1775. 
"On  Boaed  Cruiser  Sloop-of-war. 

"Evei'y  device  has  been  practiced  b^^  the  sedi- 
tions coniniittees  to  inflame  the  minds  of  the 
peo[ile ;  and  most  of  all  by  the  return  of  Richard 
Caswell  to  tliis  province,  and  no  doubt  will  in- 
flame it  with  the  extravagant  spii'it  of  that 
daring  assembly  at  Philadelphia.  At  New 
Berne  I  am  credibly  informed  he  had  the  in- 
solence to  reprehend  the  committee  of  that 
little  town    for  suifering  me  to  remove  from 

thence.- 

***** 

"  This  man,  at  his  going  to  the  first  congress, 
appeared  to  me  to  have  embarked  with  re- 
luctance in  the  cause,  that  much  extenuated 
his  guilt.  Now  he  shows  himself  a  most  active 
tool  of  sedition." 

On  his  return  from  congress  in  the  spring  of 
1776,  his  military  ardor  was  roused  at  the 
alarming  state  of  affairs  at  home.  The  great 
fleets  of  England  hovered  around  the  coast, 
while  the  whole  region  of  the  Cape  Fear 
swarmed  with  disafl'ected  and  dangerous 
tories,  who  had  gathered  in  strong  force  to 
unite  with  Clinton  in  subjugating  the  state. 
In  conjunction  with  Colonel  Lillington,  lie 
summoned  the  minute  men  of  Dobbs  County, 
and  met  the  tories  under  General  McDonald 
at  Moore's  Creek  Bridge,  on  February  27th, 
1776,  and  completely  routed  them  with  great 
slaughter. 

He  received  the  thanks  of  the  Provincial 
Congress  (at  Halifax.  April  4th,  1776,)  for 
this  brilliant  victory,  and  for  it  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  Brigadier  General. 

This  battle  of  Moore's  Creek  Bridge  was  of 
infinite  importance,  as  it  prevented  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Scotch  loyalists  with  the  British 
forces,  and  the  cause  of  great  discomfoi't  to 
Governor  Martin. 

In  a  dispatch  of  Governor  Martin  to  Lord 
Germaiue, dated  March  2, 1776,  (from  the  Rolls 
Oflice  in  L(mdon,  never  before  published,) 
Governor  Martin  says: 


"An  agent  had  been  dispatched  to  the  in- 
terior counties  of  North  Carolina  to  raise 
troops  in  the  country  to  meet  the  troops  expect- 
ed from  England.  Three  thousand  men  were 
expected  to  be  raised. 

"They  had  been  checked,  about  seventeen 
miles  above  Wilmington,  in  an  attempt  to 
pass  a  bridge  on  February  27th.  After  sus- 
taining the  loss  of  Captain  Donald  McLeod,  a 
gallant  officer,  and  near  twenty  men  killed 
and  wounded,  our  forces  were  dispersed. 

'■  This  unfortunate  truth  was  too  soon  con- 
firmed by  the  arrival  of  Mr.  MacLeane,  Mr. 
Campbell,  Mr.  Stuart,  and  Mr.  Nichol,  who, 
with  great  difficulty,  found  their  way  to  the. 
Scorpion,  sloop-of-war,  lying  at  Brunswick. 
The  force  was  about  1,400  men  raised;  but  for 
want  of  encouragement  at  the  time  ^vas  re- 
duced to  about  700,  of  them  600  were  High- 
landers. 

"  The  governor  expresses  the  opinion  that 
this  little  check  which  the  loyalists  received 
would  not  have  any  extensive  ill  consequences, 
yet  he  suti'ers  every  anguish,  mortification 
and  disai,)pointment  from  the  defeat  of  his 
endeavors."* 

Some  controvers}'  has  in  late  years  arisen  as 
to  whom  the  honor  of  the  victory  of  Moore's 
Creek  Biidge  belonged,  or,  at  least,  whether 
the  honors  should  not  be  divided.  Honorable 
George  Davis  and  Professor  Hubbard  were 
0[)posed  on  this  question.  This  should  not 
aflect  the  reputation  of  either  Lillington  or 
Caswell;  both  were  brave  patriots,  and  both 
did  their  duty.  The  facts  are  that  congress 
thanked  Caswell,  and  in  a  masonic  address 
by  Francois  X.  Martin,  delivered  soon  after 
this  battle,  at  New  Berne,  he  calls  Caswell 
"  the  gallant  commander  of  Moore's  Creek." 

Caswell  was  president  of  the  Provincial 
Congress  (which  met  at  Halifax  November 
12,  1776,)  and  was  one  of  the  committee  that 
formed  a  state  constitution.  He  was  elected 
the  first  governor  of  the  state  under  the  con- 
stitution. H  conducted  the  ship  of  state  in 
its  untried  and  perilous  voyage  with  singular 
fidelity  and  matchless  sagacity  during  his 
term  of  -office.     After  this  expired,  his  active 


^Colonial  Docs.,  page  224. 


CASWELL  COUNTY. 


lOn 


and  patriotic  spirit  brooked  no  repose.  He 
savv  his  country  in  danger,  and  with  the  North 
Carolina  troops  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of 
Camden,  August  16,  17.S0. 

The  disordered  state  of  the  finances  of  the 
state  demanded  attention,  and  Governor  Cas- 
well vv'as  elected  comptroller  general,  which 
duties  he  discharged  with  great  abilitj'  until 
1785,  when  he  was  again  elected  governor  of 
the  state,  an  unusual  circumstance  which 
proves  the  great  acceptability  of  his  services, 
and  the  grateful  appreciation  of  them  by  the 
state. 

The  following  addi'ess  on  this  occasion  may 
be  interesting,  as  showing  how  such  ceremonials 
were  conducted  in  the  good  old  times  of  yore. 

From  the  journals  of  the  assembly  of  the 
State  of  North  Carolina: 

"The  address  of  the  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Commons,  William  Blount,  on  the  qualifi- 
cation  of   Governor  Caswell,  May    13,   1785. 

"  Mr.  Richard  Caswell, 

Sir:  The  general  assembly  of  the  State  of 
North  Carolina,  at  their  last  session,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  choice  of  a  chief  magistrate 
to.  preside  over  the  executive  department 
of  the  government  of  this  state,  when  you 
were  elected  by  a  large  majority  of  both 
houses;  iuid  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  that 
it  falls  to  me  as  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  in  the  name  of  the  representatives 
of  the  freemen  of  the  state,  and  in  the  ['res- 
ence  of  these  honorable  gentlemen,  to  call 
upon  you  to  qualify,  in  pursuance  of  this,  theii' 
highest  mark  of  public  regard,  which  can  by 
them,  be  shown  to  tlie  most  wortliy  citizen. 

(The  governor  now  qualities.) 

"  To  you,  sir,  as  the  first  chief  magistrate  of 
this  state,  we  commit  and  deliver  the  Bill  of 
Rights  and  the  Constitution;  the  one  asserting 
the  civil  and  political  rights  of  the  freemen 
of  this  country,  the  other  giving  existence  to 
your  office  and  the  present  happy  form  of  gov- 
ernment. That  the  same  under  your  guardian- 
ship mny  be  sustained,  supported,  maintained 
and  preserved  inviolate,  and  as  an  emblem  of 
that  power  and  authority  with  which  ^-ou  are 
invested,  we  present  you  this  sword,  and  do 
announce  and  proclaim  you,  Richard  Caswell, 
Esq.,   Governor,    Captain-General    and    Com- 


mander-in-Chief in  and  over  the  State  of 
North  Carolina,  in  which  all  good  and  liege 
people  are  to  take  notice,  and  govern  them- 
selves accordingly. 

"  William  Blodnt, 
"Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons. 
"  KiNST0N,M7.j/  13,  1785." 

With  the  exception  of  Caswell,  Benjamin 
Williams,  (Governor  in  1799  and  in  1807,)  and 
Governors  Reid  and  Vance,  no  instance  occurs 
in  our  history  of  the  same  person  being  twice 
elected  to  this  elevated  position. 

Governor  Caswell  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Convention  to  meet  in  Philadelphia  in 
Ma}',  1787.  to  form  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States.     This  he  declined. 

His  last  public  service  was  as  Senator  from 
Dobbs  County  (since  divided  into  Greene  and 
Lenoir,)  in  the  legislature,  which  met  at  Fay- 
etteville,  1789,  of  which  -he  was  elected 
speaker. 

While  presiding  in  the  senate  he  was  struck, 
November  5th,  with  paralysis,  and  he  died  on 
the  10th,  of  that  year. 

Mr.  Gaston  informs  us  that  once  whilst  on  a 
visit  to  Boston,  he  called  on  the  illustrious  and 
venerable  John  Adams.  In  an  interesting 
conversation  with  him  as  to  the  I'evolutionary 
worthies  of  North  Carolina,  Mr.  Adams  asked: 
"  Where  is  the  family'  of  Richard  Caswell  ? 
for  he  was,  sir,  a  model  man  and  true  patriot. 
We  alwaj'S  looked  to  Caswell  for  North  Caro- 
lina." His  character  is  one  of  which  liis 
country  may  well  be  proud.  Not  brilliant, 
but  solid;  useful  rather  than  showy;  deliber- 
ate in  counsel  and  decided  in  action .  Mr.  Macon 
declared  him  one  of  "  the  most  powerful  men 
that  ever  lived  in  this  or  any  other  countrv." 
In  his  career  he  closely  resembled  the  father 
of  his  countr}';  if  Virginia  be  proud  of  her 
Washington,  North  Carolina  may  be  of  her 
Caswell. 

Governor  Caswell's  will  is  on  record  in 
Lenoir  county,  and  is  dated  July  2,  1787. 
He  left  one  son  and  one  daughter.     Of  his  son 


106 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


(Winston)  but  little  is  known  to  us.  His 
daughter,  Anna,  married  twice.  First  Fon- 
ville,  and  second  to  AVilliam  White,  who  was 
Secretary  of  State  from  1778  to  1811.  Mrs. 
White  left  three  daughters:* 

I.  Anna,  who  married  Governor  David  L. 
Swam. 

II.  Another  married  General  Daniel  L.  Bar- 
ringer. 

III.  Another  married  General  Boone  Felton, 
of  Hertford  County.  (Universit}^  Magazine 
IV.,  1772.) 

General  Felton  was  a  native  of  Hertford 
County,  and  a  man  of  some  wealth  and  cul- 
ture. He  represented  this  county  in  1809,  and 
frequently  afterwards.  Ten  years  afterwards 
he  had  a  difficulty  with  his  relative  and  col- 
league, which  was  the  cause  of  much  excite- 
ment in  the  count}. 

The  capital  town  of  the  county  preserves  a 
name  equally  as  illustrious  as  the  name  of  Cas- 
^^■ell,  it  is  that  of  Bartlett  Yancey,  who  was 
horn,  lived  and  died  in  Caswell  Count}'.  He  was 
educt^ted  at  the  university,  although  his  name 
does  not  appear  among  the  list  of  graduates,  and 
for  a  time  was  a  tutor  in  that  institution.  He 
studied  laAv,  and  attained  great  eminence  in 
the  profession.  But  political  life  was  his 
proper  element,  and  there  he  shone  conspic- 
uous. His  first  appearance  in  public  life  was  as  a 
member  of  the  Thirteenth  Congress,  1813  ,-'15, 
and  again  in  the  Fourteenth,  (1815,-17.)  Here, 
by  the  solidity  of  his  judgement,  the  suavity  of 
liis  manners,  and  the  extent  of  his  acquirements, 
he  attained  a  high  position  among  such  states- 
men as  William  Gaston,  William  R.  King, 
William  H.  Murfree,  Israel  Pickens,  Nathaniel 
Macon,  all  of  whom  were  his  colleagues.  He 
was  the  firm  and  fearless  supporter  of  the 
administration  of    Mr.   Madison   and  the  re- 


*  One  of  Governor  Caswell's  daughters  married  a  Gat- 
lin.  Dr.  John  Gatlin,  wlio  wa^a,  surgeon  in  tlie  United 
States  army,  and  was  massacred  at  Dade's  Defeat  by 
the  Seminoles,  in  Florida,  was  a  grandson  of  Caswell. 
General  Gatlin  was  a  brother  of  Dr.  Gatlin. 


publican  party.  On  his  retiring  from  congress 
he  resolved  to  devote  himself  to  his  profession, 
but  the  people  would  not  permit  him  to  retire. 
The  next  year  they  elected  him  to  r.?present 
the  count}'  in  the  senate,  in  which  position  he 
was  continued  until  his  death.  The  senate 
each  year  elected  him  unanimously  its  speaker. 
No  one  possessed  more  populai'ity.  On  some 
occasions  he  received  nearly  every  vote  in 
Caswell  County. 

As  presiding  officer  of  a  deliberate  body 
he  was  pre-eminent,  and  scarcely  ever  ri- 
valed. Blessed  with  a  manly  person,  of 
most  engaging  and  bland  manners,  a  quick 
and  well  balanced  mind,  an  accurate  memory 
and  clear  and  harmonious  voice,  he  was  pecu- 
liarly qualified  for  the  duties  of  a  speaker. 
As  the  journals  will  show,  in  Congress,  the 
speaker  (Mr.  Clay)  often  supplied  his  own 
place  by  the  substitution  of-Mr.  Yancey.  His 
efforts  for  the  benefit  of  the  state  are  monu- 
ments of  his  greatness  as  a  statesnuin.  The 
organization  of  the  judiciary;  the  system  of 
finance  in  the  treasury  and  comptroller's 
offices  as  also  of  the  common  schools,  and 
other  public  measures  attest  his  sagacity  and 
usefulness. 

He  died  in  the  meridian  of  his  life  and  use- 
fulness in  1828.  This  sudden  and  unexpected 
event  caused  a  deep  sensation  of  sorrow 
throughout  the  state.  All  eyes  were  turned 
to  him  as  the  successor  of  Governor  Branch, 
in  the  United  States  Senate.  He  left  five 
daughters:  Mrs.  McAdden,  Mrs.  Giles  iNlebane, 
Mrs.  Lemuel  Mebane,  Mrs.  Thomas  J.  Wom- 
mack  and  Mrs.  George  W.  Swepson;  and  two 
sons:  Rufus  A.,  who  graduated  at  the  univer- 
sity, with  great  credit,  in  1829,  in  the  same 
class  with  Buiton  Craige,  William  Eaton,  Dr. 
Sidney  X.  Johnston  and  others,  he  died  in 
Richmond,  Va.,  about  18-35  ;  and  Algernon 
Sidney,  who  was  a  lawyer,  died  in  1S40. 

Brobably  there  are  few  men,  in  either  public 
or   private   life,   who    occupied    during    their 


CASWELL  COUISTTY. 


107 


term  of  life  more  of  public  notice  than  Romu- 
lus M.  Saunders. 

-From  the  time  he  entered  the  legislature, 
in  his  24th  year,  until  his  death,  at  which  time 
he  lield  the  ofSce  of  judge,  he  was  either  in 
office,  or  an  applicant  for  office,  or  an  aspii-ant 
for  position.  He  was  the  son  of  William 
Saunders,  born  in  Caswell  County,  1791.  His 
early  education  was  defective.*  He  studied 
law,  and  practiced  that  profession  with  suc- 
cess. He  early  entered  political  life,  which 
was  more  germane  to  his  tastes  than  law.  From 
1815  to  1820,  he  was  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Commons,  and  twice  its  speaker.  In  1821  to 
1827,  he  was  in  Congress.  In  1828,  he  was 
elected'  attorney  general,  which  position  he 
filled  till  1833,  when  he  was  appointed  a  com- 
missioner nuJer  the  French  Treaty,  in  which 
he  served  till  1835,  when  he  was  elected  judge, 
which  he  resigned  on  being,  in  1840,  nominated 
candidate  for  governor,  but  was  defeated  by 
John  M.  Morehead.  In  1841,  elected  to  Con- 
gress, in  which  he  served  until  1846,  when  he 
was  appointed  Envo}'  to  Spain,  where  he  ser- 
ved till  1849;  and  in  1850,  he  was  again  elected 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons.  In  1852, 
elected  to  House  of  Commons,  and  again  he 
became  .Judge  of  Superior  Courts,  in  which 
office  he  died,  April  21,  1867. 

A  good  story  (says  Moore  I.,  468)  is  told  by 
Judge  Badger,  of  this  extraordinary  propensity 
for  ofKce.  Mr.  Badger  was  asked  who  would 
be  the  ncAV  Bishop,  in  place  of  Ives,  on  that 
prelate's  defection  to  Rome:  "  I  can't  tell  you 

who  it  will  be,  but  I  am  cei'tain  Judge 

will  be  a  candidate,  as  he  wants  everything 
else,"  replied  the  great  lawyer. 

From  History  of  Xorth  Carolina,  by  J.  W. 
Moore,  II.,  page  98 : 

"  In  1852-'53,  the  democrats  had  a  majority 

*From  Raleigh  Star,  of  March  29, 181  '.  The  trustees 
of  the  university  of  Korth  Carolina,  have  been  obliged 
to  perform  the  painful  duty  of  expelling  from  the  In 
stitution  .John  Allen,  of  Pitt,  Horace  B  rton,  of 
Granville,  Romulus  Saunders,  of  Caswell  County. 
David  Stone,  President. 


in  the  legislature,  but  failed  to  elect  a  senator 
to  succeed  Judge  Mangum.  R.  M.  Saunders, 
as  usual,  was  a  candidate.  He  was  one  of  our 
leading  men  but  insatiable  in  his  thirst  for 
office.  He  was  equally  profound  and  adroit 
as  a  law3'er,  greatly  respected  as  a  judge,  and 
unsurpassed  as  a  stump  orator.  His  four  years 
of  acquaintance  with  the  formal  etiquette  of  the 
Spanish  Court  had  failed  to  remove  his  native 
and  inherent  roughness  of  manners." 

He  was  twice  married;  by  his  last  marriage 
with  a  daughter  of  Judge  William  .Johnson,  of. 
the  Supreme  Court  of   the   United  States,  he 
left  a  son  and  two  daughters. 

That  .Judge  Saunders  possessed  force  of 
character  and  talents,  the  high  positions  he 
held  are  proof.  But  that  he  was  seliish  and 
uncertain  in  his  friendships  is  admitted.  The 
opinion  expressed  of  Goldsmith  by  Dr.  John- 
son was  realized  b^-  him:  "  his  friendships  were 
so  easily  acquired,  and  so  lightly  lost,  as  ren- 
dered them  of  but  little  consequence  to  any 
person."  Asa  politician  he  was  able  and  active, 
but  even  this  character  was  obscured  by  the  fact 
that  he  always  hoped  to  be  advanced  personal  I3-. 
In  a  memorable  contest  in  1852  for  Senator  in 
Congress,  when  his  party,  with  a  majoi'ity  of 
only  one  or  two,  and  he  himself  a  member  of 
the  body,  nominated  James  C.  Dobljin,  than 
whom  a  purer  man  did  not  exist,  Saunders 
refused  to  co-operate,  bolted  the  caucus  and 
with  his  friends,  defeated  the  election  of 
Dobbin. t 

In  a  subsequent  contest  for  the  same  post  he 
again  played  the  same  role,  and  thus  defeated 
the  election  of  Bedford  Brown,  who  was  the 
choice  of  the  democratic  party  in  1842-'43,  and 
so  caused  the  election  of  William  H.  Haywood, 
whose  career  as  a  senator  not  being  successful, 
he  resigned.     Had  Saunders  followed  the  ad- 

tThis  has  been  disputed  by  some  friends  of  .Judge 
Saunders.  We  quote  from  History  of  Nortli  Carolina, 
by  John  W.  Moore,  (page  227  ) 

"Mr.  Dobbin  succeeded  Governor  Graham  as  Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy,  Mr  Dolibin  was  defeated  for 
the  United  States  Senate  by  the  friends  of  .Judge 
Saunders,  and  Judge  Mangum's  term  havnig  expired, 
the  state  for  the  next  two  years  had  but  one  senator." 


108 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


vice  of  the  great  Cardinal  of  Heniy  VIII.  he 
would  have  been  a  happier,  if  not  a  wiser  and 
better  man. 

I  charge  thee  fling  away  ambition. 


By  tliat  sin  fell  the  angels ;  and  how  can  man  then- 
Ihe  image  of  his  maker— hope  to  win  by  it'' 

We  would  fain  have  made  this  sketch  more 
favorable,  but  in  pen  pictures  as  in  portrait 
painting  the  truth  demands  a  faithful,  not  a 
liattering,  likeness. 

Robert  Williams  was  a  native  of  Cas- 
well County,  distingnislied  for  his  attain- 
ments. He  was  adjutant-general  of  North 
Carolina,  and  a  repi'esentative  in  Congress, 
(Fifth,  Sixth  and  Seventh  Congress)  1797  to 
1803,  and  was  appointed  commissioner  of  land 


Colonel  of  a  battalion  raised  in  the  Ilillsboro 
district.  He  was  educated  at  the  Bingham 
academy  in  Orange,  and  spent  one  year  at  the 
universit}^  when  he  commenced  reading  law 
with  Judge  Settle,  bis  brother-in-law,  and 
finished  under  Judge  Henderson.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1827.  His  success  in 
the  practice  was  flattering,  but  his  fame  rests 
more  on  his  etforts  in  the  legislature  than  his 
career  as  a  jurist. 

His  first  appearance  as  a  statesman  was 
as  a  member  of  the  convention  of  1835  to 
reform  the  constitution.  This  was  an  able 
body  of  practiced  statesmen,  and  af- 
forded an  admirable  school  for  the  young 
politician.  This  opportunity  was  not  ne- 
glected by  Mr.  Graves.     In  1840  he  was  elected 


titles  in  Mississippi  Territory,     He  was  also 

the  governor  of  the  Territory  of  Mississippi  a  member  of  the  House,  and  in  1842  when   he 

from  1805  to  1809.     He  died  in  Louisiana.  was  made  speaker.     la  1844   he  was   again  a 

Marniaduke    Williams,  who    succeeded    his  member,  but  the  whig  party  having  a  msijority, 


brother  in  Congress,  was  a  native  of  Caswell 
County,  born  in  1772;  married  Mrs.  Agnes 
Harris,  nee  Payne.  He  was  by  profession  a 
lawyer.  He  r.epre3ented  Caswell  County  in 
the  state  senate  in  1802,  and  the  district  in 
(the  Eighth,  Ninth  and  Tenth  Congress)  1803- 
1809,  In  1810  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Alabama.  He  was  repeatedly  elected  to 
the  legislature  of  that  state,  and  was  a  dele- 
gate from  Tuscaloosa  County  to  the  conven- 
tion which  formed  the  state  constitution.  He 
was  a  candidate  for  governor  and  defeated  \>y 
William  W.  Bibb.  In  1826  he  was  a  commis- 
sioner to  adjust  the  unsettled  accounts  between 
Alabama  and  Mississippi.  In  1832  he  was 
elected  judge  of  the  county  court,  which  he 
resigned,  having  attained  the  age  of  seventy, 
which  the  constitution  declared  a  disqualifica- 
tion in  a  judge.  He  died  October  29,  1850. 
Calvin  Graves  was  born  in  Caswell  County', 
in  January,  1804.  He  was  the  son  of  Azariah 
Graves.  His  mother  was  the  daughter  of 
Colonel  John  Williams,  who  took  a  decided 
part  in  the  revolution,  and  was  Lieutenant- 


elected  Mr.  Stanley  speaker.  In  1846  he  was 
returned  as  a  member  of  the  senate. 

During  this  session  a  party  move  of  much  sig- 
nificance was  made  to  re-distri  ct  the  state,  and 
opposed  by  Mr.  Graves.  In  1848  he  was  again 
elected  to  the  senate,  when  the  parties 
were  evenly  balanced,  he  was  elected  speaker 
notwithstanding. 

This  was  an  important  session.  The 
lunatic  a.sylum  was  constructed,  and  the 
proposition  to  make  internal  improvements  by 
a  railroad  connecting  the  mountains  with  the 
seaboard,  involving  an  appropriation  of  §2,000, - 
000.  The  latter  bill  passed  the  lower  House 
b}'  a  close  vote,  and  after  a  warm  and  able 
discussion,  which  was  maintained  by  both 
sides  with  eloquence  and  abilit}',  and  listened 
to  with  breathless  anxiety  by  a  crowded  gal- 
lery', the  vote  was  taken,  and  stood  yeas  24, 
nays  24.  The  vote  was  handed  liy  the 
clerk  to  the  speaker,  upon  whom  all  ej'es  were 
now  turned;  Mr.  Graves  arose  from  his 
chair,  and  in  a  clear  and  audible  voice  an- 
nounced the  vote:    "  The  clerk  reports  twenty- 


CASWELL  COUNTY.  109 

four  in  the  afRrmitive  and  twcntj--four  in  the  from  public  life,  and  moved   to  Missouri;  but 

negative.     The  speaker   votes  in  the   affirma-  after  a  short  time  he  returned  to  North   Caro- 

tive;  the  bill  has  passed   the  senate."  lina,  and  was  again  elected  a  meml.er  of  the 

The  plaudits  were  de:ifening,  and  the  session  state  senate  from  1858  to  1862,  and  in  1868.   He 

of  the   senate  broken  up,  without  adjourning;  died  at  home  December  6th,  1870,  lamented 

tumultuous  joy  came  from  one  side,  and  sullen  b\'  the  state  and  nation. 

murmurs   from    the   other.     Whatever  views  His    character    as    a    statesman     was    like 

may  now  be  entertained  of  the  policy  of  this  T'ayard's,"  without  fear  or  reproach."    He  was 

law, it  was  at  the  time  an  act  of  political  suicide  distinguished  for  his  firmness  and  unquestioned 

b}'  Mr.  Gi'aves;  he  never  again  appeared  in  the  integrity.     His  friends  did  not  claim  for  bini 

legislature.     Like   Coriolanus,  when  yielding  an  ecpial  rank  in  the  intellectual  power  which 

to  the  entreaties  of  his  mother,  he  might  say;  marked  the    career  of  many  with   ^\iiom  he 

•'Mother,  you  may  have  saved  your  country, but  von  was  associated,  but  he  was  the  peer  of  any  in 

have  lost  your  son."  integrity,  patriotism  and  purity  of  life. 

Mr.  Graves  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Jacob   Thomp.son    is   a   native    of    Caswell 

John   C.  Lea,  by  whom  he  had  an   interesting  County;    born    May  15.    1810.      His    father, 

family.     He  died  some  few  years  ago.  Nicholas   Thompson,    was    a    respectable    and 

Bedford   Brown   was  a   native  of  Caswell,  worthy  man,  who  bestowed  on  his  son   every 

where    he    lived    and    died;     he    was    born  advantage   of  education.      His   early  studies 

in  1795,  a  farmer   by    profession,   a    patriotic  were  conducted  by  .Mr.  Biugham  at  Hillsl)oro, 

statesman,  and  an  unflinching  advocate  of  the  and  finished  at  the  university,  where  .ho  grad- 

rights  of  the  state.  uated  in   1831,   in    a   class    with    Thomas    L. 

He  eai'ly  embarked  on  tlie  sea  of   politics,  Clingman,  James  C.  Dobbin,  ami  others;  and 

in    M'hich   he   had   a    long    and  successful  voy-  he  was  for  a  time  a  tutor  in   the   college.     He 

age.     He  entered  ihe  House  of  Commons  in  studied  law  with  Honorable  John  .\L  Dick,  and 

1815.      At    one    time     (1817,)     this    county  was  licensed  in  1834. 

sent  Bartlett  Yancey  to  the  senate,  and  Horn-  The  next  year  he  moved  to  Pontotoc,   .Mis- 

ulus     M.     Saunders    and    Bedford    Brown    to  sissippi,  and  entereil  at  once  upon  the  practice 

the    ccmimons.      This    was    a   triumvirate    of  of  the  law. 

ability   not  excelled  in   the  legislators  of  any  He  was  elected  a  member  of  congress  from 

other  county  in  the  state.     Mr.  Brown  entered  Mississippi     in    1839,  ami    continued  by  suc- 

public  life  at  an  important  epoch  in  our  history,  cessive   elections  in  that   position  until  1851, 

The   democratic  principles   he  adopted    then  when  he   declined  a  re-nomination.     During 

and   there,  he  maintained  through   life.      He  this  period  he  passed  though  many  scenes  of 

was  elected  frequently  to  the  legislature,  and  extraordinary  interest  and  excitement.     Ques- 

in  1828  and  1829   was  chosen   .speaker  of  the  tionsof  importance  were  agitated,  in  which  Mr. 

senate.     In    the    latter   year   he   was    elected  Thompson  bore  a  distinguished  part  in  defend- 

United    States   Senator  to  succeed  Governor  ing  the  honor  of  the  country  and  the  interests 

Branch,  who   v/as  appointed  Secretary  ofthe  of  his   constituents.      The    sub-treasury,   the 

Navy.     Here  he  served  till  18-40,   when  he  re-  New  Jersey  case,  the  Mexican  war,  Mi8.sissippi 

signed  under  instructions  from  the  legislature,  repudiations,    and    other    questions    agitated 

He  again   entered  the  legislature  in   1842,  the  nation, 

and  was  again  a  candidate  for  the  senate,  but  He    bore    himself  as   a   statesman,  and    a 

not  elected.     He   then   withdrew  for  a  time  patriot.. 


110 


WHEELER'S   EEMINISCEXCES. 


On  the  resignation  of  Robert  J.  Walker 
as  senator,  in  1845,  to  assume  the  duties  of 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  Mr.  Polk,  he 
was  appointed  Senator  of  the  United  States; 
but  for  some  reason,  he  did  not  accept  the 
commission. 

In  1857,  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  by  Mr.  Buchanan,  over  which  depart- 
ment he  [iresided  with  unexampled  integrity 
and  ability,  until  the  great  civil  war  between 
the  states  began,  when  he  resigned,  preserving 
the  respect  atid  regard  of  his  associates  When 
Mississipfii  seceded,  Mr.  Thompson  deemed  it 
his  duty  to  share  her  fortunes  and  her  fate.  He 
was  employed  by  the  Confederate  government 
as  a  financial  agent,  and  suffered  deeply  in  the 
wreck  of  his  once  princely  estate.  He  now 
resides  near  Memphis,  pursuing  the  vocation 
of  planter. 

He  married  in  1838,  Miss  Jones,  whose  kind 
disposition  and  genial  manners  shed  a  charm 
over  every  circle.  Their  only  son  was  in  the 
Confederate  armj',  and  fell  in  battle. 

John  Kerr,  late  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
superior  courts,  resided  in  this  connty.  He 
was  the  son  of  the  lieverend  John  Kerr,  who  was 
an  eminent  Baptist  preacher  of  great  elo- 
quence; he  represented  the  Lj'nchliurg  dis- 
trict, Virginia,  in  the  Thirteenth  and  Four- 
teenth Congress.  His  son,  the  subject  of  our 
present  sketch,  was  born  on  February  10th,  1811, 
in  Pittsylvania  Ci)unty,  Virginia.  Educated 
at  home  and  at  Richmond,  he  read  law  with 
Judge  Pearson.  He  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Thirty-third  Congress  from  this 
district;  and  ivas  the  whig  candidate  for  gov- 
ernor in  1854,  but  was  defeated  by  Governor 
lieid.  He  represented  Caswell  County  in  the 
legislature  in  1858  and  18G0. 

During  the  civil  war, he  was  employed  in  his 
professional  and  agricultural  pursuits.  When 
the  war  closed  he  suffered  much  tribulation 
and  indignity  at  the  hands  of  those  who  were 
.attempting  to  reconstruct   the  state  govern- 


ment.    He  and  others  were  arrested  by  George 
W.  Kirk. 

Upon  his  application  for  a  writ  of  habeas 
corpus,  I  copy  from  the  records  the  following: 

"Before  Chief  Justice  Pearson,  ex-parte  John 
Kerr,  at  chambers  in  the  rooms  of  the  supreme 
court,  August  2nd,  1870. 

"The  counsel  for  the  petitioner,  upon  the  re- 
turn of  the  marshal  of  the  supreme  court,  and 
the  communication  from  George  W.  Kirk 
being  read,  contended  that  Kirk's  response  to 
the  service  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  upon 
him  (that  he  held  the  prisoner  under  order  of 
Governor  Holden,)  was  insuliiuent  upon  sev- 
eral grounds,  and  that  he  ought  to  be  attached 
for  making  it.  The  counsel,  therefore,  moved 
for  a  precept  to  have  the  bodj'  of  the  peti- 
tioner brought  before  the  chief  justice,  kc." 

On  this  the  chief  justice  delivered  the  fol- 
lowing decision: 

"The  motion  is  not  allowed.  I  can  say  no 
more  than  I  have  already  said.  The  power  of 
the  judiciarj^is  exhausted.  I  have  no  posse 
commi.(((ius.  In  this  particular,  my  situation 
differs  from  tiiat  of  Chief  Justice  Taney,  in 
'Merri man's  case.'  He  had  a  posse  coinmitatus 
at  his  command,  but  considered  'the  pov.-er  of 
judiciary  exhausted.'  He  did  not  deem  it  his 
duty  to  command  the  marshal  with  n  posse  'to 
storm  a  fort.'  " 

The  time  has  not  yet  come  to  comment  upon 
all  these  circumstances,  yet  some  of  the  re- 
corded facts  may  be  detailed  for  future  refer- 
ence. It  was,  indeed,  a  fearful  epoch  in  our 
history  when  the  lives  and  liberties  of  inno- 
cent and  worthy'  citizens  were  exposed  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  lawless  power. 

That  "  the  great  writ  of  right  "  was  power- 
less and  exhausted  in  the  state  struck  the 
whole  country'  with  dismay. 

It  forcibl}'  brought  to  mind  the  prophetic 
remai'ks  of  Lord  Shelburne  to  -Mr.  Laurens,  of 
South  Carolina,  once  our  envoy  to  Holland  and 
President  of  Congress,  who  had  been  a  prisoner 
in  tlie  Tower  (1779j  for  some  time;  after  his  re- 
lease, in  an  interview  with  England's  Secre- 
tary of  State,  the  following  conversation  oc- 
curred: 


CASWELL  COUNTY.  Ill 

"I  am  sorry  for  your  people,"  said  Lord  Shel-  to  the  bench  of  the  superior  courts,  which  dis- 

buriie,  "that^they  have  gained  their  indepen-  tinguished  post  he  held  till  his  death. 

dance."   "Why  so  ?"  asked  Mr.  Laurens.  "We         ^    i      t-       it-     iqp.t  i  ■   .    i  4. 

"      ,: ■  Y  •      1    -4.     1  t     ■       „+■        Judge  Kerr  had,  m  1862,  been  appointed  to 

English    people    gained    it,   by    centuries   ot  «=  '  '  ii 

wrangling,  years  of  battle  and  blood,  and  con-  a  seat  on  the  bench  by  the  governor,  (Clark,) 

firmed  it  by  at  least  fifty  acts  of  parliament,"  but  Judge  Gilliam  was  elected  by  the.legisla- 

answered  his  lordship.     "All  this  taught  the  ^^^^.^ 

nation    its    inestimable    value,   and    it   is   so  '  . 

ingrained    in    their  creed   as    to   become    the         J^^ge  Kerr,  in  the  palmy  day   of   politics, 

foundation   of    our    liberty   and   no  judge   or  gained   much  reputation   as  a  skilful  and  elo- 

party    will    ever   dare   to   trample    upon    it.  quent  debater;  of  a  kind  and  social  tempera- 

Your    people  will    pick    it    up,  and  attempt  i      •     ,.1     ^■^^       ■,  ,. 

,  •.    1,1       •     ^      ,.  ,.1 '  ,    i-i,;,,,-,    fi,i„  rnent,  he  was  one  who  m   the  tilt  and  tourna- 

to  use  It;  but  having  cost  them  notlnng,  tney  ' 

will  not  know  how  to  appreciate   it.     At   the  ment  of  the  political  arena,  so  bore  himself  that 

first  internal  feud  you  will   have  it   trampled  "the  opposer  would  beware  of  him."     But  the 

under  foot  by  the  lawless  power  of  the  major-  ^^^^^^^^^.^      ^fiect  of  age  lessened  this  trait,  and 
ity;  the  people  will  permit  it  to  be  done,  and  =  -^       .       ,       1    , 

away  goes  your  boasted  liberty."  £is  a  member  ot  the  Baptist  church,  he  earned 

"gentle  peace"  and  good  will  of  all.     He  w^as 

An  application  was    then    made    to   Judge  an  earnest  advocate  of  education,  one  of   the 

Brooks,  of  the  United   States  District  Court,  trustees  of  the   university,  and  the  president 

on  August    25th,    1870,    for    a    writ.      This  of  the  ISIorth  Carolina  Ilistorical  Society., 
he  caused  to  be  issued  against  Kirk,  "requir-         He  died    on    September    5th,    1879\   at  his 

ing  him  to  bring  before  the  court  the  prisoners  home  in  Keidsville,  after  a  lingering   ililness 

detained  in  military  custody."  of  several  mouths. 

Governor  Graham,  Judge  .Merrimon,  and  K.  Connected  with  the  memories  of  the  past, 
H.  Battle,  jr.,  appeared  for  the  petitionei's,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  record  the  niyste- 
whilst  the  Attorney-General  Olds,  and  Messrs.  rious  murder  of  John  W.  Stephens,  of  this 
J.  M.  McCorkle  and  William  H.  Bailey,  ap-  county,  which  occurred  May  21, 1870.  Stephens 
peared  for  the  defendant.  On  the  return  nuide  was  a  native  of  Guilford  County,  born  Octo- 
to  the  writ,  b}-  Kirk,  and  after  ai'gument,  the  her,  1834;  one  of  the  disreputable  waifs  of  cir- 
prisoners  were  released.  No  case  had  everoc-  cumstance  whom  the  troubled  weaves  of  civil 
curred  that  more  excited  the  county.  The  war  brought  to  the  surface.  He  was  of  low^ 
course  of  Judge  Brooks  was  commended,  not  origin,  of  dissolute  habitsand  disreputable  char- 
only  b}'  public  meetings  in  the  state,  but  in  acter.  He  had  been  arraigneil  for  petit  larceny- 
Baltimore  and  elsewhere.  and  other  offenses.  His  mother  was  found  mur- 
On  his  return  to  his  home  in  Elizabeth  city,  dered  in  his  house  in  broad  daylight,  with  her 
a  perfect  ovation  by  men  of  all  parties  awaited  throat  cut  from  ear  to  ear,  and  no  one  ever 
him.  They  expressed  their  "appreciation  of  knew,  nor  did  the  coroner's  jury  decide,  by 
his  fidelit3'  in  enforcing  the  law."  No  con-  whom  or  how  the  murder  was  done.  Yet, 
quering  hero,  returning  from  the  field  of  victory,  this  man  was,  in  1868,  elected  senator  over  the 
could  have  received  such  applause.  It  was  the  Honorable  Bedford  Brown;  and  appointed  by 
triumph  of  the  law  and  of  justice  over  misrule  the  governor,  he  served  as  a  justice  of  the 
and  oppression.  (See  sketch  of  Judge  Brooks  peace,  and  was  granted  a  license  to  practice 
in  Pasquotank  County.)  The  sufferings  and  law  by  Judge  A.  W.  Tourgee.. 
contumely  thus  endured  by  Judge  Kerr  ex-  On  Saturday,  May  21st,  1870,  a  meeting 
cited  the  sincere  sympathy  of  the  country,  of  the  conservative  party  of  Ca-swell  County 
and  he  was  elected  by  the  legislature,  in  1874,  was  held  in  the  court  house  at   Yanceyville  tO' 


112 


WPIEELER'S    EEMINISCEXCES. 


nonuDate  candidates  for  tlio  le^iislature. 
Speeches  were  made  bj'  Samuel  P.  Hiil,  Bed- 
ford Brown,  and  others.  A  large  number  at- 
tended, among  them  was  Stephens.  At  night 
he  was  missing,  and  search  was  made.  The 
next  morning,  in  one  of  the  rooms  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  court  house,  the  dead  body  of 
Stephens  was  found,  The  jury  of  inquest  re- 
ported "the  death  of  John  W.  Stephens  was 
caused  by  a  small  rope  drawn  around  his  neck 
in  a  noose,  and   by  three  stabs  with  a  pocket 


knife,  two  in, the  tb.roat,  the  other  stab  on  the 
left  of  the  breast  hone,  nenetratino'  the  cavity 
of  the  chest,  inflicted  by  the  hands  of  some  per- 
sons unknown;  of  which  wound  the  said  John 
W.  Stephens  died,  on  Maj'  21st,  1870,  between 
the  hours  of  four  and  seven  o'clock,  p.  m." 
Various  surmises  have  been  made  as  to  the  per- 
sons and  motives  of  this  mysterious  murder. 
But  no  positive  evidence  was  elicited,  and  per- 
haps it  is  only  when  the  secrets  of  all  hearts 
are  known,  will  the  facts  be  ascertained. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


CHATHAM   COUNTY, 


There  lived  in  this  county  during  the  revo- 
lutionary war,  one  of  tlie  most  daring  and  des- 
perate tories  that  those  dangerous  times  pro- 
duced, by  the  name  of  David  Fanning.  He 
was  born  iibout  1754,  in  Wake  Count}',  and  in 
1778  moved  to  Chatham.  The  occupation  of 
Wilmington  b}'  the  British  troops  afforded  an 
opportunit}'  for  his  nefarious  depredations. 
One  of  the  earliest  sufferers  was  Charles  Shear- 
ing, of  Deep  River,  to  whose  house  he  went  at 
night,  and  shot  him  dead  as  he  fled.  His 
energy  and  desperation  were  appreciated  by 
the  British  authorities,  and  he  was  made  col- 
onel of  the  loyal  militia,  and  Major  Craig,  at 
Wilmington,  presented  him  with  a  uniform 
and  pistols. 

One  of  his*eai'liest  successes  was  the  capture 
of  Colonel  Philip  Alston,  at  his  house.  In  July, 
1784,  he  entered  Campbellton,  now  Fayette- 
ville,  and  carried  off  Colonel  Ennett,  Captain 
Winslow,  and  others.  On  September  12th, 
following,  he,  with   a  troop,   entered    Hills- 


boro'  and  seized  the  Governor  (Burke,)  and 
other  prominent  whigs,  and  carried  them  to 
Wilmington  as  prison  ers  of  war. 

I  attempted,  in  the  history  of  JS'orth  Caro- 
lina, to  give  a  brief  sketch  of  this  noted 
marauder  under  the  head  of  Chatham  County. 
Since  writing  this,  I  have  been  so  fortunate 
as  to  find  in  manuscript,  an  auto-biography 
written  b}'  Fanning  himself,  which  is  very 
lengthy  and  minute;  this  has  already  been 
published.  He  was  a  refugee  after  the  war 
closed,  and  died  in  St.  Johns,  Province  of  ]S!"ew 
Brunswick,  in  1825. 

Charles  Manly,  born  1795,  died  1871,  late 
Governor  of  Xorth  Carolina,  ^^■as  a  native  of 
this  county. 

His  fatlier,  Basil  Manly,  was  born  and  raised 
in  St.  Maiw's  County,  Mai-yland.  He  removed 
to  North  Carolina  before  the  revolution,  and 
settled  in  Bladen  Count}-.  He  was  a  bold  and 
active  partizan  ofHcer,  holding  the  commission 
of  captain  during  that  war. 


CHATHAM  COUNTY.  113 

He    married  Elizabeth     Maultsby.     Quae-  that  time  in  tlie  state,  and  an  associariou  with 

count  of  ill  health,  iie   removed  to  Chatham  prominent  and  leading  men,  he  was   enabled 

Coiintj',  where  he  died  in  1824,  much  respected  to   prosecute  the  study   of  the  law   witiioat 

for  his  high  moral  courage,  and   his  inflexible  entrenching  upon   the   narrow   income  of  bis 

integrity.     Having  had  but  a   limited  educa-  father.     He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in   1816, 

tion    liimself,  lie  felt  its  impoi'tance  and    ad-  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law  with  great 

vantages,   and   he     devoted  all    the   energies  success. 

of  an  industrious  and  frugal  life  to  the  be-  On  the  death  of  General  Robert  Williams,' 
•stowal  of  its  benefits  on  his  sons.  He  lived  in  whose  ofhce  he  read  law,  he  was  appointed 
to  accomplish  this  cherished  object  of  his  life,  his  successor  as  treasurer  of  the  board  of 
and  with  his  pious  and  exempbiry  wife,'  a  trustees  of  the  universit}-,  and  in  that  capacity, 
woman  of  great  mental  endowments,  to  rejoice  for  a  series  of  j'ears,  rendered  faithful  and 
in  the  happy  result  of  their  joint  efforts  and  signal  service  to  that  venerable  institution, 
prayers,  the  eminent  success  in  life  of  their  In  1823,  he  was  appointed,  on  the  uK^tion  of 
three  distinguished  sons,  Charles  ATanl}-,  Basil  John  Stanley,  the  reading  clerk  of  the  House 
Manly,  (who  graduated  at  the  South  Carolina  of  Commons.  The  same  year,  (1823.)  he  was 
university,  with  the  first  honors  of  the  institu-  appointed  clerk  to  the  commission  under  the 
tion,  born  1798.  died  at  Greenville,  South  treaty  of  Ghent,  to  examine  the  claims  of 
Carolina,  1868,)  and  Matthias  Evans  Manly,  of  American  citizens  for  slaves  and  other  prop- 
New  Berne,  late  judge  of  the  superior  and  erty  taken  by  the  British,  during  the  war 
of  the  supreme  courts  in  this  state,  also  elected  of  1812.  Langdon  Cheves,  of  South  Car- 
senator  in  congress,  but  denied  his  seat.  olina,  and  Henry  Seawell,  of  North  Carolina, 

Charles  Manly,  the  eldest  son,  was  born  in  were  the  American  commissioners;  George 
the  County  of  Chatham,  on  May  13th,  1795.  Jackson  and  John  McTavi.sh  were  the 
He  was  prepared  for  college  b}'  that  excellent  British  commissioners.  The  board  sat  at 
classical  scholar,  the  late  William  Bingham,  Washington.  This  was  a  position  most  de- 
af the  Pitttiboro  academy,  and  graduated  at  t  he  sii'able  and  improving  to  a  young  man,  afford- 
university  in  1814,  with  the  first  distinction  in  ing  a  pass-port  to  the  best  society  at  the  capital, 
all  bis  classes.  In  this  class  was  AaronV. Brown,  But  its  duties  interfered  so  much  with  his 
of  Tennessee,  (member  of  congress,  1839  to  professional  pursuits  at  home,  that  he  soon 
1843;  Governor  of  Tennessee,  1844,  and  Post-  resigned. 


a' 


master-General  of  the  United  States,  1857;)  The  Alumni  association  of  the  university 
Plons.  James  Graham,  and  John  Hill,  both  in  resolved  to  have  an  annual  address  at  each 
after  life  members  of  congress,  and  others.*  commencement,  and  Mr.  Manly  delivered  the 
The  treasurer  of  the  state,  the  late  John  first  in  1838,  which  was  most  acceptable, 
Haywood,  attended  this  c(nnmencement,  and  and  was  considered  a  model  of  chaste  and  pop- 
was  so  attracted  by  the  talents  and  proficiency  ular  elocution. 

of  this  young  man,  that  he  engaged  him  as  a  In  1830,  he  succeeded  that  fine  speciiJien   of 

privaty  tutor  for  his  sons.     This  position    was  "the    old  school  gentlemen,"    Pleasant    lleu- 

highly  advantageous.   For  besides  the  advanta-  derson,  as  principal  clerk  of  the  House  of  Com- 

ges  of   enjoying  the  regard  and  society  of  Mr.  mons,  and  remained,  by  continuous  elections 

Haywood,  one  of  the   most  popular  inen   at  in  the  same  office,  with  one  intermission,  until 

~~;—         ,     ^,,  .        ,    .  ,   T        ••,,.,  1848,   when  he  was  elected  governor  of  the 

*i  or  much  of  this  material.  lam  iiiaebted  toa  bio- 

graphical  sketch  by  .James  M.  Cleaveland.  slate.     He  had  never  been  ambitious  in  polit- 


114 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


ical  preferment.  In  1840,  he  wae  elected  an 
elector,  and  in  the  electoral  college  of  that  year, 
cast  the  vote  of  North  Carolina  for  Wil- 
liam H.  Harrison  and  John  Tyler.  In  1844,  he 
was  defeated  as  senator  for  Wake,  but  he  filled 
various  other  offices  of  confidence  and  trust 
with  ,2;reat  credit  to  himself,  and  satisfaction  to 
■the  state.  Among  these  positions  were  direct- 
or of  the  state  bank,  a  commissioner  to  sell  and 
collect  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  Cherokee 
lands  in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  and 
treasurer  of  the  universitj'. 

In  the  campaign  for  governor  in  1848,  the 
election  being  by  [lopular  suft'rage,  he  can- 
vassed the  whole  state  with  great  satisfaction 
to  his  friends,  and  with  the  respect  of  his  op- 
pioneuts.  lie  was  elected  by  a  handsome 
majority  ;  inaugurated  governor  on  January 
1st,  1849,  and  served  the  constitutional 
term  of  two  years.  In  1850,  he  was  again 
nominated  by  the  whig  convention 
was  again  opposed  by  that  able  and  astute 
statesman,  David  S.  Reid,  and  was  defeated. 
Afterwards  he  retired  to  private  life.  With  him, 
"  the  sceptre  departed  "  from  the  whig  party 
for  a  long  time,  for  after  Governor  Reid,  came 
Governors  Bragg,  Ellis,  Clark  and  Vance. 

Governor  Manly  married  in  1817,  Charity, 
daughter  of  William  H.  Haywood,  senior. 
By  this  marriage  he  became  the  brother-in- 
law  of  the  late  William  H.  Haywood,  junior; 
senator  in  congress,  (1843,)  as  also  of  E.  B. 
Dudley,  the  first  governor  of  the  state  under 
tlie  amended  constitution  of  18-35. 

As  might  naturally  be  supposed,  the  promi- 
nent positions  he  had  held,  especially  his  long 
connection  with  the  young  and  rising  genera- 
tion at  the  university,  and  with  those  in 
active  life  in  the  legislature,  as  its  principal 
clerk,  and  as  governor,  that  he  was  extensively 
known  to  every  man  of  prominence  and 
distinction,  especially  those  in  the  South.  He 
was  univerally  respected  wherever  known,  and 
became  a  great  favorite  with  his  genial  man- 


ners, and  magnetic  humor.  No  one  wfs  a  better 
conversationalist, or  more  aboundedin  anecdote 
and  reminiscences  of  men  and  times.  His 
keen  sense  of  the  ridiculous,  and  his  inimita- 
ble manner  of  narration,  made  him  a  welcome 
guest,  and  "  his  flashes  of  merriment  VN'ere  wont 
to  set  the  table  on  a  roar;''  his  wit  was  never 
used  to  wound, and  left  no  sting  behind.  Fond 
of  society,  his  house  was  the  resort  of  friends 
who  partook  of  his  unstinted  hospit.ility.  To 
the  call  of  misfortune  his  hand  was  ever  open. 
As  a  counsellor  he  was  an  honest  and  safe  one. 
Zealous  in  the  interest  of  his  client,  and  fair 
in  argument,  respectful  to  the  bench,  and  kind 
and  considerate  to  the  members  of  the  bar, 
especially  to  his  younger  brethren.  But  with 
all  his  other  admirable  traits  of  character,  and 
above  all,  he  was  a  chrisHaii gentleman.  He  was 
for  years  in  full  communion  and  membership 
of  the  Episcopal  church;  an  admirer  of  its 
tenets,  and  a  foUower  of  its  precepts. 

Such  was  Charles  Manly.  His  latter  days 
were  darkened  by  the  cloud  of  civil  war,  and 
the  hand  of  disease.  His  substance  vv'as  dis- 
poiled,  bis  farms  ravaged  by  hostile  hands,  and 
his  health  prostrated.  He  died  at  Raleigh 
on  May  1st,  1871.  Like  Wolsey 
Full  of  repentance. 


Continued  meditations,  tears,  and  sorrows 

He  gave  his  lionovs  to  tlie  world  again 

His  blessed  part  to  Heaven,  and  slept  in  peace." 

Christopher  Gale  resided  in  Edentou 
and  did  such  service  in  the  defense  of  the 
colony  that  his  name  should  be  preserved. 

We  regret  that  neither  traditioii  or  record 
affords  much  information  as  to  his  acts  and 
services,  and  that  the  dust  of  time  is  fast  ob- 
scuring the  little  information  we  possess,  yet 
this  should  encoarage  others  to  rescue  from 
oblivion  his  life  and  character. 

He  was  a  native  of  England,  born  in  York- 
shire, son  of  Miles  Gale,  rector  of  a  church  in  . 
Yorkshire.     He  came  to  America,  and  in  1709 
was  appointed  receiver  general,  and  in   1723 
was  appointed  one  of  the  council  of  Governor 


CHATHAM  COUNTY.  115 

George    Burrington,    with    Thomas    Pollock,  and  Craige  on  the  other,  while  Rencher  circn- 

Francis    Forstei',    John    Lovick    and    others;  lated   quietly   among  the  people,  and  gained 

when  he  was  at  the  same  time  chief  justice  of  the  votes.     He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 

the    colony.      In    1729,    with    Colonel    John  Twenty-first,     Twenty-second,   Twenty-third, 

Lovick,  Edward  Mosely,  and   "William  Little,  Twenty -fourth    and    Twenty-fifth    Congress, 

he  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  (1829  to  1839.)      He  was  again  elected  to  the 

run  the  line  between  North  Carolina  and  Vir-  Twentj- -seventh  Congress, (1841  to  1843.)   This 

ginia;  Colonel  William  Byrd,  Richard   Fitz-  was  a  stormy  period  of  our  political  history, 

williain    and    William    Dandridge,  being  the  Hari'ison  died  after  being  in  the  presidential 

commissioners  for  A'irginia.     The  journal  of  chair  one  month,  and  Tyler  succeeded.     The 

these  commissioners  has  been  preserved   and  friendsof  the  party  calculatedou  Tyler  pursuing 

printed.*  a  course  difi'erent  from  the  line  he  had  marked 

William    Little,    chief   justice,    n^arried    a  out.  Mr.  Clay  and  other  leaders  often  assailed 

daughter  of  Judge  Gale.     He   was  active  in  him    with  great  bitterness.     This  was  a  fierce 

resisting   the   attacks    of  the  Tuscaroras,   and  and  violent  contest.     A  very  few  of  the  old 

went    to  SoutVi   Carolina  for  aid,  which  was  whigs  stood  firm,  and  so  they  were  called  "the 

promptly  furnished,  and  Colonel    Moore   was  corporal's   guard."      One    of    these   was    Mr. 

despatched  with  a  sufficient  force  to  subdue  Rencher.     After  his  term  in  congre.ss  had  ex- 

them.  pired  he  was  appointed,  in  1843,  charge  deajfaires 

Chistopher  Ga1o  died  in  Edenton,  where  he  to  Portugal,  where  he  remained  four  years, 
lies  buried,  and   left  a   name  that  was  never         On  his  return  home  he  took  an   active  part 

mentioned  but  with  respect. t  in  the  election  of  Franklin  Pierce,  and  was  one 

Abram  Rencher  resides  in  Chatham  County,  of  the  electors  of  the  state. 
but  was  born  in    Wake   about  1804.     He  fin-         He  was  made  governor  of  the  territory-  of 

ished  his  education  at  the  university  where  he  New  Mexico,  by  President  Buchanan. 
graduated   in   1822.    In  the   same   class    was         John   M.  Mooring,  speaker  of  the  present 

Bishop     Davis,    Washington     Morrison,    and  house  of  representatives  of  the  North  Carolina 

others.     He  studied  law  with  Judge  Nash,  at  legislature,   (1879,)    is  a    native  of   Chatham 

Hillsboro.  County,  born  March  11th,  1841.     He  was  edu- 

He  early  engaged  in  political  life.     In  1829,  cated  at  Graham,  and  at  the  university,  and 

he  was  a  candidate  for  the  state  senate,  and  would   have    graduated  in  the  class  of  1863 

was  defeated;  but  in  the  same  year,  a  vacancy  had  not  the  civil  war  prevented.     He  joined 

occuriiig  in  congress  from  this  district,  he  be-  the  army  as  a  private  in  company  G,  seventh 

came    a    candidate,  with   Judge  Pearson  and  regiment,  and  was  sergeant-major  at  the  sur- 

Burton  Craige  as  opponents.     This  was  a  strife  render  of  Johnson  at  Greensboro,  1865.     He 

involving  much    intellectual    power,   and  the  studied  law,  and  in  1872  elected  member  of 

great  question  as  to  the  power  of  the  govern-  the  legislature,  and  re-elected   in   1874,  1876 

ment,  and  the  rights  of  the  state,   and  other  and  1878,  when   he  was  chosen  speaker.     He 

topics,  were  argued  by  Pearson  on  the  one  side  is  a  good  speaker,  and  a  laborious  member. 

His  even  teniper,  genial  disposition,  and  quick 

+  RMl3t*f?JfjR!,nl,i„<^T.    IT'-       •.   „       .  preception  of  points  of  order,  render  him  an 

TKecoi as  tiom  Board  of  Trade;  Lniversity  Magazine,  i  ^^  '  ' 

volume  v.,  221.)  admirable  presiding  officer. 


llfi 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
CHOWAN  COUNTY. 


This  countj^,  in  the  earlier  daj-s  of  the  state, 
was  the  residence  of  the  Roj-al  governors,  and 
its  capital  town  preserves  the  name  of  Charles 
Eden,  who  was  governor  under  the  Lord 
Proprietors,  from  1713  to  1722.  The  adminis- 
tration of  Eden  was  eminently  prosperons.  His 
grave  is  still  to  be  seen  on  Salmon  Creek,  in 
Bertie  County,  and  the  marble  bears  the  in- 
scription that  he  governed  the  province  for 
eight  years;  that  he  died  March  26th,  1722, 
aged  forty-nine  ^-ears.  During  his  adminis- 
tration a  notorious  pirate  lived  in  North  Caro- 
lina, and  whose  name  is  preserved  by  "Teach's 
Hole,"  near  Ocracoke  Inlet.  Inasmuch  as  at 
this  point  he  was  in  the  habit  of  careening  his 
vessel,  the  "Adventure,"  and  it  was  here,  at 
the  head  of  only  seventeen  men,  he  met  the 
Viiginia  naval  expedition  sent  out  for  his  cap- 
tuj'e,  of  whom  he  killed  and  wounded  thirty 
before  he  fell — gallanti-y  and  conduct  worthy 
of  a  better  cause!  The  reputation  of  Governor 
Eden  suffered  by  a,  supposed  intimacy  with 
Teach,  and  he  was  compelled  to  lay  before  the 
council  an  account  of  his  conduct. 

I  copy  from  a  very  scarce  work,  "A  General 
History  of  the  Pirates  from  their  first  rise  and 
settlement  to  the  present  time,"  by  Charles 
Johnson,  foui'th  edition:  London  1726,  referred 
to  in  Waldic's  select  circulating  library,  Phil- 
adelphia, 1883,1.,  123: 

"Edward' Teach,  better  known  as  'Rlack- 
beard,'  was  born  in  Bristol,  England.  He  was 
engaged  as  a  private  sailor  till  1716,  when  a 
Captain  Hornsgold, a  noted  pirate,  placed  him  in 
command  of  a  sloop  which  he  had  made  prize 
of.  They  sailed  together  for  the  American  coast, 
capturing  D:any  ships  and  plundering  them. 
After  various  cruises  they  were  shipwrecked 
on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina.  Teach  hear- 
ing of  a  proclaujation  by  which  pirates  who 


surrendered  were  to  he  pardoned,  went  with 
twenty-  of  his  men  to  the  governor  of  the  state, 
and  received  certificates  of  pardon  from  him. 
But  it  does  not  appear  that  their  submission 
was  from  any  reformation,  but  rather  to  gain 
time  and  opportunity  for  a  renewal  of  their 
nefarious  deeds.  Teach  had  succeeded  in  cul- 
tivating the  kind  offices  of  the  governor,  and 
soon  after  brought  in,  as  a  prize,  a  merchant 
ship,  which  the  vice-admiralty  court  of  the 
province  awarded  as  a  lawful  prize  to  Teach. 
In  June,  1718,  he  sailed  foi'  the  Bermudas,  and 
took  many  siiips  on  his  vo^^age,  among  them 
two  French  ships,  one  was  loaded  witli  sugar 
and  cocoa,  and  the  otlier  in  ballast;  the  latter 
with  both  crews  he  released,  and  the  other  he 
brought  to  North  Carolina.  Teach  and  his 
officers  claimed  them  as  lawful  prizes,  and 
made  affidavits  that  they  fonnd  the  prize  at 
sea  without  a  soul  on  board,  and  th.e  court 
condemned  her.  The  governor  (Eden,)  re- 
ceived sixty  hogsheads  of  sugar  for  his  part, 
Mr.  Knight,  his  secretar3%  one,  and  the  collec- 
tor of  the  province  twenty. 

"Thus  countenanced  and  protected.  Teach 
became  most  daring,  desperate  and  dangerous. 
He  infested  the  whole  const,  particularly  the 
waters  of  Delaware,  Virginia,  and  the  Caro- 
linas.  In  November,  1718,  Governor  Spotts- 
wood,  of  Virginia,  offered  a  reward  of  £100 
for  Teach,  dead  or  alive. 

"On  the  17th  of  tliesame  month,  Lie\itenant 
Maynard  sailed  fronj  Kicqiietan,  on  the  James 
river,  in  search  of  Blackbeard.  On  the  31st, 
at  tlie  mouth  of  Ocracoke  Inlet,  he  came  in 
sight  of  the  pirate.  Blackbeard  had  been  ad- 
^■ise(l  of  this  moven)ent  by  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Knight,  Governor  Eden's  secretary'.  He  iin- 
njediately  prepared  for  a  desperate  resistance. 
A  terrible  conflict  ensued  in  which  Blackbeard 
was  slain,  fighting  with  great  fury  and  desper- 
ation. Maynard  sailed  up  to  Bath  with  the 
head  of"  the  pirate  nailed  to  the  bowspi'it  of 
his  vessel.  A  letter  was  found  in  the  pocket 
of  the  dead  pirate  from  Knight,  dated 
November  17th,  1717,  a  copy  of  which  is 
preserved  in  Williamson's  History  of  North 
Carolina.  When  the  lieutenant  came  to  Bath 
town  he  seized  the  sugar  that  the  governor 
and  his   secretary  had   received  from  Teach. 


CHOWAN  (KlUXTY. 


li: 


The  statement  goes  on  to  sny  'that  the  gov- 
ernor, apprehensive  that  he  might  be  called  to 
account,  became  ill  <ii'  a  fright  and  died  in  a 
few  days.'  " 

In  an  autobiographical  sketch  of  Benjamin 
Franklin,  he  says  that  at  a  very  early  age 
(about  fourteen,)  he  took  a  strange  fancy  for 
poetry,  and  comjiosed  several  pieces,  among 
them  were  two  ballads,  one  called  the  "Light- 
house Tragedy,"  which  contained  an  account 
of  the  shipwreck  of  Captain  Worthilake  and 
his  two  daughters,  the  other  was  a  sailor's 
song  on  the  capture  of  the  noted  pirate  called 
Teach  or  BUickbeard.  When  they  had  been 
printed,  Franklin's  brother  sent  him  around 
the  town  to  sell  them.  Theyliad  a  prodigiems 
huccess,  as  the  fiist  event  was  then  recent, and 
created  much  excitemen.t. 

Following  the  sound  advice  of  his  father 
this  great  philoso[iher  esca[,ied  the  misfortune 
of  being  a  poor  poet,  for  the  success  of  these 
two  ballads  had  greatly  elated  his  young 
mind,  and  but  little  encouragemer.t  was  needed 
to  set  him  permanently  to  verse  making. 

It  is  due  to  the  truth  of  liistory  to  say 
that  there  was  no  evidence  to  implicate  Gov- 
ernor Eden  in  the  nc'farious  transactions  of 
Teach.  ,  As  to  tlie  statement  "that  he  was  so 
apprehensive,  and  was  so  frightened,  that  he 
died  ill  a  few  da^^s,"  is  grossly  in  error,  for  this 
was  in  1717,  and  Governor  Eden,  as  appears 
by  the  date  on  his  tombstone,  died  five  years 
afterwards. 

Tradition  points  to  Iloliiday's  Island,  in  tlie 
Chowan  river,  as  one  of  Blackbeard's  haunts,, 
and  the  mouth  of  Totecasi  Creek,  where  it 
enters  the  mouth  of  the  Meherrin  river,  as  the 
point  where  he  buried  his  spoils. 

The  people  of  this  section  were,  in  the  revo- 
lution, the  firm  friends  of  independence,  and- 
the  determined  foes  to  oppression.  The  North 
Carolina  Gazette,  of  February  21th,  1775,  con- 
tains the  pi'oceedings  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety  for  the  town  of  Edenton,  on  February 


4th,  1775,  showing  thi?  spirit.  The  commit- 
tee were  Robert  Hard_y,  (chairman,)  Joseph 
Hewes,  Robert  Smith,  Jasper  Charlton,  John 
Rembough,  William  Ben  not,  Charles  Boniield. 
Thomas  Jones,  and  John  Green.* 

Even  the  members  of  the  Episcopal  church,, 
who  liavfr  been  charged  I.)}'  some  as  being  op- 
posed to  ir.dependence,  v^ere  tirm  and  open 
against  the  oppressions  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment, and  resolved  to  stand  by  the  Continen- 
tal Congress. 

We  present  a  record  from  the  proceedings 
of  the  vestry  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  at 
Edenton,.  copied  by  the  kindnes.':  of  Major 
Henry  A.  Gilliam,  now  of  Raleigh: 

"Wo,  the  undersigned,  profe.^sing  our  alle- 
giance to  the  King,  and  acknowledging  the 
constitutional  executive  power  of  the  govern- 
ment, do  solemnly  profess  and  decLire,  that  we 
do  absolutely  believe  that  neither  the  Parlia- 
ment of  Great  Britian,  nor  any  memlier,  or 
constituent  branch  thereof,  have  a  right  to 
impose  taxes  upon  these  coloriies  to  regulate 
the  internal  policy  thereof;  and  that  all  at- 
tempts by  fraud  or  force  to  establish  and  ex- 
eicise  such  claims  and  powei's  are  violations  of 
the  peace  and  the  security  of  the  people,  and 
ought  to  be  resisted  to  the  utmost;  and  that 
the  people  of  this  province,  singly  and  collec- 
tively, are  bound  by  the  acts  and  resolutions 
of  the  Continental  and  Provincial  Congress, 
because  in  both  tliey  are  fully  represented  by 
persons  chosen  bj'  themselves.  And  we  do  sol- 
emnly and  .sincerely  promise  and  engage,  under 
the  sanctions  of  virtue,  honor,  and  the  sacred 
love  of  liberty  and  our  country,  to  maiatain 
and  support  all  the  acts  and  resolutions  of  the 
said  Continental  and  Provincial  Congress  to 
th-e  utmost  of  our  power  and  ability. 

"  In  testimony  whereof,  we  have  hereunto 
set  our  hands,  this  19th  day  of  June,  1775. 

"  Richard  Iloskens,  Wm.  Boyd,  David  Rice. 
Thomas  Benbury,t  Aaron  Hill,  Jacob  Hunter, 
Pelatiah  Walton,  John  Beasely,  William 
Hinton,  William  Bennet,  Thomas  Bonner, 
William  Roberts." 

These  names   are    doubtless   familiar    wit!) 


^"Colonial  Records  in  Rolls  Otfice,  copied  by  me. 
tThomas  Eeiibury  was  speaker  in  1778  to  1784. 


118 


WHEP^LER'S  REMmiSOENCES. 


nianj'  3'et  residing  in  Edenton.  H(nv  pron<l 
may  the}'  be  of  so  glowing  a  record! 

The  patriotism  of  the  men  was  equalled  by 
the  self  denial  of  the  wonicn. 

There  was  brought  from  Gibraltar,  many 
3'ears  ago,  a  lovely  painting  of"  a  meeting  of 
the  ladies  of  Edenton  destroying  the  tea,  their 
favorite  beverage,  when  taxed  by  the  English 
rarliament."  I  saw  this  picture  in  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Manning  ill  1830. 

'J'he  following  record  is  from  Eorce''s  Ameri- 
can Archives: 

"As  we  cannot  be  indifferent  on  any  occa- 
sion that  affects  the  peac«  and  happin<ess  of 
our  count}',  and  as  it  has  been  thought  neces- 
sary for  the  pulilic  good  to  enter  into  several 
particular  resolves  by  a  meeting  of  the  depu- 
ties of  the  whole  provinice,  it  is  a  duty  we  owe, 
not  onl}'  to  ourselves,  but  to  ournea^rand  dear 
relations,  to  do  everj'thing  as  far  as  lies  in  our 
power  to  testify  to  our  sincere  adherence  to  the 
same;  we,  therefore,  do  subscribe  this  paper 
as  a  witness  to  our  fixed  intention  and  solemn 
determination." 

Signed  bj'' fifty-six  ladies  of  Edenton,  North 
Carolina,  October  25th,  1774. 

There  are  but  few  sections  of  the  states  in 
in  which  have  resided  men  more  illustrious 
for  abilit}',  or  v\ho  have  written  their  names 
more  indelibly  in  the  history'  of  their  country. 

Among  the  first  of  theso  is  Samuel  John- 
ston; born  1733,  died  1816.  He  was  a  native 
of  Dundee,  Scotland,  the  son  of  John  John- 
ston and  Helen  Scrymsour.  His  father  in 
1736,  followed  Gabriel  Johnston,  who  was  his 
brother,  and  who  was  in  1834  the  governor  of 
the  province  of  North  Carolina,  and  alter 
whom  Johnstone  County  is  called.  Pie  died 
July  17th,  1752. 

He  was  a  Scotchman  In-  birth,  a  .man  of 
liberal  views,  and  a  physician  by  j>rofession. 
He  married  Penelope,  the  only  child  of  Gov- 
ernor Eden,  and  his  grandson,  William  John- 
stone Dawson,  distinguished  for  his  acquire- 
ments and    talents,  in    1793    represented  the 


Edenton  district  in  congress,  and  with  Willie 
Jones,  Joseph  McDowell,  Thomas  Blount  and 
James  Martin,  was  on  the  committee  in  1791 
to  fix  a  permanent  place  for  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment. He  died  in  1798;  an  event  universally 
regretted. 

John,  his  brother,  was  appointed  survej'- 
or-general  of  the  province,  and  settled  in 
Onslow  County,  whilst  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  yet  an  infant.  His  advantages  of 
education  were  the  best  the  country  afforded. 
He  studied  law  in  Edenton,  under  Thomas 
Barker,  and  resided  at  Hays,  near  Edenton. 
When  only  nineteen  he  was  appointed  one  of 
the  clerks  of  the  superior  court  for  the  dis- 
trict, and  afterwards  deputy  naval  officer  for 
the  port. 

Although  holding  this  position,  he  was  the 
ardent  and  unflinching  advocate  of  the  rights 
of  the  people. 

In  1773,  he  was  appointed  with  Caswell, 
Harnett  and  Hooper  a  committee  of  corres- 
pondence >with  the  other  colonies  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  cond-uct  of  England  toM'ards  the 
colonies. 

In  a  dispatch  from  Governor  Martin  to  the 
Earl  of  Dartmouth,  of  September  1st,  1774,  he 
thus  speaks  of  the  influence  and  the  character 
of  Mr.  Johnston: 

"  I  have  known  the  general  assembly  to 
sacrifice  everything  to  a  faction. 

"Eour  of  them,  namely  Currituck,  Perquim- 
ons,  Pasquotank  and  Chowan,  send  each  five 
members;  Tyrell,  Bertie  and  Martin  send  eight, 
besides  one  for  Edenton.  These  are  al^^■a3•s 
led  by  a  man  or  two.  They  are  now  absoliitel}' 
under  the  guidance  of  a  Mr.  Johnstone,  who 
is  deputj'  naval  officer,  and  was  one  of  the 
clerks  of  the  superior  courts  while  thej'  existed 
in  the  jirovince.  who,  under  the  prejudices  of  a 
New  England  education,  is  by  no  means  a 
friend  of  the  government,  having  taken  a  fore- 
most part  in  all  the  late  opposition,  joined  with 
the  Southern  interest,  ^vhich  at  present  supi- 
ports  a  Mr.  Ashe. 

"Your  lordshi  p  will  not  be  surprised  to  hear 
that  the  people  of  this  province  have  followed 
the  example  of  the  rest  of  the  continent  in 


CilOWAIs^  COUNTY. 


119 


caballing   and  forniins;  resnlntions  against  the 
measures  of  the  Government."* 

As  was  to  be  expected,  Govei'nor  Martin 
suspended  Mr.  Johnston  from  office,  which 
drew  from  him  the  following  dignified  letter, 
now  on  file  in  the  Rolls  Office  in  London: 

"Edenton,  Noveriijjer  IQih,  1775. 

"Sir:  I  have  this  day  had  the  honor  of  re- 
ceiving your  excellency's  letter,  signifying  that 
you  had  been  pleased  to  suspend  me  from  act- 
ing as  deputy  to  Mr.  Turner,  in  the  Naval' 
office,  with  the  reasons  for  such  removal,  and 
it  gives  me  pleasure  that  I  do  not  find  neglect 
of  the  duties  of  my  office  in  the  catalogue  of 
my  crimes;  at  the  same  time  I  hold  myself 
obliged  to  you  for  the  polite  manner  in  which 
3'ou  are  pleased  to  express  yourself  of  my  pri- 
vate character.  You  will  pardon  me  for  saying 
that  I  had  reason  to  complain  of  the  invidious 
poitit  of  view  in  which  you  place  my  public 
transactions,  when  you  state  that  'the  late 
meeting  of  the  iidiabitants  of  this  province  at 
Ilillsboi'o,  was  a  body  of  my  own  creation.' 

"Your  excellency  cannot  be  ignorant  that  I 
was  a  mere  instrument  on  this  occasion,  under 
the  direction  of  the  people;  a  people  amotig 
whom  I  have  long  I'esided,  who  have  on  all 
occasions  placed  the  greatest  confidence  in  me, 
and  to  whom  I  am  bound  by  gratitude  (that 
powerful  and  inviolate  tie  in  every  lionest 
mind,)  to  render  any  service  they  can  demand 
of  me,  in  defense  of  what  they  esteem  their 
lights,  at  the  risk  of  my  life  and  property. 

"You  will  further,  sir,  be  pleased  to  under- 
stand, that  I  never  considered  myself  in  that 
honorable  light  in  which  you  place  me — ^om  of 
the  Kirif/'s  servants,^  being  entirely-  unknown  to 
tliose  who  have  the  disposal  of  the  King's 
favors.  I  never  enjoyed,  nor  had  I  right 
to  expect,  any  office  under  His  Majesty.  The 
office  I  held,  and  for  some  years  exercised  under 
the  deputation  of  Mr.  Turner,  was  an  hon- 
est purchase  for  which  I  paid  punctually  i.n 
annual  sum,  and  which  I  shall  continue  to  pay 
until  the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  I 
would  have  held  it,  agreeably  to  our  contract. 

"  Permit  me,  sir,  to  add  that  had  all  the 
King's  servants  iti  this  province  been  as  well 
informed  as  to  the  dis[iosition  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, as  they  might  have  been,  or  taken  the 
same  pains  to  promote  peace,  good  order,  and 
obedience  to  the  laws,  that  I  flatter  myself  I 


have  done,  the  source  of  3'our  excellenc^-'s  un- 
ceasing lamentations  had  never  existetl;  or  had 
it  existed,  it  would  have  been  in  so  small  a 
degree  that  e'er  this  it  would  have  been 
nearly  exhausted. 

"But,  sir,  a  recapitulation  of  past  errors, 
which  it  is  now  too  late  to  correct,  would  be 
painful  to  me,  and  miii'ht  appear  impertinent 
to  you;  Ishall  therefore  decline  the  ungracious 
task,  and  by  and  v^ithall  due  I'cspect,  subscribe 
myself, 

"Your  excellency's  nn>st 

•■•'obedient,  luimble  servant, 

"Samuel  Johnstone." 

He  was  a  mendjer  from  Chowan  in  1775,  to 
the  provincial  congress  of  the  state,  and  suc- 
ceeded, iin  the  death  of  .John  Harvey,  as  moder- 
ator or  president. 

He  was  ju-esent  at  Halifax  at  the  formation 
of  the  constitution  in  November,  1776,  and 
although  not  a  member,  afforded  all  the  aid 
of  his  experience  and  ability  to  develope  the 
conservative  features  of  that  instrument.  To 
many  of  the  principles  adopted,  he  was 
opposed,  fearing  the  departure  from  the  forms 
long  established  and  practiced  was  too  great 
to  be  useful. 

In  1780  to  1782,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Continental  Congress.f  In  1787,  he  was  elected 
govenor  of  the  state.  He  was  an  ardent  and 
enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States,  and  pi'esided  at  the  conventioui, 
held  July  21st,  1788,  to'consider  that  instru- 
ment, jbnt  it  was  rejected  by  that  body. 
In  17j9,  he  and  Benjamin  Hawkins  were 
elected  the  first  senators  from  Nortli  Corolina. 
in  tKe  Congress  of  tlie  United  States:  here 
they  served  till  1793. 

In  February,  1800,  he  was  appointed  one  of 
the  judges  of  the  superior  courts  of  lav/,  and. 
equity,  which  he  resigned  in  November,  1803. 
He  died  in  1816. 


*Colonial  Documents,  Rolls  Office,  p.  184. 


tWhile  a  memLev  of  the  Continental  Congie.ss  ha  was 
elected  to  the  high  honor  of  president  of  that  body;  but 
he  was  compellPd  to  forego  tliis  distinction  because  of 
the  condition  of  his  finances.  This  <  ompelled  his  re- 
turn to  North  Carolina,  ^and  he  had  thus  to  forego 
what  was  then  the  hi^iest  civil  function  in  America.. 
— .Journa-t  of  Continental  Congress-  -^ 


120  WHEELER'S    HEMINISCEInCES. 

Governor     Johnston     was     mentally      and  Ho  left  two  children,  Reverend   Samuel  J. 

physically  "every  inch  a  man."     His  intellect  Johnston,  D.D.,  for  years  rector  of  St.  Paul's, 

was  of  the  highest  order,  cultivated  by  learn-  Edenton,  and  Sallie  Ajine,  who  married  James 

ing  and  experience.     His  person  was  imposing,  D.    Wynns.      Esther  Gotten,  the  only  other 

of  a  large  and  powerful  frame,  erect  and  stately  child    of    Godwin    Gotten,    married    in    1804 

in  his  carriage,  and  of  iron   will.     He  joined  James  Wright  Moore,  of  Virginia.     He  was 

the  graces  of  the  scholar  with  the  wisdom    of  the  son   of  Captain    William  Edward    Moore, 

the  statesman.*  and  was  noted  for  his  manly  and   noble  pres- 

He  was  a  devoted  advocate  of  mtisonr}-,  and  ence,  and  his  devotion  to  field  sports.  He,  too, 

was  in  1788,  grand  master  oi  the  order  in  the  died  eai'lj-,  leaving  one  son,   Dr.  Godwin   C. 

state. t  Moore,  and  two  daughters, Emeline,  who  mar- 

Ile  married  Frances  Cathcart,  and  had  issue,  ried  first,  ])r.  N.  W.  Fletcher,  of  Virginia;  her 
•among  tliem  James  C.  Johnston,  who  lived  second  husband  was  Mr.  LeVert,  of  Alabanm, 
■near  Edenton,  and  died  vluring  the  war  be-  and  Sarah  Matilda,  married  to  Turner  P. 
tween  the  states,  about  1861,  one  of  the  Westray,  of  Nash,  since  dead, 
wealthiest  men  of  the  state.  He  was  so  de-  The  genealogy  of  the  Johnston  family: 
cidedly  opposed  to  secession  that  he  disin-  John  Johnston,  brother  to  Gabriel  John- 
herited  alibis  relatives,  because  they  identified  ston.  Governor  North  Carolina  1734,  married 
themselves  with  this  war,  and  left  his  Helen  Scrj-msour,  and  had  seven  children.  I. 
property,  amounting  to  many  millions,  to  his  Samuel.  II.  John,  married  Miss  Williams  and 
personal  friends.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  had  the  following  children:  (a)  John,  mar- 
war  he  freed  his  slaves.  He  was  a  great  ried  Cotton,  of  Hertford  County;  (6)  Samuel 
admirer  of  Henry  Clay,  whose  debts,  to  a  large  Iredell,  university  class  1826,  rector  of  St. 
amount,  Mr  Johnston  discharged  without  Paul's,  Edenton;  (c)  Sally  Ann,  married  to  J. 
Mr.  Clay's  knowledge;  nor  was  Mr.  Clay  ever  D.  Wynns;  (d)  Elizabeth,  married  to  Philip 
able  to  ascertain  who  was  his  benefactor.  His  Alston  had  six  children,  and  (c)  Anne,  mar- 
will  was  contested  by  his  legal  heirs,  on  the  ried  to  Hunter,  no  issue, 
ground  of  his  being  non  compo.-s  mmtis.  III.  Penelope,  married  to  Parson  Stuart,  no 

About  this  time  John  Johnston,  who  had, in  issue.  IV.  <lane,  married  to  George  Blair, 
1787,  1788,  1789,  represented  P)ertie  County  and  had  {a)  Helen,  married  to  Tredwell,  had 
in  the  senate,  l)ecame  a  citizen  of  Hertford  four  children;  {h)  William;  (e)  Margaret, 
County.  lie  had  mariied  Betsey  Gotten, (laugh-  married  first  to  Dr.  Hornier,  and  second  to 
ter  of  Godwin  Gotten, of  Mulberrj  Grove, and  Mr.  Sawyer,  and  had  seven  cliildren;  [d)  Sam- 
resided  near  there.  He  was  of  the  same  name  uel,  and  {c)  George,  married  Miss  King,  mem- 
and  nephew  of  Governor  Johnston,  of  Chowan,  her  of  legislature  in  1829. 

He  was  a  man  of  high  culture,  but  died  too  V.  Anne  died  unmarried.  VI.  Isabella  died 
young  to  attain  the  traditional  prominence  uumariied.  VII.  Hannah,  married  to  James 
and  usefulness  of  his  family.  Iredell,  (Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
-UniveiTity  Magazme,  Vlil.,  1.  United  States,  born  1750,  died  1799,)  and  had 
_  t  "In  ihe  lodge  room  at  Edenton,"  savs  Mr.  Banks  four  children:  (a)  Thonms;  (/;)  Annie-  (r\ 
m  the  Ob  erver,  •■  there  is  a  remarkable  chair  of  heavy  ^^  ,  ,  /,n  t  i  -.-oo  ^ 
■■ "- -  Helen,  and  ((?)  James,  born  lv88,  Governor  of 

North  Carolina  1827,  United   States  Senator 
1828,  died  1853,  leaving  issue 


mahogany,  carved  witli  all  the  emblems  of  masonry, 
with  the  words,  "virtnte  et  silento. "     This  chair  is  the 
one  which  General  Washiiigtou  occupied  at  Williams 
burg,  Va.,  and  was  deposited  here  during  the  revoln- 


le. 


'tiouary  war  for  safety.      It  is  a  venerable  relic,  and  ,    .  ,      ,  ,  .    ^.       .,     . 

possesses  the  reverence  and  regard  of  all  masons."  It  is   stated    that    this  lamily  is  a  branch  of 


CHOWAN  COUNTY. 


V21 


the  hoLibG  of  Annandale  of  Scotland.  An  illu- 
sion is  made  in  McRee's  "Life  and  Correspon- 
dence of  James  Iredell,"  to  the  dormant  claim 
to  the  Marqnisite  of  Annandale,  as  existing  in 
the  Johnston  family  of  North  Carolina — nor 
is  this  claim  a  m\'th. 

From  a  worii  on  genealogy'',  reliable  and  val- 
uable, (the  Peerage  of  Scotland,  containing  an 
historical  and  genealogiotil  account  of  the  no- 
bility of  that  kingdom  from  their  origin  to 
the  present  generation,  by  Sir  Kobert  Douglas, 
ill  quarto,  1813,)  I  extract  the  following: 

"George,  third  Marquis  of  Annandale,  died 
April  29th,  1792.  He  left  an  estate  of  £415.000. 
It  is  understood  that  the  title  devolved  on 
James,  (third  Earl  of  Ilopetown,)  who,  how- 
ever, did  not  assume  the  title  but  took  the 
nanie  of  Johnstone  in  addition  to  that  of 
Hope.  It  has  not  been  determined  whether 
the  title  of  the  Marquis  of  Annandale  has 
become  extinct,  or'  devolves  on  the  heir  male 
general  of  the  family,  or  who  is  such  heir  male 
general. 

"The  motto  of  the  family  is  'Nunquam  non 
'/)aratu.-:''^Vo\.  I.,  77. 

"The  .Johnstones  were  a  race  of  brave  and 
warlike  men,  of  gi'eat  power  atid  authority'  on 
the  borders."— Vol.  I.,  70. 

From  Family  Romance;  or,  Episodes  in  the 
Domestic  Annals  of  the  Aristocracy  of  Great 
Britain.  A  work  by  Sir  Bernard  Burke,  au- 
thor of  the  Peerage,  &c.,  fourth  edition:  Lon- 
don, 1876: 

"  Margaret,  Lady  Ogilvj-,  (wife  of  David, 
Lord  Ogiivy  and  daughter  of  Sir  James  John- 
stone,) Third  Baronet  of  Westerhall  and 
Dame  Barl^ara  Murray,  was  oneof  tlie  keenest 
supporters  of  the  unfortunate  Prince  Charles 
Edward,  when  he  raised  his  standard  in  Scot- 
land in  1744. 

"  When  the  fortunes  of  Charles  approached 
its  close, Lord  Oirilvj-  was  unwilling  to  continue 
his  sui)port,  and  as  the  only  way  of  securing 
her  husband's  attendance  at  the  battle  of  Cul- 
loden.  Lady  Ogiivy  rode  herself  with  him  at 
the  head  of  the  clan  to  the  battle  tield,  she 
was  beautiful  and  graceful,  and  an  admirable 
rider.  At  the  close  of  the  day,  her  husband 
rode  breathless  up  to  her,  and  told  her  '  the 


battle  was  lost.'  He  escaped  to  France,  where 
he  entered  the  army,  and  attained  the  high 
rank  of  Lieutenant-General  under  Napoleon. 
Lady  Ogiivy  was  taken  prisoner,  tried,  con- 
victed, and  sentenced  to  be  executed  in  Edin- 
burgh. She  made  her  escape,  by  a  fearless 
stratagem,  to  France,  where  she  joined  her 
husband;  there  she  died  at  the  early  age  of 
thirty-three.  She  left  one  son,  David,  who 
died  without  issue,  and  one  daughter  who 
married  Sir  .John  Wedderburn,  heir  of  the 
House  of  Airlie. 

"  She  had  several  talented,  distinguished  and 
fortunate  lirothers.  Her  second  brother,  Wil- 
liam, married  Miss  Pulteney,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Pnlteney,  sole  heiress  of  the  Earl  of 
Bath.  In  consequence  of  succeeding  to  her 
inunense  fortune  Mr.  Johstone  assumed  the 
name  of  Pulteney.  He  became  Fifth  Baronet 
and  claimant  of  the  Marquisate  of  Annaud;ile 
on  the  death  of  liis  eldest  brother.  Her  only 
daughter  was  created  Countess  of  Bath,  died 
without  issue.  Her  vast  estates  were  inherited 
by  her  maternal  relatives;  the  Duke  of  Cleve- 
land, and  Sir  Richard  Sutton;  Sir  William 
Johnstone  Pulteney,  heir  in  tlie  Weitcrlmll 
estate,  t\\Q  American  possessicns,  and  the  claimant 
to  the  Marqui.sate  of  Annandale  is  Sir 
Frederick,  the  Eighth  Baronet,  great  grand 
son  of  the  third  son  of  Sir  James  and  Dame 
Barbara. 

"  Sir  James's  fourth  son,  John,  went  to  India, 
made  a  fortune,  and  returned  home,  where  he 
purchased  large  estates  in  his  native  country. 
Alva,  in  the  County  of  Clackmannan,  and  the 
Hanging  Show,  in  the  Count}'  of  Selkirk.  Tlie 
famil}'  of  Ml',  .lohnstone's  only  son  are  numer- 
ous and  prosperous."  Main'  of  them  emigrated 
to  America;  pp.  168  to  173, 

Some  members  of  this  family  were  engaged 
in  our  late  inteniicme  war,  and  fell  iu  battle. 

Althouich  it  is  ikiquestionable  as  stated  by 
Whitman  in  his  woi'k  on  "American  Geneal- 
ogy,'' that  any  given  family  in  our  country, 
claiming  to  be  descended  from  any  distin- 
guished English  family  of  the  same  name  i  s 
doubtful,  and  such  claims  should  be  severely 
scrutinized;  yet  enough  has  been  shown  from 
the  English  authorities  of  unquestioned  reli- 
ability, that  the  claim  of  the  Johnston  fam- 
ily m  North  Carolina  to  the  title  of  the  Mar- 
quisate of  Annandale  of  Scotland  has  some 


122  WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 

foundation,  and  might  re^val■d  the  descendants  Continental    Congress    at    Philade' :>hia,    and 

in  prosecuting  the  claim.  served  till  1785,  and   again   in   178     '88.     In 

Joseph  Hewes,  born  1735,  died  1779,  one  of  1787   he,  with  William  Blount   ana  Richard 

the  signers  (jf  the  Declaration  of  Independence  Dobbs   Spaight,  was  delegate  to   the  conven- 

of  July  4th,  1776,  from  North   Carolina,  was  tion    which   formed    the  Constitution   of  the 

long  a  resident  of  Edenton.     He  was  a  native  United  States,  and  their  names  are  appended 

of  New  Jersey,  and  a  merchant.  to  that  immortal  instrument. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Congress         From  his  advocacy  of  the  constitution, which 

at!New  Bernein  1774,and  in  Hillsboro  in  1775;  was  not  accepted  by  North  Carolina,  he  lost 

often  a  member  of  the  House  of    Commons,  mucii  popularity.     But  this  was  but  momen- 

and  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  at  tar\',  for  he  represented  the  Edenton  district 

I'hiladelphia,  1774  to  1777,  and   1779  to  1780.  in  the  Erst  and  Second  Congress  in  the  House 

He  died  while  in  Congress  at  Philadelphia,  of  Representatives,  (1789  to  1793.) 
on  November  10th,  1779.     He  left  a  large  for-         He  served  his  country  faithfully  at  hoi,ie  and 

tune  but  no  children   to   inherit  it.     He  was  alu-oad;    was  appointed   at    the    head   ■'■'f   the 

possessing  in    person,  and  of  great  amenity  of  medical  staft',  by  Governor   Caswell   an  i    was 

manners.     His  original  miniature,  beautifully  with  him  at  the  battle  of  Camden,  178(3      He 

executed,  now  in  the  possession  of   Miss  Ire-  was  literary  in  his  tastes,  and  wrote  (1812)   a 

dell,  at   Charlotte,  shows   that   he  was  very  History  of  North  Carolina.     He  died  suddeidy 

handsome  and  of  amiable  countenance.  in  New  York,   (where  he  had  removed  and 

Mr.  Hewes  was  a  man  of   exquisite  delicacy  where  he  had  married,)  on  May  22d,  1819. 
and  refinement;  be  had  been  the  accepted  sui-         Stephen    Cabarrus,   born    1754,    died    180S, 

tor  of  Isabella,  the  sister  of  Samuel  Johnston,  represented    Edenton  in  the  legislature  from 

She  died  just  previous  to  her  nuptials,  and  he  1784    to    1787,   and    the   county     from    1788 

soon  followed  her  to  the  grave.*  to  1805,  with  some  intermission,  and   was  an 

It  is  not   very  complimentary  to  our  state  acceptable  speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons 

pride  that  neither  one  of  the  signers  of  the  from  1800  to  1805;  from  him  Cabarrus  County 

Declaration,  as  delegates  from  the  state,  were  derives  its  name.  He  resided  and  died  at  Pem- 

native    sons    of    North    Carolina.       William  broke,  near  Edenton. 

Hooper  was  a   Boston    man,  Hewes,  a  New         He  was  a  native  of  France,  ar.d  possessed  the 

Jersey  man,  and  John  Penn,  a  Virginian.  usual  great  wit  and  vivacity  of  his  countrymen. 

Hugh  Williamson,  born  1735,  died  1819,  one  That  he  was  popular  is  shown  from  the  r^-- 

of    the    signers   of   the    Constitution    of   the  peated  elections  of  the  people,  and  that   I'e 

United  States,  from  North  Carolina,    resided  was  a  useful  member  is  evident   by  his  loi  g 

for  a  long  time  in  Edenton.  service  as  speaker.  He  lies  buried  at  Pcmbroko, 

He  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  De-  a.  large  marble  slat  marks  the  spot  of  his  last 

cember    5th,    1785,   at    Nottingham,    a    phy-  resting  place.     It  is  thus  inscribed: 

sician  by  profession.  ,,  ^^  memory  of  Stepheu  Cabarrus,  who  departed  this 

He  represented  the  town  in   1782,   and  the  hfe  ou  the  4th  of  August,  18.8,  aged  fifty-four  yeare.'" 

County  of  Chowan  in  1785,  in  the  legislature.         Honorable  Charles  Johnson  was  a  useful  and 

In    1782,   he    was   elected    by  the    Provincial  distinguished  citizen  of  Chowan  County.     He 

Congress  of  North  Carolina,  a  member  of  the  often    represented  the  county  in   the  senate, 

~7      ,    T:r- ^    •    1  <.,   .  ,        .  (1781  to '92,)  and  in  1782,  1789,  was  speaker 

*Moore's  Historical  Sketches  of  Hertford  Co.  nty,  ^  ,^  ,,,... 

XL,  556.  of  the  senate.     He  represented  the  district  in 


CHOWAN  COUNTY. 


123 


the  Seventh  Congress  of  the  United  States  in 
1801;  he  U  1  in  congress  in  1802.  His  son, 
Charles  E.  Johnson,  represented  this  count}' 
frequently  in  the  senate,  1817 ,-'19,-20,  whose 
son.  Dr.  Charles  Johnson,  was  surgeon-general 
of  the  state  in  the  civil  war,  and  who  lived 
and  died  in  Raleigh. 

Thomas  Benbury  an  early  and  active 
friend  to  the  cause  of  the  people — one  of  the 
Committee  of  Safety  in  1775,  was  also  a  citi- 
zen of  Chowan.  He  often  represented  the 
county  in  tlio  legislature  as  early  as  1774,  and 
continue^  till  1781.  He  was  speaker  of  the 
house  ..-  1778,-'79,-'80,-'82.  At  one  time 
Chowaij  Countj'  had  her  sons  speakei's  of  both 
houses  (  ;■  tlie  assemblj-.  One  of  his  descend- 
ants re,  resented  Chowan  County  in  the  legis- 
lature! i  1862, -'64,  with  George  M.  L.  Eure  as 
colleague  in  the  senate. 

James  Iredell,  born  1750,  died  1799,  one 
of  the  associate  justices  of  the  supreme  court 
of  the  United  States,  resided  in  Edenton. 
He  was  a  native  of  England. 

His  father  was  a  prosperous  merchant  at 
Bristol,  eldest  son  of  Francis  Iredell,  born  at 
Lewes,  in  Sussex  County,  on  October  5th,  1751. 

He  came  to  North  Carolina  in  the  fall  of 
1768,  when  oiily  seventeen  years  old,  and  held 
the  otiice  of  deputy  of  the  port  of  Edenton 
under  his  relative  Henrj'  Eustace  McCullock. 
''^''e  was  afterwards  appointed  collector,  Feb- 
ry  17th,  1774,  by  the  Crown.  He  studied 
lavp  under  Governor  Samuel  Johnston,  whose 
8isj:er,  Hannah,  he  married  July  10th,  1773. 

He  was  licensed  December  14th,  1770,  and 
soon  rose  to  eminence  in  his  profession.  In 
1777,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
superior  courts,  which  he  resigned  in  1777.  In 
Jul}'  following  he  was  made  attorney  general 
by  Governor  Caswell.  In  1788,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  convention  that  met  at  Hills- 
boro  to  deliberate  on  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  and  was  the  able,  but  unsuccess- 
ful, advocate  of  its  adoption. 


In  February,  1790,  he  was  appointed  by 
General  Washington,  one  of  the  justices  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  United  States. 

Full  of  years  and  honors  he  died  at  Edenton, 
October  20th,  1799. 

His  name  has  been  indelibl}-  written  on  the 
history  of  the  state,  by  calling  after  his  name 
one  of  the  most  lovely  counties  of  the  state. 

Judge  Iredell  was,  as  expressed  by  Chief 
Justice  Marshall  in  a  letter  to  Judge  Murphy, 
(October,  1827,)  a  man  of  talents,  and  of  great 
professional  worth. 

He  left  two  daughters  and  one  son:  his 
death  was  hastened  by  his  severe  labors  in 
riding  the  southern  circuit. 

"  Repeatedly,"  says  McCree  in  his  biography, 
"  did  this  devoted  public  servant,  in  his  stick 
gig,  traverse  the  wide  and  weary  distances 
between  Philadelphia  and  Savannah."  "The 
life  and  correspondence  of  Judge  Iredell,  by 
GrifEth  J.  McCree,"  gives  a  full  and  accurate 
account  of  his  character  and  services.  This  is 
the  best  work  extract  on  North  Carolina  biog- 
raphy. 

James  Iredell,  junior,  born  1788  died  1853, 
son  of  Judge  Iredell,  was  born,  lived  and  died 
in  Edenton.  He  was  liberally  educated,  a 
graduate  of  Princeton  in  1806,  and  studied 
law.  Both  in  his  legal  pursuits  and  in  political 
life  he  attained  great  eminence. 

In  the  war  of  1812,  he  raised  a  company  of 
volunteers  and  became  its  captain.  His  asso- 
ciate and  life  long  friend,  Gavin  IIogg,was  one 
of  the  lieutenants.  He  marched  with  his 
company  to  Craney  Island,  near  Norfolk,  and 
aided  in  its  defense  against  the  British.  After 
the  war  he  returned  to  his  profession,  of  which 
he  was  a  distinguished  member.  He  entered 
public  life  in  1816  as  a  member  from  the  town 
of  Edenton;  (in  1817  and  1818  he  was  speaker.) 
He  was  returned  to  the  legislature  for  many 
years.  In  March,  1819,  he  was  appointed  a 
judge  of  the  superior  courts  of  law  and  equity, 
which,  in  the  May  following,  he  resigned.     In 


124 


WHEELER'S   EEMINISCENCES. 


1S27.  he  was  elected  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Xorth  Carolina,  and  the  next-j-ear  was  elected 
a  Senator  in  Congress,  succeeding  Nathaniel 
Macon.  He  ^vas  succeeded  by  Judge  Manguni 
as  senator  in  congress. 

Ai'ter  leaving  the  senate,where  he  was  loved 
by  his  associates,  and  esteemed  bj'  the  nation, 
he  retired  to  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
which  the  support  of  a  J'oung  and  increasing 
famil}'  demanded.  He  was  for  a  time  the  able 
and  accurate  repoi'ter  of  the  decisions  of  the 
supreme  court,  which  are  regarded  b}'  the  pro- 
fession as  models  of  their  kind,  and  authorit}' 
in  all  the  courts  of  the  country-. 

Few  men  who  knew  Governor  Iredell  that 
did  not  esteem  him;  and  to  his  intimate 
friends  he  was  an  especial  favorite.  Even  in 
the  heat  of  political  contests,  he  never  forgot 
the  courtesy  of  life,  or  the  dignity  of  a  gentle- 
man. His  social  habits  aii'ected  much  of  his 
usefulness. 

He  married  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Tread- 
well,  collector  of  Edenton,  by  whom  he  had  an 
interesting  and  numerous  family.  One  of  his 
daughters  married  Cadwallader  Jones,  now  of 
South  Carolina;  another  Griffith  McEee,  of 
AVihnington ;  another  Dr.  Charles  E.  Johnson, 
and  another  Honorable  W.  M.  Shipp  of  Char- 
lotte. 

Governor  Iredell  died  in  Edenton  on  April 
13th,  1853. 

Dr.  James  Norcum,  one  of  the  most  skillful 
and  successful  phj'sicians  of  the  county,  was 
born  and  lived  and  died  in  Chowan  County. 

He  was  born  in  1778,  educated  at  the 
academy-  in  Edenton,  and  studied  his  profes- 
sion under  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  graduated  in  his  twentieth  year, 
under  such  medical  celebrities  as  Rush,  Wistar, 
Shippen  and  others.  He  returned  home,  and 
by  his  skill  and  learning  soon  obtained  an 
extensive  practice.  So  extensive  that  he  was 
often  sent  for  in  consultation  from  a  distance 
of  more  than  one  hundred  miles.     His  field  of 


practice  embraced  tlie  counties  of  Chowan, 
Perquimoiis,  Parquotank,  Camden,  Bertie, 
Hertford  and  Martin.  But  this  large  and 
lucrative  practice  he  was  compelled  to  abandon 
on  account  of  his  health.  Apprehensive  of  the 
consumption,  he  repaired  to  Philadelphia, 
and  consulted  Dr.  Rush,  who  prescribed  along 
sea  voyage.  This  advice  was  followed  and  for 
three  years  he  was  absent,  visiting  Calcutta 
and  other  regions.  He  returned  in  restored 
health,  and  resumed  his  practice  at  Edenton. 
Here  he  continued  until  bis  death.  He  was 
appointed  sui-geon  in  the  army,  which  he  soon 
declined.  He  was  one  of  the  first  men  of  his 
profession.  He  wrote  much  on  medical  sub- 
jects, but  onl}'  a  few  of  his  n'orks  have  been 
published.  Among  them  were  articles  on 
Tetanus,  epidemic  of  1816,  on  cholera,  on 
scarlatina  and  on  endemic  fall  and  summer 
fever.  He  was  a  public  spiiited  citizen  and 
christian  patriot.* 

Gavin  Hogg  was  born  in  Orange  County  and 
was  distinguished  as  an  advocate  He  com- 
menced the  practice  of  the  law  in  Bertie 
County,  and  removed  to  Raleigh,  where  he 
lived  for  a  long  time,  and  v>'here  he  died.  He 
had  few  equals  and  no  superiors  as  a  lawyer. 
His  family  was  distinguished  in  the  revolu- 
tion. Governor  Martin,  the  last  of  the  Royal 
Governors,  in  a  dispatch  states:  "The  council 
have  maintained  their  loyalty,  especially  An- 
drew Miller,  John  Hogg,  and  John  Curden."t 

Writing  of  Gavin  Hogg,  the  Economist 
(December  31st,  1878,)  says  "that  Windsor 
was  the  starting  place  of  his  professional  ca- 
reer, where  he  entered  the  legal  arena,  where 
he  attained  fame  and  fortune;  he  was  a  great 
lawyer  but  had  no  social  affinities.  He  was 
stern  and  austere.  The  people  respected  him 
for  his  talents  but  never  loved  him  as  a  friend. 
His  learning  and  acumen  gave  him  great 
power  and    influence      His  argument   in  the 

*From  a  memoir  of  Dr.  Norcum  by  Dr.  S.  S.  Satchell, 
1  S.52,  tColonial  Documents,  225. 


CHOWAN  COUNTY. 


125 


case  of  Gregory  against  Hooker's  administra- 
tor, is  said  to  be  one  of  the  ablest  among  the 
reports  of  the  su[.ireme  coui't,  and  when  he 
retired  from  the  bar  he  left  no  superior. 


thousands   of  dollars  to  the   wealth   of  this 
section. 

Such  a  man   may  emphatically  be  styled  a 
public  benefactor;  the  people  of  Chowan  re- 


Joseph    Blount    Skinner,   born    1780,    died  cognized  his  merits.     In    1805  and  1807,  he 

1851,  distinguished  as  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature,  and 

lived    and    died    in    Edenton.      He    was   the  again  in  1814  and  1815.     He  was  a  member  of 

eldest  child  of  Joshua  and  Martha  Skinner,  of  the    convention    in    1835  —  the    most    distin- 


Harvey's  Neck.  After  spending  some  time  at 
Princeton  college,  he  read  law  under  Governor 
Samuel  Johnston,  and  attained  distinttion  at 
the  bar;  so  lucrative  was  his  practice  that  in 
a  few  years  he  was  the  leading  counsel  in 
every  ease  of  importance  in  his  circuit,  and 
found  himself  possessed  of  ample  competency. 
After  the  labors  of  more  than  twenty'  years, 
he  retired  from  the  bar  to  the  more  congenial 
pursuits  of  agriculture;  he  purchased  a  farm 
near  Edenton  where  he  lived  and  died.  In 
this,  as  in  his  profession,  he  was  eminently- 
successful.  He  was  a  model  farmer,  and  caused 


guished  bodv  of  men   ever  assembled  in   the 


a 
state. 

His  course  and  position  in  the  public  councils 
have  thus  been  described  by  his  friend.  Judge 
Nash:  "His  mind  and  character  placed  him 
among  the  ablest  men  of  the  legislature — and 
there  were  many  of  the  highest  range  of  in- 
tellect. Eminently  practical,  he  brought  to 
the  discussions  in  that  body  a  fund  of  knov\l- 
edge  and  facts,  and  was  always  listened  to 
with  profound  attention." 

He  died  on  December  23d,  1851.  He  mar- 
ried in  early  life  Miss  Lowtlier,  the  great  grand 
the  waste- places  in  that  section  to  rejoice  and  daugher  of  Governor  Gabriel  Johnston,  who 
blossom  as  the  rose.  His  large  farm  became  died  several  years  before  him,  leaving  an  only 
the  admiration  of  all  in  that  section — beauti-  son  and  a  grandaughter.  This  son.  Major 
ful  beyond  any  other  in  our  state.  In  other  Tristam  Lowther  Skinner,  fell  in  the  battle  oi 
pursuits  he  was  equally  successful  and  enter-  Ellison's  Mill.  He  had  several  brothers,  Eev- 
prising.  He  gave  the  iirst  impulse  in  this  sec-  erend  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  distinguished 
tion  to  that  valuable  industry,  the  herring  and     as   a   Presbyterian    divine,   and    Charles    W. 


shad  tishei-ies.  Hitherto  the  fisheries  had  been 
confined  to  tlie  Roanoke  and  Chowan  rivers, 
and  their  tributaries.  They  were  few  in  num- 
ber and  small  in  extent.  Mr.  Skinner,  with 
his  characteristic  energy,  ventured  on  the  ex- 
periment, then  deemed  visionary  and  imprac- 
ticable, iind  boldly  launched  his  seines  on  the 
broad  and  oft  vexed  Albemarle  itself,  and  suc- 
ceeded beyond  his  own  expectations.  His 
example  has  been  followed;  previously  the 
spring  catch  was  confined  to  float  nets  and 
weirs,  now  the  northern  shore  of  the  sound  is 
literally  studded  with  fisheries,  and  there  are 
numerous  seines  2,000  yards  long,  worked  by 
windlass  and  horse  power,  creating  a  large  in- 
dustry,  and    adding    annually-     hundreds   of 


Skinner. 

Thomas  J.  Jarvis  was  i:)orn  in  this  county 
July  18th,  1836,  and  graduated  at  Randolph, 
Macon;  he  studied  law  and  obtained  his  li- 
cense to  practice.  During  the  war  between 
the  states  he  served  as  Captain  in  the  Eighth 
Regiment  of  North  Carolina  troops.  In  the 
constitutional  convention  of  1865,  lie  served 
as  a  member,  as  also  in  the  lower  branch  of 
the  legislature  in  1868,  in  1870  he  was  elected 
speaker  of  that  body.  Removing  to  Pitt,  he 
was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  constitutional 
convention  of  1875.  In  1876  he  was  elected 
lieutenant  governor  of  the  state  for  four 
years,  1877  to  1881,  but  on  the  election  of 
Governor  Z.  B.  Vance  to  the  United  States 


^^ 


-^ 


M^ 


ui-rrtr^ 


^d*—    co~^-^ 


9-«-(~-'^ 


Lc<.>v"'T-<- <-*-«-»••  ^  ^ 


126  WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 

Senate  in  1879,  he  liecame  tlie  occupant  of  the  We  might  extend  our  sketches  by  recoi'ding 
Executive  Chair,  and  in  1880,  b}'  the  suitrages  the  character,  and  services  of  other  distin- 
ct his  people,  became  their  chief  magistrate  for  gaished  men  of  Chowan  County,  "who  have 
four  years.  done  the  state  some  service,"  as  the  Johnsons, 
Augustus  Moore,  born  1803,  died  1851,  lived  Benburys,  Coffields,  Brownriggs,  Haskens, 
and  died  in  Edenton.  He  graduated  at  the  Warrens,  Heaths,  and  others,  did  the  limits 
university  in  1821,  in  a  class  distinguished  for  of  our  work  allow.  But  before  we  close 
ability,  composed  of  B.  B.  Bhime,  John  Bragg,  our  sketch  we  cannot  refrain  from  presenting 
(member  of  congress  from  Alabama  1851,  and  an  amusing  incident,  which,  by  its  humor, 
a  judge  in  that  state,)  James  W.  Bryan,  Mat-  may  relieve  the  dry  detail  imposed  on  our 
thias  E.  Manly,  (judge  of  the  supreme  court  kind  readers.  The  account  is  from  the  gifted 
of  North  Carolina,)  David  Outlaw,  (memberof  pen  of  "Traveller."  "  I  will  close  my  letter 
congress  1747  to  1853,)  and  others;  studied  by  relating  a  true  story  of  one  of  Edenton's 
law  with  Charles  R.  Kinny,  of  Elizabeth  City,  gifted  sons.  Dr.  Edward  Warren,  surgeon- 
and  practiced  with  great  success.  general  of  the  state  during  the  war,  and   ^vho 

As  an    advocate,    he    had    no   superior   for  has  been   serving  a  foreign   power,  and   now 

learning,  diligence,  accumen,  or  address.     He  resides  in  Paris.     General  Winfield  Scott  ac- 

was  appointed  judge  of  the  superior  court  in  cepted   an  invitation   to  visit  Nag's  Head,  on 

1848,  and   presided  with  great   acceptability,  one  occasion.  Dr.  Warren   (than   whom  there 

learning,  and  integrity,  but  resigned  the  same  are  few  better  speakers^)  was  elected  to  make 

year.     He  died  very  suddenly  at   Edenton,  in  the   reception    address.      As    General    Scott's 

1851.  coming  was  doubtful,  it  was  understood  that 

He  married  Miss  Armistead  and  left  several  if  General  Scott  was  on  board,  it  was  to   be 

children.     One  of   them,  William  Armistead  made    kno^vn   by  raising  a  flag  on   the  boat 

Moore,  late  one  of  the  judges  of  the  state,  and  when  a  short  distance  from  the  wharf  at  Nag's 

who  wore  with  equal   dignity  and  ability  the  Head,  when  the  salute  would  commence.    The 

ei'mine  of  his  illustrious  father.  immense  crowd  "on  the  Ijoat  at   Bl;\ckwater, 

William  Allen,  a  representative  in  congress  and  business  caused  General  Scott  to  return  to 

from   Ohio,  1832,  senator  from   1837  to  1849,  Norfolk,  and  the  steamer  went  on  without  him. 

and   Governor  of  Ohio  in   1874,  was  born  in  Before  reaching  Nag's  Head,  it  was  suggested, 

Edenton,  in  1806,  and  determined  ■'  to  play  a  trick  on  the  boys." 

He  was  the  son   of  TSTathaniel  Allen,   who  Colonel  John  B.  Odem,  late  of  N"orthanipton 

represented  the  borough  in  the  House  of  Com-  County,    now    of  Baltimore,  the  only   living 

mons,  in  1802,  and  was  much  esteemed  for  his  .man  in  America  who  not   only   equalled,  but 

genial  qualities  and  generous  disposition.     He  surpassed    General    Scott    in   person,  air,  and 

married  a  Miss  Granbury,  and  their  daughter  tigure  was  selected  to  personate  ad  interim  the 

married  Mr.  Thurman,  a  Methodist   minister,  hero  of  Lundy's  Lane.     General  Lawrence  S. 

and  was  the  mother  of  Allen  Granbury  Thur-  Baker,  who  was  also  along,  kindly  furnished  a 

man,  late  a  distinguished  senator  from  Ohio,  new  uniform,  epaulettes,  chapeau,  sword,  sash, 

and  president  of  the  senate.  &c.,  to  which  chapeau  was  apipeiided  a  flaming 

As   a   statesman    and    politician.  Governor  plume  of  red  feathers.     He  "  looked  every  inch 

Allen   enjoyed  a  world  wide   reputation,  and  a  King."     Colonel  Odem  was  squeezed  in   the 

K"orth  Carolina  is  proud  of  her  son.     He  died  uniform,  for  he  was  "a  world  too  large"  for  the 

July,  1879,  universally  loved  and  respected.  war  clothes  of  General  Baker.     He  played  his 


chowajS"  county. 


127 


part  to  perfection,  with  folded  arms  he  was 
stationed  near  the  pilot  house  and  received 
"  the  upturned  sen  of  faces  "  with  the  dignity 
of  a  hero.  As  the  boat  neared  the  wharf  the 
flag  was  raised,  loud  cheers  followed,  and 
cannon  after  cannon  rung  out  a  cordial 
welcome.  When  the  Itoat  gained  the  wharf, 
Colonel  Odeni  took  oft'  his  chapeau  and  made 
a  graceful  and  dignified  liow.  Then  Dr. 
Wari'en  mounted  a  barrel  on  the  wharf,  and 
with  a  loud  voice  commenced;  "General 
Scott,  we  welcome  you  to  North  Carolina! 
AVe  hail  3'ou  with  delight  and  glory,  as  the  hero 
of  Chippewa,  Cerro  Gordo,  Lundy's  Lane,  and 
Mexico,  the  greatest  living  representative  of 
tlie  warrior,  and  the  hero  of  two  glorious 
wars.  Like  our  AVashington,  without  a  model 
and  without  an  equal,  '  none  Init  thyself  can 
be  thy  parallel.'  "  He  thus  continued  for  ten 
minutes,  making  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
reception  speeches,  -which  captivated  his  audi- 
ence. They  expressed  their  admiration  by  loud 
and  continued  cheers.  Now  for  General  Scott. 
Colonel  Odem,  who  stammers  a  little  at  times, 
and  was  evidently  overcome,  replied  as  fol- 
lows; 

"Gent-gentle-men;  if,  if,  I,  I,  were  Gen- 
General  Scott;  (wiiich  he  pronounced  Scari, 
with  a  slighfhiss,)  I  would  make  yon  a  speech- 
a  speech.  But  I  am  not  General  Scart.  Scart, 
I  am  oi:ly  John  B.  Odem, -John  B.  Odem; 
and  I  shan't  do  it.." 

"  The  crowd  were  furious,  and  madness  ruled 
the  hour;  some  were  for  throwing  him  over- 
board, uniform,  feathers  and  all;  some  cried 
'kill  him,  kill  him,  for  he  has  fooled  us  all.' 
But  Major  Henry  H.  Gilliam,  who  was  the  mar- 
plot of  the  whole  matter,  and  who  knows  very 
well  how  to  get  a  fellow  out  of  a  bad  scrape 
either  in  court,  or  out  of  court,  interposed, 
lie  said,  '  boys,  hold  on,  what  are  you  mad 
about?  Warren  has  given  us  as  a  good  speech 
as  you  ever  heard.  I  propose  to  wash  it  down 
in  champagne:  come  up  to  the  hotel,  it  is  my 
treat.'  This  was  unanimously  agreed  to,  and 
the  croAvd  went  to  the  hotel;  the  first  order 
was  for  six  baskets,  and  how  many  more  has 
not  been  ascertained.    At    any  rate   there  was 


not  a  bottle  to  be  found,  until   the  next   boat 
from  Norfolk  brought  a  fresh  supply."* 

This  section  of  the  state  suffered  sadly  from 
the  ravages  of  warfare,  for  after  the  fall  of 
Eoanoke  Island  the  sounds  and  navigable 
rivers  were  open  to  the  enemy's  gunboats. 
These  coasted  up  and  down,  and  bore  oft'  the 
means  and  necessaries  of  life,  living  freights 
of  fugitive  negroes,  and  the  low  and  skidking 
butt'aloes.  These  wore  shameless  and  mean 
whites,  who  turned  traitors  to  their  friends, 
and  betrayed  them  to  their  unrelenting  foes. 
These  were  held  in-  abhorence  and  contempt. 
They  established  a  stronghold  at  Wingfield — 
the  lovely  homestead  for  years  of  the  Brow- 
rigg  family,  previously  occupied  by  Dr.  Dillard , 
but  the  Buff'aloes  took  possession,  and  the  spa- 
cious halls,  once  the  scene  of  elegance  and 
beauty,  were  occupied  by  a  foul  and  cowardly 
crew,  who  became  such  an  intolerable  nui- 
sance that  the  building  was  tired. 

These  miscreants  plundered  all  alike,  the 
plate  and  pianos  of  the  rich,  as  also  the  poultry 
and  bread  stuft'  of  the  poor. 

The  conduct  of  the  colored  population  con- 
trasted most  honorably  with  tlie  conduct  of 
their  professed  friends,  and  is  recorded  to 
their  undoing  credit.  While  every  white 
man  capable  of  bearing  arms  was  in  the  field, 
the  colored  men  remained  at  home  cultivating 
the  crops  for  the  support  of  the  helpless  white 
women  and  their  children.  Although  free- 
dom, plunder,  and  every  allurement  was  held 
out  to  them  to  leave  their  old  homes  and  their 
old  masters,  many  of  them  utterly  refused, 
and  many  of  them  became  -warmly  attached 
to  the  cause  of  their  struggling  masters. 
Moore,  from  whom  I  quote,  states  that  in 
December,  1862,  at  Fort  Warren,  the  humane 
federal  commander.  Colonel  Dimmick,  of- 
fered to  release  two  colored  men  from  cap- 
tivity,    William,     the     servant    of     Captain 

*Ilaleigh  Observer. 


128 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


Clements,  and  Brooks,  the  servant  of  Cap- 
tain Sparrow,  upon  their  taking  the  oath  of 
allegiance. 

They  spurned  the  offer,  and  remained  to 
share  the  fallen  fortunes  of  their  old  friends 
and  the  playmates  of  their  youth.  Major 
Moore  relates  the  fact  that,  when  in  command 
of  the  Third  North   Carolina   Battalion,    he 


sent  his  man,  Harvey,  through  the  country, 
then  swarming  with  federal  troops,  to  his 
wife  with  two  valuable  horses  and  a  consider- 
able amount  of  mouej'.  Harvey  had  everj- 
inducement  and  opportunity  offered  to  desert 
his  service,  but  he  proved  faithful  to  his  trust, 
and  returned  to  his  master  before  his  furlough 
had  expired. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
CRAVEN  COUNTY. 


Craven  Count}',  like  Chowan,  contained 
many  patriotic  spirits  of  the  early  age  of  the 
state,  and  presents  a  glowing  record  of  history. 
Around  its  venerable  metropolis,  New  Berne, 
are  clustered  man}'  memories  of  rare  interest. 
Here  landed  the  Palatines,  led  by  the  Baron 
DeG-raaffenreidt,  from  Switzerland.  The  name 
of  New  Berne  was  bestowed  by  them  in  re- 
membrance of  the  vine  clad  hills  of  their  na- 
tive land. 

Here,  for  a  long  time,  was  the  seat  of  the 
Royal  government,  and  from  here  were  the 
aflairs  of  the  colony  directed  by  the  long  and 
gentle  rule  of  Governor  Dobbs,  and  here  his 
successor,  Governor  Tryon,  held  his  vice-regal 
court,  and  erected  a  mansion  more  palatial 
than  any  ever  before  seen  on  this  continent. 

A  drawing  of  Tryon 's  palace  and  its  ground 
has  been  preserved  by  Lossing,  and  it  must 
have  been  a  most  magnificent  structure.  Time 
and  the  accident  of  fire  have  efi'a«ed  its 
beauties,  but  the  stables  are  still  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  and  are  now  used  as 
school  rooms. 

John  Hawks,  the  grand-father  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Francis  L.  Hawks,  was  the  architect  of  the 


Tryon  palace.  Martin,  in  his  historj-  of  North 
Carolina,  states  this  building  had  at  the  time 
no  superior  in  America,  au'd  that  he  in  1783, 
in  company  with  Miranda  visited  it,  and  he 
stated  that  it  had  no  supericH-  in  South  Amer- 
ica. In  December,  1770,  Governor  Tryon,  for 
the  first  time,  received  the  legislature  in  its 
princely  halls. 

After  the  revolutionar}'  war,  the  property 
was  confiscated  and  sold.  It  was  purchased 
by  the  Daves  family.  J.  P.  Daves  donated 
the  stable  buildings  to  the  Episcopal  church. 
One  of  Mr.  Daves's  daughters  married  Governor 
John  W.  Ellis,  and  after  his  deatli  J.  E.  Nash, 
of  Petersburg.  Governor  Tryon's  clock  is  in 
the  possession  of  Charles  C.  Clark,  and  is  still 
a  good  time  keeper.  His  writing  desk  is  the 
property  of  Z.  Slade.  It  is  of  solid  mahoganj', 
and  in  perfect  state  of  preservation.* 

About  the  year  1709,  Baron  Christopher  de 
Graaftenriedt  led  a  large  colony  from  the  Palat- 
inate of  the  Rhine,  and  in  September,  1710, 
founded  the  town  of  New  Berne.  He  was 
born  in  1611,  and  was  made  a  land-grave  of 


*Recollections  of  New  Berne,   fifty  years  ago.     By 
Stephen  F.  Miller;  Living  and  the  Dead,  January,  1875. 


CKAYEN  COUNTY.  129 

Carolina  hy  th'j  lords  pniprietors.     The  Earoii,  land,   and  finally    to   Williamsburg,  Virginia, 

after  many  trials  and  snfterings,  nearly  losing  where,  on   November  28th,  1722,^  Tscharner. 

,  .     ,.,.     ,  .        ,      ,    .    '  .  ,.„  their   son,  was  born,  being   the  first   of  the 

h,s  hfe,  became  involved   in   pecuniary   diffi-  ^^^^^^  ,^^,,,^  -^^  America,  and  from   whom  all 

culties   with   Judge   Gale,    Governor   Pollock  the  family  in  this  country  are  desceniled. 
and  others.    I  found  a  letter  from  the  Palatines,         "  This  Tscharner  was  twice  married,  and  had 

,,  1       ,.  .  1  ,,      rn        T       i„  seven    sons  and  four   ilaughters.     His    oldest, 

among  the  records  or  the   roll  otnce,  Jjondon,  „        ■    j.t     l-  ^i         t•T^    i-T,    ■    t     i    / ■.       ^l- 

-^  '  i^  ranciSjthetatherol  Dr.  iidwiii  L.  deGraatieu- 

which  is  as  follows:  i-jedt,  is  nov,-  the  sole  survivor,     lie  had  sev- 
eral    uncles  who  served  in   the    revolutioar\- 

"  July  23d,  1747,  letter  received  from  the  war;  two  of  them  killed  in  battle.  His  father 
Palatines  m  North  Carolina,  to  his  majesty  the  ^as  a  captain  in  the  revolution  on  the  Amer- 
King,  tliat  six  hundred  of  them  had  been  sent  ican  side.  His  brother,  William,  of  Lunenburg, 
out  undt-r  care  of  Christopher  deGraaJfenriedt;  Virginia,  was  in  the  war  of  1812.  Matthew 
thatinl711,anIndianwarbrokeout;Graafien-  Fbuntaiae,  son  of  another  uncle,  was  aid  to 
riedt  was  taken  a  prisoner  by  them;  that  GeneralJackson  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 
Thomas  Pollock,  acting  as  governor,  sent  Cap-  u  j,-,  ^1-,^  i.,^^,  (.j^.ji  ^^.j^,,  ^here  were  many  of 
tain  Brice,and  took  everytliing  they  had,  and  the  name  in  the  southern  arm  v. 
in  1747,  the  heir  of  said  Pollock  came  and  u  r^^y^  „f  ^]^g  daughters  of  'Tscharner  mar- 
turned  them  off  their  lands,  in  order  to  settle  pied  brothers  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  who  were 
the  rebel  Scots."  wealthy  planters,  and    lived   on    Broad   river. 

South  Carolina. 

May  17th,  1748,  letter  from  Governor-John-         .  Christopher    died    in  1742,  in  Lunenburg 

ston  that  the  statement  of  the  Palatines  is  Virginia." 

true,  that  many  of  their  relations  were   mur-         These    people    were    keenly    alive    to  their 

dered  by  the  Indians,  and  they  had  been  dis-  rights,  and  opposed  to  every  form  of  oppres- 

possessed  as  stated.  sion.      It   was  in   New   Berne    that  the    fir.st 

,;  HM  1  1  '•    T     4.  ■  provincial  congress  was  held,  in   open    opposi- 

'' i hey  are  verj- sober  and  industrious.  '  '^  >  i  ii 

"Governor  Johnston  suggests  that  other  tion  to  the  authority  of  England,  (August  25. 
lands  be  given  them.  Baron  DeGraatt^enriedt  1774,)  which  appointed  deputies  to  the  Con- 
had  returned  hon.e."  ti,,g„t.^,  Congress  at   Philadelphia,    (Caswell.. 

"Mco'ch  16th,  li-LS.  ^^  ,    i'  ^     ,.  .  ., 

"Order  OF  King  IN  Council:  Ilewts  and   Hooper,)   and  sympathising  with 

"  G(n'ernor  Johnston  shall  make  a  grant  of  their  oppressed  and  plundered  countrymen  at 

land  to  the  Palatines  as  shall  be  ecpiivalent  to  Boston,  sent    relief  in  the  way  of  provision- 
that  that   they  have  been  dispossessed    ot   by  ,  .        ,     ,     .  ,,  ^    t^    . 

one.  Colonel  Pollock,  and  his  heirs."*  ''"^^  neces.sanes,  declaring  "  the  cause  of  Bostou 

is  the  cause  of  all."     What  an  illustrious  exam- 

DeGraafi^enriedt's  son,  and  Lewis  Michel,  of  pie  to  many  who  would  still  further  distract 

Berne,  came  with  him  to  America.     Some  of  and  divide  the  people  of  our  county!    Thecom- 

thc  family  are  still  in  this  country.  mittee  of  safet v  for  New  Berne,  were  Dr.  Alex- 


Inquiry  has  produced  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Mary     ander  Gaston,  Richard  Cogdell,  John  Easton. 
Bayard  Clark,  dated  Columbus,  Georgia,  Jan-     Major  Croonij  Roger  Ormond,  Edward  Salter, 


I 


::/ 


uary  18th,  1871,  which  shows  the  whereabouts  George  Burrow,  James  Glasgow,  and  other 

of  the  American  branch  of  the  family:  The  town  of  New  Berne  was  incorporated  in,; 

,,,    .  ^     ,       ,    „       J..      .    ,,  ,  ^..  1723,  by  the  legislature  then  sitting  at  Eden- 

"  Christopher  de  Graaiienriedt  (son  of  Baron 

Christopher    de    Graaffcnriedt     and     Regina  *'^"- 

Tscharner,  his  wife,)  married  at   Charleston,         Francois    Xavier  ^lartin,    born    17G2,  died 

South  Carolina,  on  February  22d,  1714.    They  1346^  author  of  a  history  of  North   Carolina, 

removed  to  Philadelphia,  afterwards  to  Mary-  ,  111  1  ■  i     j.  „+■ 

'■  ^  and.  some  legal  works,  was  long  a  resident  ot 

»N.  C,  No.  11,  B.  8S.  _  New  Berne. 


isn 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


He  was  a  native  of  France,  born  at  .Mar- 
seilles, 1762.  He  was  a  printer  and  editor,  and 
studied  law,  in  wliich  he  ijecame  learned  and 
distinguished. 

In  1806  and  1807,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
j  House  of  Commons  from  the  borough  of  New 
\  Berne. 

He  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  a  judge 
in  the  Mississippi  Territorj',  and  resided  at 
Natchez.  So  acceptable  were  his  services  that 
on  February  1st,  1815,  he  was  appointed  one  of 
the  supreme  court  judges  of  Louisiana,  whicli 
elevated  position  he  occupied  till  his  death, 
December  10th,  1846. 

He  became  entirely  Ijiind  in  his  later  3-ears, 
but  continued  to  preside  with  great  accept- 
ability, and  acknowledged  abilit^^  He  wrote 
a  history  of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  as  also  of 
North  Carolina. 

The  Blount  family  in  North  Carolina  have 
been  distinguished  for  more  than  a  century  for 
integrity,  enterprise,  intelligence  and  patriot- 
ism. 

According  to  a  genealogical  table,  prepared 
bj'  the  late  Governor  Clark,  this  family  was  of 
English  origin,  and  tigni-ed  in  the  reigns  of 
Charles  I.  (1625,)  and  Charles  IL  (1660.) 
The  head  of  the  family  was  created  a  Baronet 
in  1642,  as  Sir  Walter  Blount. 

He  left  four  sons  and  four  daughters.  The 
\-ouuger  cons  sought  theii- fortunes  in  America. 
From  them,  this  family  can  l)e  clearly  traced 
in  distinct  lines  to  the  presevit. 

From  Sir  Waltei'  Blount  descended: 

I,  James;  came  to  Nortli  Carolina  about 
1664,  and  settled  in  Craven. 

He  was  a  m.embei'  of  the  House  of  Burgesses, 
and  was  active  in  the  Culpepper  rebellion, 
which,  for  a  time,  held  and  controlled  the 
province. 

From  the  Rolls  Oflice,  in  London,  I  copy  a 
paper  directed  to  the  Lords  Proprietor,  "  con- 
cerning the  rebellion  in  Carolina,  from  1663  to 
1687:" 


■'The  rebellion  was  a  deliberate  contrivance, 
suiiverting  the  governtnent,  dissolving  the 
parliaments,  imprisoning  the  lordship's  depu- 
ties, putting  the  president  of  the  conn tr^' in 
jail,  seizing  and  cnrr3'ing  awaj'  tlie  records, 
assuming  supreme  power,  convening  assem- 
blies, and  last  of  all,  a  most  horrid  and  treas- 
sonable  action,  erecting  courts  to  try  cases  of 
life  and  death  without  authority. 

"  Captain  Valentine  Bird, collector,  exported 
150,000  pounds  of  tobacco  without  paying  any 
dues.  On  hearing  that Eastchurst  was  coming 
as  governor,  ami  Miller  as  collector,  he  took 
up  arms  with  the  rest  of  the  subsci'ibers  and 
o]iposed  Miller  on  his  first  landing,  and  drew 
his  sword. 

''  George  Durant  contemned  and  opposed  the 
governor  with  a  rebel  rout. 

"  Captain  James  Blount,  one  of  the  deputy's 
assistants,  is  one  of  the  chief  among  the  insur- 
rectors.  I  wrote  to  him  and  the  other  bur- 
gesses of  Chowan  precinct.  When  the  sheriff 
came,  he,  with  one  Captain  John  Vernham, 
took  the  sheriff  prisoner,  and  raised  forces  to 
oppose  the  governor."* 

Sir  Walter  Blount's  next  son  was: 
II.  Thomas;  he  had  live  sons.  l.st,  Thomas,  who 
had  five  sons:  («)  Thomas,  who  married  Eliza- 
beth Reading,  distinguished  in  the  Indian 
wars  1708:  (b)  James;  (r')  John;  {d)  Jacob 
and  (e)  Esau,  twins. f 

III.  Thomas  (son  of  Thomas  who  married 
Elizabeth  Reading,)  had  four  sons:  (a)  Read- 
ing; [b)  James,  Captain  in  Second  Continen- 
tal regiment;  (c)  John;  (d)  Jacoli. 

TV.  Jacob,  son  of  Thomas,  was  at  battle  of 
Alamance,  1771;  a  member  of  the  lu-ovincial 
congress,  and  an  officer  in  the  revolutionary 
war.  He  married  first  Barbara  Gray,  second 
Mrs.  Salter,  was  the  progenitor  of  the  family, 
had  ten  children,  viz: 

I.  William,  who  was  born  in  Craven  County, 
in  1749,  married  Miss  Granger,  of  Wilmington. 
Elected  member  of  legislature  1783,-'84;  of  the 
continental  congress,  1782-'83-'86-'87;  in  the 
convention  which  formed  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  in  1787;  appointed  governor  of 

*Coloni;il  Documents,  London,  15. 

tSee  Williamson's,  North  Carolina,  I,  202. 


CRAVEN  COUNTY, 


131 


territoviei  ()f  United  States  west  of  Ohio, 
1790;  senator  in  congress  from  Tennessee, 
1796;  expelled  from  senate  iu  1797;  member 
of  the  convention  tliat  formed  state  constitu- 
tion of  Tennessee.  Died  in  Knoxviile,  1810. 
He  left  one  son,  William  Granger,  who  was  in 
congress  from  Tennessee,  1815  to  1819,  and 
who  died  in  1827,  unmarried ;  and  one  daughter 
who  was  the  first  wife  of  General  E.  P.  Gaines.* 

II.  Ann,  daughter  of  Jacob,  married  Henry. 

III.  John  Gray  Blount,  son  of  Jacob,  was 
born  1752.  Married  Mary  Harvey;  he  was 
often  member  of  the  legislature,  from  1782  to 
1796,  from  Beaufort  County.  He  was  an  ex- 
tensive land  owner  and  explorer.  Often  tjie 
com[ianion  of  Daniel  Boone.  He  died  in 
January,  1833,  leaving  six  children,  viz:  (a) 
Thomas  Harvey,  son  of  John  Gray;  (6)  Jolui 
Gray,  in  war  of  1812;  (v)  William  Augustus, 
(for  sketch  of  whom  see  Beaufort  County,) 
who  died  in  1867,  leaving  a  sou  William,  and 
a  daughter  who  is  the  widow  of  General  L. 
O'B.  Branch,  resides  in  Raleigh;  {<!)  Polly, 
who  married  Rodman;  (c)  Lucy,  who  married 
General  Grimes;  (/")  Patsy  Baker,  (unmar- 
ried.) 

IV.  Louisa,  who  married  to  Richard  Black- 
ledge. 

V.  Reading,  who  married  Lucy  Harvey. 

VI.  Thomas,  born  1759,  died  1807,  was  in 
the  revolutionary  war,  sent  to  England  a  pris- 
oner. He  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  from 
Edgecombe,  1798-'99,  and  a  member  of  con- 
gress in  1793  to  1799,  1805  to  1809,  and  1811, 
and  1812.  He  died  at  Washington,  (without 
issue)  leaving  a  widow,  the  daughter  of 
General  Jethro  Sumner,  named  Mary  Sum- 
ner Blount,  who  died  near  Tarboro  in 
1822,  made  liberal  bequests  to  Christ  church 
in  Raleigh,  from  which  chiefly  funds  were 
realized  to  build  the  beautiful  stone  edi- 
fice iu  that  city.  When  the  will  was 
drawn,  fearing  that  religious  bodies  could  not 

*MSS.  letter  of  Honorable  Case  Johnson. 


hold  real  estate  against  the  claims  of  heirs  at 
law,  a  provision  was  inserted  that  in  case  of  a 
contest  over  the  devises  intended  for  Christ 
church,  of  Raleigli,  those  devises  should  vest  in 
Judge  Cameron  and  Dr.  Hooper  in  fee,  to  be 
disposed  of  as  their  consciences  might  dictate. 
The  marble  slab  marking  her  grave  liad  been 
broken  by  the  fall  of  a  tree,  or  as  some  say,  by 
a  stroke  of  lightning,  and  the  vestry  of 
Christ's  church,  of  Raleigh,  determined  to 
replace  it,  but  these  praise  worth}'  intentions 
were  frustrated  by  the  inexcusable  carlessness 
in  the  preparation  of  the  original  epitaph.  It 
is  verbatim,  as  follows: 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of 

Mary  Spmneb  blount 
relii:t  of  ginl  thomas  blount 
long  a  representative  in  Congre 
ss  from  this  district 
and  daughter  of  genl.  jethro  blount. 
Died  the  ]8th  Dec  1S22  in  her  4oth  year." 

Mrs.  Blount's  father  was  General  Jethro 
Sumner,  not  "blount."  It  must  have  been  a 
difficult  task  to  compress  so  many  errors  in  so 
small  a  space. 

VII.  Jacolt;  born  1760;  married  Collins, 

VIII.  Barbara,  born  1763. 

IX.  Willie,  son  of  Jacob,  born  176S,  secre- 
tary to  his  brother  William,  while  governor  of 
territory'  west  of  the  Ohio.  Judge  of  the 
supreme  court  of  Tennessee  when  only  twenty- 
two  years  old,  and  the  Governor  of  Tennesse 
from  1809  to  1815,  (see  Bertie  Count}-.)  As 
governor  he  tendered  to  the  United  States 
2,500  volunteers  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
died  near  Nashville,  1835,  leaving  two  daugh- 
ters; one  married  Dr.  J.  T.  Dabney,  and. 
another  to  Dortch. 

X.  Sharp,  who  married  Penelope  Little,  of 
Pitt  County,  who  left  two  sons,  William  Little 
and  George  Little. 

I  have  thus  endeavored  to  present  a  genea- 
logical diagram  of  a  family  whose  members 
have  been  distinguished  in  the  field,  on  the 
forum,  and  in  legislative  halls,  as  well  as  in 
social  life. 


132 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


The  table  may  he  relied  upon,  as  it  has  been 
the  subject  ofimmch  labor  and  research.  Their 
lives  aiiil  offices  have  been  briefly  alluded  to, 
figures  and  dates  given,  leaving  to  other  hands 
the  pious  duty  of  coniuieutingin  detail  on  their 
character  and  sei'vices. 

Abner  Nash  was  born  in  Prince  Edward 
County,  A^irginia.  At  an  early  age  he  went 
to  New  Berne,  where  he  studied  and  practiced 
law  with  great  success. 

He  was  an  able  and  active  friend  to  the 
rights  of  the  people,  and  a  member  of  pro- 
vincial congress  in  177-i. 

In  the  dispatch  of  Governor  Martin,  dated 
March  lOtli,  1775,  he  informs  his  govern- 
ment that  the  seditious  leaders  of  the  peo- 
ple have  too  effectually  prevented  the 
King's  speech  from  operating  to  the  extent  he 
wished.  Instead  of  yielding  the}'  talk  of  re- 
sorting to  violence. 

Enclosed  is  an  advertisement  of  the  com- 
mittee at  New  Berne,  which  he  calls  "atro- 
cious falsehoods,"  and  the  composition  of 
a  Mr^  Nash,,  one  of  the  subscribers,  who  is  an 
eminent  lawyer,  but  the  most  unprincipled 
character  of  the  count}'. 

In  another  dispatch  dated  at  Fort  Johnston, 
June  SOth,  1775,  he  writes: 

"  Since  I  had  the  hcnior  of  representing  to 
your  lordship  the  state  of  this  country,  various 
circumstances  have  occnri'ed  of  which  I  think 
it  my  duty  to  give  the  best  account  my  infor- 
mation enables  me  to  lay  before  you. 

"  On  Tuesday,  iMay  2od,  1775,  a  set  of  peo- 
ple calling  then)selves  a  committee,  met  at 
New  Berne.  A  motly  crew,  without  any  pre- 
vious notice  of  their  purpose,  appeared,  corning 
towards  my  house;  I  sup[iosed  they  were  the 
committee  of  whose  meeting  I  had  heard.  I 
directed  mj'  secretary  to  signify  my  resolution 
not  to  see  them  He  soon  came  back,  however, 
with  a  message  that  the}'  were  the  inhabitants 
.of  the  town  of  New  Berne,  who  had  come  to 
v.^ait  upon    me,  and  requested  to  speak  to  me. 

"I  directed  them  to  be  shown  in,  and  I  im- 
mediately went  down  to  them. 

•"  Mr.  Abner  Nash,  ai.  attorne}-  and  oracle  of 


the  committee,  (of  whom  I  have  had  occasion 
to  mention  to  your  lordship  before  as  principal 
promoter  of  sedition,)  came  forward  out  of 
the  crowd  and  said  he  had  been  chosen  by  the 
people  of  New  Berne,  then  present,  to  repre- 
sent that  their  purpose  in  waiting  on  me  was 
in  consequence  of  a  general  alarm  of  the  peo- 
ple of  that  p'ace  at  my  dismounting  some 
pieces  of  cannon  which  occasionally  had  been 
made  use  of  on  rejoicing  days;  that  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Vii-ginia  had  lately  deprived  the  peo- 
ple of  that  colony  of  arms  and  ammunition. 
The  inhabitants  therefore  requested  and  hoped 
that  I  would  order  the  cannon  to  be  remounted 
and  restored  to  their  former  condition. 

"  Unprepared,  my  loi'd,  for  such  a  visit,  and 
filled  with  indignation  at  the  absurdit}'  and 
impertinence  of  the  cause  assigned  by  Mr. 
Nash,  I  am  satisfied  that  it  was  a  mere  pre- 
tense to  insult  me.  I  replied  that  the  guns  I 
had  dismounted  belonged  to  the  king,  and  I 
was  only  responsible  to  His  Majesty  for  any 
disposition  I  made  of  them,  &c." 

But  the  next  day,  so  precarious  had  his  po- 
sition became,  that  Governor  Martin  sent  his 
faniil}'  to  New  York,  and  he  himself  went  in 
much  haste  on  board  of  His  Majesty's  sloop  of 
war,  the  Cruiser,  Captain  Parry,  commander, 
never  to  exercise  again  the  functions  of  Gov- 
ernor of  North  Carolina. 

In  the  same  dispatch,  Governor  Martin  says 
"  he  iiad  received  an  account  on  April  20th, 
between  the  king's  troops  and  the  people 
near  Boston,  which  reached  him  a  little  more 
than  two  months  after  the  event." 

In  this  dispatch,  Governoi'  Martin  enclosed 
the  resolves  of  the  committee  of  Mecklenburg 
in  the  Cape  Fear  McrrAiry,  a  copy  of  whicli  he 
says  was  sent  by  express  to  the  congress  at 
Philadelphia.  This  official  dispatch  would 
settle  a  question,  about  which  thei-c  never 
should  have  been  any  cavil,  question,  or  doubt. 

These  extracts  from  official  sources  prove 
the  course  which  Mr.  Nash  pursued  in  perilous 
times.  He  was  more  of  a  statesman,  however, 
than  a  soldier,  yet  he  did  the  cause  of  his 
country  as  much  service  as  if  he  were  in  the 
field.     He  played  a  leading  part  in  that  great 


CRAVEISr  COUNTY. 


133 


drama  in  which  men  and  guns  are  snliordinate 
a]3pendages.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  in  November  1776,  which  met 
at  Halifax,  and  formed  the  constitution  of  the 
state; and  was  theiirst  speaker  of  the  first  House 
of  Commons  that  ever  sat  in  the  state.  He  was 
speaker  iii  the  senate  in  1779,  and  was  elected 
governor  at  thitt  session  and  served  till  1781. 
In  1782  and  '83,  he  represented  Jones  County. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress  in  1781. in  which  he  served  till  1786. 
He  died  at  New  York  while  attending  con- 
gress, December  2d,  1786. 

He  married  the  widow  of  Governor  Dobbs. 
He  was  the  brother  of  General  Francis  Nash, 
and  the  father  of  Frederick  Nash,  late  Judge 
of  supreme  coui't  of  North  Carolina,  sketches 
of  whom  may  be  found  in  the  record  of  Orange 
County. 

Richard  Dobbs  Spaight,  of  North  Carolina, 
born  March  'Zoth,  1758,  died  September  6th, 
1802. 

He  was  born,  lived  and  died  in  the 
town  of  New  Berne.  His  family  was  dis- 
tinguished in  tlie  early  history  of  the  coun- 
try. His  father  was  tlie  secretary  and  clerk 
of  the  crown  ;  *  an  office  in  dignity  next 
to  that  of  the  governoi'.  His  mother  was  the 
sister  of  Arthur  Dobbs,  governor  of  the  prov- 
ince from  1751  to  1766.  He  lost  his  parents 
at  an  early  age.  Blest  with  a  sound  mind  in  a 
sound  btidy,  his  education  was  of  the  highest 
order.  He  was  sent  to  Ireland,  when  only 
nine  years  of  age,  where  he  pursued  his  acad- 
emic studies,  his  educi.tiou  being  completed  at 
the  university  of  Glasgow.  He  returned  to 
his  native  country  in  1778,  and  found  it  in- 
volved in  the  fearful  struggles  of  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  his  immediate  section  was  the 
scene  of  tierce  and  bloody  conflict.     His   chiv- 


*aixtrait  from  Colonial  Piecortls.in  Rolls  office,  Lon- 
don; "  Kichiu'd  Spaight  appointed  secrrtary  and  clerk 

of    the    Crown'' "Ih-    general   assembly    prefer 

charges  against  Governor  Dobbs,  among  them,  that  he 
had  appointed  his  nephew,  Richard  Spaight,  a  pay- 
master in  the  army." 


alrous  temper  caused  him  to  volunteer  his  ser- 
vices to  his  country,  and  he  was  engaged  in 
the  disastrous  battle  of  Camden,  South  Caro- 
lina, August  16th,  1780,  as  aid-de-camp  to 
Governor  Caswell.  Although  brave  and  en- 
thusiastic, there  were  fields  other  than  those 
of  war,  more  suited  to  his  genius,  where  his 
services  and  talents  could  be  as  beneficial  to 
country's  welfare  and  liberty,  and  in  which 
men  and  arms  are  demanded,  but  not  tlie  most 
important  elements  of  success.  IJis  country- 
rjien  appreciated  this  fact,  and  the  *iext  j^ear, 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  general  assem- 
bly from  the  borough  of  New  Berne,  and  re- 
elected in  1782  and  1783.  By  the  latter  body, 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress,  (which  met  at  Annapolis  on  the  13th 
December,  1783,)  with  Benjamin  Hawkins 
and  Hugh  Williamson  as  colleagues.  The  w;u' 
had  ended,  and  he  witnessed  the  resignation 
by  General  Washington  to  tliat  congress  of 
his  commission  as  commander-in-chief. 
The  appreciation  of  the  character  and  patriot- 
ism of  Mr.  Spaight,  was  evinced  by  being 
selected  as  one  of  '■  the  committee  of  states;" 
in  whom  all  the  powers  of  the  new  govern- 
ment, (executive,  legislative  and  judicial) 
were  vested.  When  the  convention  was  called 
to  form  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
wliich  met  at  Philadelphia,  (on  May  14th, 
1787,)  he  was  elected  a  member.  His  name, 
with  that  of  William  Blount  and  Hugh  Wil- 
liamson, is  appended  to  the  constitution.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  state  convention  which 
met  at  Hillsboro,  on  J\tly  21st,  1788,  to  con- 
sider the  Federal  Constitution,  and  advocated 
with  all  his  energies  its  adoption.  In  this  he 
was  aided  by  such  distinguished  names  as 
Samuel  Johnston,  James  Iredell,  William  R. 
Davie,  John  Steele,  Stephen  Cabarrus  and 
others. 

But  the  active  opposition  of  Willie  Jones, 
David  Caldwell,  EJisha  Battle,  C.  Dowd, 
Gritfith  Rutherford,  and  others,  caused  its  re- 


134  WHEELEE'S   REMINISCENCES. 

jection,  and  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  from  public    life,   but    private    circles.       Governor 

July,  1788,  to  November,  1789,  (when  the  Con-  Spaight  was  the  acknowledged   leader  of  the 

stitution  of  the  United   States  was   ratified,)  party  which  supported  Mr.  Jeft'erson  and   Mr. 

presented  the  extraordinary  attitude  of  a  sov-  Stanly,  its  active  adversary.      Led  on  by  the 

ereign   state,  independent  and  self-governing,  maddening  and   malignant  influence  of  partj' 

with   no    confusion   within    or  coercion  from  spirit,  on    September  .5th,   1802.    Mr.    Stanly 

without.      This   instructive   page   of  history  challenged  Governor  Spaight  to  tight  a  duel,  in 

expresses  the  truth,  that  political  reunion,  like  a  note  taunting  in  its  terms,  and  very  opprobri- 

social  union,  can  best  be  secured  by  concession,  ous.      They  fought  on   the  same  day.      Gov- 

afi'ection,  and  justice.  enior  Spaight  was  mortally  wounded,  and  died 

In  1792,  Mr.  Spaight  was  again  returned  to  on  the  following  daj'.     This  tragic  event,  from 

the  general   assembly,  and  by   that  body  was  his  long,  varied,  and  illustrious  service,  caused  a 

chosen  the  governor  of  the  state,  which  he  deep  sensation  throughout  the  state,  and  even 

held  for  three  years,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  at  this  day  is  felt  with  sad  regret. 

Samuel  Ashe.  Such  were   the  public  services  of  Richard 

He  was  the  first  native  born   son  of  North  Dobbs  Spaight.     These  are  inscribed   in  the 

Carolina    elected    as   governor.       He    served  records  of  our  nation.     Of  his  private  charac- 

while  governor  as  presidential  elector.  ter  we  are  not  left  to   conjecture.     One  who 

In  1797,  he  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of  knew  him  long  and  well  has  informed  us  that 
Representatives,  elected  from  North  Carolina,  "as  a  private  citizen  he  was  njiright  in  his- 
to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of  intentions,  and  sincere  in  his  declarations. 
Honorable  N'athau  Bryan,  (second  session  of  Methodical  and  even  mercantile  in  his  busi-- 
the  Fifth  Congress,)  and  re-elected  a  member  ness;  no  errors  of  negligence  or  ignorance  in- 
of  the  Sixth  Congress,  1797  to  1799.  This  was  volved  him  in  litigation  with  his  neighbors, 
an  important  epoch  in  our  government.  The  Uniform  in  his  conduct,  respectful  to  author- 
two  great  parties  (then  called  Federal  and  ity,  and  influential  in  his  example.  Plospitality 
Republican,)  fought  flerce  and  furious  for  was  a  conspicuous  trait  of  his  character.  The 
power.  Governor  Spaight  voted  with  his  re-  stranger  was  welcome,  treated  with  cordiality, 
publican  colleagues,  Willis  Alston,  Nathaniel  and  entertained  with  kindness.  His  charity 
Macon,  David  Stone,  and  others.  It  wasdur-  was  universal  Fur  the  tale  of  sorrow  he  ever 
iug  this  congress  that  Governor  William  liad  a  tear  and  relief.  He  was  an  aft'ectionate 
Blount,  Senator  from  Tennessee,  was  im-  husband,  an  indulgent  father,  and  a  compas- 
peached,  (or  threatened  with  impeachment,)  sionate  nuxster;  consistent  in  his  hours  of  study 
and  for  the  first  time  the  election  of  a  presi-  and  recreation,  no  irregularities  disturbed  his 
dent  was  made  by  the  house.  After  these  course,  or  improper  indulgence  his  repose."* 
exciting  scenes.  Governor  Spaight  sought  re-  No  one,  as  a  public  man,  could  have  held  for 
tirement  and  repose.  His  health  was  seriously  along  and  nninteri-upted  series  of  years,  the 
impaired,  and  he  sought  relief  in  the  milder  affections,  countenance,  and  support  of  his 
climate  of  the  West  Indies.  But  the  people  countrymen,  without  any  effort  on  his  part, 
called  him  again  to  duty,  and  he  was,  in  1801,  unless  he  possessed  substantial  merit  and  un- 
elected  a  senator  in  the  general  assembly,  spotted  integritj'. 
This  was  destined  to  be  his  last  public  service. 

Party   politics    were   never  more    active   and  ^Reverend  T.  P    livings  funeral  discourse  on  tlie 

,  .^,           „,               ....                   -,    1        ,         ,  death  of  Governor  Richard  Dobbs  Spaiglit,  delivered  at 

bitter,     ihese  animosities  pervaded  not  onlj'  New  Berne,  1S02. 


CRAVEN  COU>iTY. 


135 


Like  him  of  Scotland  it  may  be  truly  said: 


' ' This  Duncfin 

Hath  borne  his  faculties  so  meek,  hath  been 
So  clear  in  his  great  office,  that  his  virtues 
Will  plead  like  angels,  trumpet  tongued,  against 
The  deep  damnation  of  his  taking  off." 

By  his  mai'riage  with  Miss  Polly  Leach  lie 
had  four  children. 

I.  William,  who  died  youiii^. 

II.  Richard  Dobbs,  a  leading  statesman  in 
the  state;  for  years  in  the  legislature;  in  con- 
gress from  1823  to  1825;  governor  in  1835; 
died  unmarried. 

III.  Charles,  who  died  unmarried. 

IV.  Margaret,  who  married  Honorable  John 
R.  Donnel,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  state  from 
1819  to  1836,  who  left  four  children.* 

An  accurate  portrait  of  Governor  Spaight 
hangs  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  Independence 
Hall,  Philadelphia, 

DUELS    IN    NOKTH    CAROLINA. 

The  kind  dispositions  of  the  people  of  the 
state,  their  unambitious  tempers,  together  with 
aversion  to  acts  of  violence  and  blood,  have 
done  much  to  discourage  the  practice  of  duel- 
ling. Of  late  years  there  have  been  but  few 
"  affairs  of  honor,"  so  calletl.  In  our  readings, 
however,  we  have  met  some  cases  of  a  custom 
"more  honored  in  the  iireach  than  in  the  ob- 
servance." Doubtless  other  cases  have  occurred 
that  we  have  never  heard  of. 

Honorable  John  Baxter,  (United  States 
judge  in  Tennessee,)  about  1850,  met  Colonel 
Marcus  Erwin;  exchanged  iiie,  and  Baxter 
slightly  wounded;  cause,  political. 

Bynuni  Jesse  and  Jennifer  of  Maryland, 
(same  cause,)  neither  huit. 

Honorable  Duncan  Cameron,  and  William 
Dutfy,  met  near  Hillsboi'O;  Judge  Cameron 
wounded.  Dutfy  represented  Fayetteville  in 
the  legislature  of  1806. 

Honoinble  Sanmel  P.  Carson  and  Dr.  R.  B. 
Vance,  (see  sketch  of  Carson.) 


*See  sketch  of  .Judge  Donnel. 


; 


Honorable  Thomas  L.  Clingman  and  Wm  L. 
Yancy,  (see  sketch  of  Clingman.) 

Joseph  Flanner  and  "Walker,  near  Wilming- 
ton; latter  killed. 

Louis  D.  Henry  and  Thomas  J,  Stanly,  1812, 
latter  killed. 

General  Robert  Howe  and  Gadsden,  of 
South  Carolina,  fought  May  13th,  1778,  in 
South  Carolina,  neither  hurt. 

Honorable  J.  J.  Jackson  and  Joseph  Pearson ; 
political,  1812,  at  Washington. 

Thomas  F.  Jones  and  Dr.  Daniel  Johnson 
at  Bladensburg,  1846,  latter  killed. 

Law  and  Blanchard,  (Bertie  County.) 

Seatterwaite  and  Kennedy. 

Strong  and  Holmes,  (Sampson  County.) 

John  Stanly  and  Governor  Spaight,  (see 
sketch  of  Spaight.  3 

Edward  Stanly  and  Samuel  W.  Inge,  of 
Alamance;  political;  neither  hurt. 

Montford  Stokes  and  Jesse  A.  Pearson, 
(Roward  Count}',)  Governor  Stokes  wounded. 

Alexander  Simpson  and  Thomas  White- 
hurst,  in  1766;  latter  killed. 

Yellow  by  and  Harris. 

John  Stanly,  born  1774,  died  1834,  was  a 
native  of  New  Berne.  The  son  of  John  Wright 
Stanly.  He  was  educated  for  the  law;  strong 
in  mental  as  well  as  personal  gifts,  he  attained 
high  distinction  in  his  profession.  Blessed 
with  a  clear  and  musical  voice,  with  manners 
at  once  graceful  and  digniiied;  bold  and  fear- 
less in  his  elocution,  sarcastic  and  severe  in  ex- 
pression, he  was  in  his  day  an  advocate  of  great 
power  and  success. 

He  early  entered  the  stormy  arena  of  politics, 
and  took  satisfactidn  in  mingling  in  its  fierce 
and  furious  strife.  At  an  early  age,  (in  1798,) 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Com- 
iiuins,  of  which  he  was  elected  speaker,  and  in 
which  he  continued,  with  intermissions,  until 
1826,  when  he,  whilst  debating,  was  struck 
with  paralysis  and  never  recovered.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Seventh  Congress,  1801- '3, 
/ 


\ 


136 


WHEELEE'S  REMINISCENCES. 


inul  again  of  the  Eleveiitli  Congress,  1809-'ll. 
His  application  to  Governor  AVillianis  for  par- 
don, has  been  published;  and  is  admii-ed  as 
being  eloquent  and  dignified. 

I  have  in  my  possession,  the  original  peti- 
tion of  the  members  of  tiie  legislature  to  the 
governor,  asking  this  pardon,  signed  by  Duncan 
Cameron,  Calvin  Jones,  John  Allison,  Peter 
Hojde,  David  Tate,  Daniel  Glisson,  Durant 
Hatch,  Jolm  G.  Scull,  W.  Lord,  Peter  Eorney, 
Ephm.  Davidson,  George  Outlaw,  Robert  Wil- 
liams, and  others. 

In  his  political  campaigns,  in  discussions  in 
the  legislature,  and  in  debate  at  the  bar,  and 
even  iu  private  life,  Mr,  Stanly's  course  to- 
wards his  opponents  was  marked  with  vio- 
lence. Speaking  of  the  unamiable  trait  in  his 
character,  Mr.  Miller  states:  "  Judge  Donnell 
was  an  able,  Cjuiet,  obstrusive,  upriglit  gentle- 
man. He  bore  with  great  equinamity  the 
biting  sarcasm  which  Mr.  Stanly  was  in  the 
habit  of  thrusting  at  the  court,  where  Judge 
Donnell  presided,  whenever  it  suited  his 
jiolicy."  Judge  Donnell  was  the  son-in-law 
of  the  first  Governor  Spaight.  The  same 
writer,  speaking  of  Mr.  Spaight,  the  second, 
says: 

"  Richard  D.  Spaight  held  a  license  to 
practice  law, but  was  wealthy  and  difiideut,  ho 
was  not  destitute  of  talents  and  learning." 

"  I  always  suspected  that  Mr.  Stanly  was  an 
obstacle  to  the  professional  success  of  Mr. 
Spaight,  as  Stanly  was  a  man  of  imperious 
temper,  and  not  satisfied  with  killing  the 
father  of  Mr.  Spaight,  he  seemed  to  delight  in 
torturing  the  son,  by  looks  and  gestures,  and 
intonations  of  his  voice,  when  other  methods 
were  not  used."* 

Mr.  Stanly  married  a  daughter  of  Martin 
Frank,  of  Jones  County,  whose  handsome 
estate  laid  the  foundation  of  his  fortune.  13ut 
it  was  not  permanent.  In  the  Recollections  of 
New  Berne  tifty  years  ago,  the  writer  says:t 

*See  our  Living  and  our  Dead,  November,  1874. 
tStephen   F.  Miller,  in  our '  Liviug  and   Dead,  No- 
\  ember,  1874 


"Mrs.  Stanlj-  was  a  count rj- heiress, -with- 
out cultivation  or  opportunity.  Their  na- 
natures  and  habits  were  incompatible;  she  was 
a  shouting  Methodist,  he  a  staid  vestryman  of 
the  orthodox  Episcopal  church."'  His  affairs 
became  so  embarrassed,  that  debts  and  judg- 
ments pressed  him.  To  the  kindness  of  a  per- 
sonal and  political  friend,  he  owned  the  house 
ill  which  he  lived  and  died.  Here  harrassed  . 
by  creditors,  with  a  bod}' helpless  from  disease, 
a  mere  wreck  of  his  former  self;  he  died 
August  3rd,  1835.  We  may  well  recall  at 
such  a  scene,  the  words  of  Ophelia: 

"  O,  what  a  noble  mhid  i.s  here  o'er  thrown, 
The  courtier's,  soldier's,  scholar's,  eye,  tongue 

sword,    *    *    * 
Now  see  that  noble  ami  most  sovereign  reason, 
Like  sweet  bells- jangled,  out  of  tune  and  harsh." 

Mr.  Stanly  left  one  daughter,. who  married 
Walker  K.  Armstead,  then  an  officer  in  the 
United  States  army,  against  Mr.  Stanly's 
wishes.  Air.  Miller  says  he  never  forga\"e  her. 
When  this  worthy  officer  attained  rank  and 
distinction,  in  her  old  age  Mrs.  Stanl^'  found  a 
home  under  his  hospitable  I'oof,  where  she 
died.  ;\Ir.  Stanly  also  died  under  General 
Arnistead's  roof. 

His  descendants,  a  number  of  sons,  wore: 

I.  John,  idiotic  from  birth. 

II.  Alfred,  resided  in  Fairfax.  County.  Vir- 
ginia. 

III.  Frank,  became  a  Methodist  jireacher. 

IV.  Edward,  was  a  member  of  the  liouse 
from  Beaufort,  1844  to  1847.| 

V.  Alexander.* 

A'l.  Fabius,  United  States  navy  (retired 
admiral,)  resided  in  Washington. 

VII.  Cicero. 

VIII    James. 

Dr.  Isaac  Guion,  of  New  Berne,  was  surgeon 
to  the  First  Regimentj^^pBl^arolina  Conti- 
nentals, command^ b-Jiolonei  James  Moore. 
From  neglect  of  c^B  he  was  suspended. 

On  July  6th,  Ij^R  he  was  appoinrad  com- 

tFor  his  sketch  sefceuufort  County.         f 


CRAVEN  COUNTY.                                                      137 

missary    to   an    independent    company  under  children,  a  son,  then  only  three  years  ohi,  the 

Captain   Selby  Harvey,  stationed  on  the  sea  subject  of  tliis  sketcii,  and  a  daughter,  who,  in 

coast.*  after  years,  became  the  wife  of  Chief  Justice 

William  Gaston, born  September  19th-,  1778,.  Taylor, 
died   January  23d,  1844,  was  the  son  of  Dv  His  early  education   was  conducted    under 
Alexander  Gaston,  who  was  one  of  the  most  the  guidance  of  a  pious  and  patient   mother, 
earnest  and  steadfast  friends  of  the  people,  In  the  fall  oi  1791  he  was  sent  to  the  Catho- 
•    and  one  of  the  committee  of  safety  for  Cra^'en  lie  college  at  Georgetown,  where  he  remained 
County.     He  gave  up   his  life  to  the  cause  of  for   two   3'ears,   but    under   the  severe    disci- 
liberty;  for,  as  the   town  of  New  Berne  was  pline    and    rigors   of  a   variable   climate,-  his 
.,     attacked  by  the  tories  on  August  20th,  1781,  health  gave  away,  and  by  advice  of  his  pliysi- 
i    he  escaped  with  liis  wife  and  children.     He  cian,  be   returned  to  the   mild   climate  of  his 
■■;      had  onl}- time   to  p)Ush  off  in  a  boat,   leaving  native  land  and  the  comforts  of  home.    Under 

ibis  wife  and  children  on  tbe  wharf.     One  of  the  care  of  Reverend  'J'lioiiias  P.   Irving,   he 

these    miscreants    levelled    his   gun   over   the  was  prepiared  for  Princeton,  and  where  he  en- 

ir   shoulder  of  Mrs.   Gaston  and  fired.-    Her  pa-  tered  the  junior  class.     At  the  early    age  of 

triotic  husband  was  shot.  eighteen,  he  graduated  with  the  first  hou(U's  of 

This  tragic  event  has  been  graphicall}' de-  that  lenowned  institution.     He  returned  home 

scried  by   a  resident  of  this   section    of  our  and  entered  the  law  otlice  of  Judge  Francois 

stute,  who  states  that  Dr.  Gaston  and  Colonel  Xavier  Martin.     He  was  admitted  to  tlie  bar 

JdR  Green  were  dining  at  Dr.  Gaston's  house,  before  roacliing  the   age   <>f  twenty-one,  and 

jKen  an  alarm  was  given  that  the  tories  were  soon  attained  greet  eminence  in  his  profossinn. 

|?)ming.      Gaston    and   Green   arose  from  the  In  1799,  he  was  elei'ted  to   the  state  senate, 

3iied  to  the  wharf  only  a  few  steps  and  LS08  to  the  Plouse  of  Commons,  by  which 

)ft',  an(T^^fc|(l  into  a  canoe;  when  off  Cornel's  body  he  was  chosen  speaker, 

wharf  a  pli^^Bi  of  the  tories  fired  upon  them.  In  1810,  he  was  a  candidate  for  congress,  and 

and  both  felM  The  tories  then  retraced  their  was  defeated  by  William  Blackledge,  but  was 

steps.  The  caMe  was  thepropert}-  of  an  old  ne-  elected  to  the  Thirteenth  Congress,  from  1815 

gro.  John,  wM,  after  some  delay, procured  aid  to  1817,  and   the  Fourteenth  Congress^  froni 

and  started«  search  of  his  canoe,  which   was  1817  to  1819. 

jlrit^mg  about  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  Here  he  occupied  a  position  as  the  peer  of 
.'aves.  On  reaching  it,  he  found  lying  at  the  Callioun,  Cla^',  Lowndes,  Randolph  and  Web- 
bottom  of  his  boat  Green,  as  he  supposed  dead,  ster.  His  speeches  on  the  loan  bill  and  the 
and  Gaston  dying.  He  carried  them  back  to  previous  question  present  some  of  the  finest 
the  wliarf,  and  then  to  Dr.  Hazlin's  house,  specimens,  of  rea.soning  and  eloquence  which 
The  doctor  pronounced  Green  mortally  the  c(juntry  has  ever  furnished.  He  retired, 
wounded,  and  Gaston  seriously.  Just  the  con-  from  congress  to  pursue  his  law  practice; 
verse  of  this  opinion  turned  out  ti-fle,  for  the  I"  1824,  he  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Corn- 
latter  soon  died,  and  the  former  lived  thirty  mons,  and  in  1827-'28  and  1831. 
years  afterwards.  Dr.  Gaston  was  buried  in  Here  he  rendered  etRcient  and  invaluable 
"  Cedar  Grove,"  the  city  cemetery.  services  to  the  state.  The  perfect  organiza- 
He  left  a  disconsolate  widow  and  two  little  tion  of  our  then  judicial  system,  and  some  of 

the  best  statutes  of  North   Carolina,  are  the 

*Force's  American  Ai'chives.  result  of  his  sagacity  and  labor. 


138  WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 

In  1834,011  the  death  of  rUidge  Henderson,  was  no  sophistry  to  mislead,  no  meretricious 
he  was  elected  one  of  the  judges  of  the  supi'cme  ornament  to  beguile;  his  person  seemed  almost 
court,  which  elevated  position  was  so  germane  inspired,  and  his  countenance  expressed  a  be- 
to  his  talents  and  his  tastes  that  he  declined  nigiity  of  soul  which  marked  his  whole  life  and 
a  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  which  character. 

was  tendered  to  him.     Only  once   more   did  The  writer  (Dalton,)  already  quoted,  9a3's  of 

he  appear  as  a  statesman.     He  was  a  member  Judge  Gaston:  "  He  was  a  great  man  in  every 

of  the  convention  of  1835,  which   body  was,  sense  of  the  word.     One  was  never    tired   of 

without  doubt,  the  ablest  that  ever  sat  in  the  his  company.     His    conversation   was   always 

state.    The  first  men  from  every  section  in  the  interesting  and  instructive.     He  did   not  pos- 

state,  of   the   highest    positions,    and    of   t!ie  sess  the  excursive  genius  of  Mr.  Badger,  nor 

largest  knowledge,  were  selected.                     •  the  wit  of  Mr.  Stanly.     But  his  store  of  learn- 

He  aided  the  ciniventidii  in  making  health-  ing  and  well  balanced  mind,  added  to  his  un- 

ful  reforms,  modified  the  tliirty-second  article  sullied   character,  made  him  greatly  their  su- 

disfranchising  Catholics,  and  opposed  the  prop-  perior-     He   had   more    matter   of   fact    than 

osition  to  deprive  free  colored  people  of  the  romance    in    his    character.     He    would  have 

right  to  vote.     Until  this  time  they  had  pos-  made  a  better  historian  than  a  novelist,  and 

sessed    the    right    in    North    Carolina.      The  perhaps,  too,  a  great  actor." 

character  of  Judge  Gaston  asastate3man,pure  His  last  days  were  bright  and  glorious,  and 

and  patriotic,  is  inscribed  in  the  annals  of  the  his  end  triumphant  and  happ}'. 

nation,  and  the  state.     His  ability  and  learn-  On  January  28d,  1844,  while  sitting  on  the 

ing  as  an  advocate,  none  can  question;  and  his  bench    of   the  supreme  court    at  Raleigh,  he 

patience     with    witnesses    and     suitors,     his  complained  of  a  chill}' sensation,  attended  with 

urbanity  to  his  associates,  and  his  respect  to  fainting  feelings,  and   was    carried  JVt)n"r"tne 

.authority  rendered  him  universally  popular.  court  room  to  his  chamber.     On  that  evening 

Ilis   manner  of  address  in   a  court   or  the  he  was  better,  many  friends  called   who  were 

legislature  was  peculiar.  charmed  with  his  conversation  ;/a^ul  when  relat- 


It  was  my  fortune  to  sit  two  sessions  of  the  ing  an  account  of  a  convivial  party  at  Washing- 
legislature  in  the  next  seat  to  Judge  Gaston,  as  ton,  he  spoke  of  one  who  av()Wed  himself  a 
alsoon  thecommitteeon  thejudiciary  with  him,  free  thinker  in  religion. 

and  I  had  good  opportunities  of  observing  him.         "From  that  time,"  he  said,  "I  regarded  that 

He  had,  or  seemed  to  have,  when  he  first  arose  man  with  distrust.     I  do  not  say  that  such 

to  speak,  a  modesty  that  was  as  embarrassing  to  man  may  nut  be  an  honorable  man,  but  I  dare 

himself  as  it  was  to  his  audience.  He  ti-embled  not    trust    him.      A   belief  in    an    all    ruling 

perceptibly  at  first,  but   after  a  few  moments  providence  who  shapes  our  deeds  is  necessary, 

his  emphatic  and  deliberate  manner  and  sub-  We  must  believe  and  feel  that  there  is  a  God, 

dued  tones  commanded  profound  silence  and  all  wise  and  almighty " 

attention.     He  became  perfectly  possessed,  and         As  he  pronounced    these  words,  he  raised 

he  commenced  his  argument   with  matchless  himself  up  from  his  couch  to  give  emphasis  to 

and  thrilling  eloquence.     As  he  progressed,  the  his  expression,  in  a  moment  there  seemed  to 

graiKleur  of  his  expression  seemed  to  increase,  be  a  rush  of  blood  to  the  brain,  and   he  fell 

whilst  his  illustrations  were  as  luminous  as  a  backacorpse.    The  spirit  fled  from  tiie scenes  of 

sunbeam,  and  his  arguments  carried  conviction  earth,  to  meet  that  God  in  whom  he  trusted, 

to  the  minds  of  his  entranced  auditors.    There  and  whose  name  last  vibrated  on  his  tongue. 


> 


CRAVEX  COUNTY. 


139 


Truly  did  his  able  associate,  -Judge  Ruffin, 
say  on  the  occasion  of  his  death  that  he  was  "a 
good  man  and  a  great  judge."  His  remains 
were  deposited  in  the  cemetery  at  New  Berne. 
A  heavy  block  of  marble,  resting  on  the 
granite,  surmounted  by  a  cross,  bears  simply 
the  name  of  William  Gaston  and  the  date  of 
birth  and  death. 

"I  saw,"  says  the  writer  already  quoted, 
"one  morning,  before  the  sun  has  risen  Edward 
Everett  and  John  R.  Donnel  standing  together 
at  the  tomb  of  Gaston.  Mr.  Everett  removed 
his  hat,  baying:  'This  eminent  man  had  few 
equals  and  no  superior.'  " 

Of  such  a  man's  memory  the  state  may  be 
justly  proud.  She  has  written  his  name  osi 
her  towns  and  counties,  and  as  long  as  talent 
is  admired,  or  virtue  appreciated,  so  long  will 
the  name  of  Gaston  be  cherished. 

Judge  Gaston  was  thrice  married: 

I.  Miss  Hay,  of  Fayetteville;  no  issue. 

n.  Hannah  McClure,who  died  suddenly,  in 
1814,  from  alarm  at  the  incoming  of  the  Brit- 
ish fleet.  She  left  (a)  Alexander  F.  Gaston, 
who  was  in  the  legislature  in  1830,  and  who 
'  married  { fir xi J  Miss  Jones,  and  [second)   Miss 

Murphy  of  Burke,  where  he  died;  (b)  and  two 
daughters,  one  of  whom  was  the  first  wife  of 

k  Judge  Manly;  she  left  one  child,  Hannah,  who 
.  .i-^married  a  son  of  the  Rev. Dr.  Fi-ancis  L.  Hawks; 
she  has  since  died  leaving  several  children. 
The  second  daughter  of  Judge  Gaston  by  this 
marriage  was  the  wife  of  Robert  Donaldson, 
of  New  York. 

,  in.  Miss'Worthington,of  Georgetown;  issue 
(a)  Mrs.  Graham,  who  died  recently  near  Marl- 
boro, Maryland;  (i)  Kate,  single. 

John  R.  Donnel,  born  1791,  died  1864,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  a  man  of  letters,  was 
educated  at  the  university  of  North  Carolina, 
and  graduated  in  1807,  in  the  same  class  with 
Gavin  Hogg,  and  others.  He  studied  law  and 
practiced  that  pi'ofession  with  great  success. 

In  1815,  he  was  elected  solicitor  of  the  dis- 


V 


trict,  and  in  1819  he  was  elected  judge  of  the 
superior  courts  of  law,  the  duties  of  which  he 
discharged  with  dignity  and  ability  for  seven- 
teen 3'ear3. 

His  extensive  property  suffered  severely  frcim 
the  tumults  and  depredations  of  civil  war. 

He  died  at  Raleigh,  October  loth,  1864,  a 
refugee  from  his  large  estates  and  princely 
home. 

Judge  Donne!  married  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Governor  Spai^ht,  who  left  five  children: 

I.  Richard  Spaight  Donnel,  distinguished  as 
a  lawj-er.* 

II.  Marj',  who  marrried  Charles  B.  Shep- 
pard.  Mr..  Sheppard  was  in  congress  18o'9  to. 
1841,  and  who  died  1843,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren; [ti]  Margaret,  who  married  Samuel  S. 
Nelson;  (b)  Mary,  who  married  James  A. 
Bryan. 

III.  Anne,  single. 

IV".  Fannie,  who  married  James  B.  Shep- 
pard; Mr.  Sheppard  died  in  1870,  leaving  :;ne 
son,  John  R.  D.  Sheppard,  now  in  Paris. 

V.  C.  Spaight  Donnel,  married  Thomas  M. 
Iveerl,  of  Baltimore,  where  the}'  reside. 

John  Sitgroaves,  late  United  States  judge, 
was  a  resident  of  New  Berne.  The  first  United 
States  district  judge  for  the  District  of  North 
Carolina,  was  John  Stokes,t  appointed  by 
General  Washington. 

He  was  succeeded  by  John  Sitgreaves  in 
1790,  appointed  by  Jofi'erson.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Henry  Potter  in  1803,  who  held  the 
position  until  his  death,  December  20th,  18-59. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Asa  Biggs,  appointed  by 
Buchanan;  the  war  suspended  his  functions. 
George  W.  Brooks  was  appointed  August  9th, 
1865. 

The  state  has  been  divided  i-ecently  into  two 
districts,  and  Robert  P.  Dick|  was  appointed 
for  the  Western  district  by  General  Grant. 


*For  sketch  of  whom  see  Beaufort  County. 

tFor  sketch,  see  Stokes  County. 

tSee  sketch  of  Judge  Dick,  Guilford  County. 


140 


WHEELER'S    HEMINISCENCES. 


Judtce  Sito;reaves,  was  like  his  predecessor,  a 
soldier  of  the  revolution. 

It  is  a  reiiiarkalde  historical  fact  that  after  a 
war,  whether  foi'eign  or  domestic,  that  the  pop- 
ular feeling  centers  on  those  "  who  have  done 
the  state  some  service"  in  the  field.  The  re- 
mark of  Lord  Bacon  is  verified  bj  facts.  "  In 
the  youth  of  a  nation,  the  profession  of  arms 
flourish;  in  its  middle  age,  the  useful  arts;  and 
in  its  old  age,  the  fine  arts.'"  See  America, 
England,  and  Italy  to  prove  the  truth  of  this 
dictum. 

Judge  Sitgreaves  was  appointed  bj' the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  in  177(i,  an  officer  in  Captain 
Cassell's  company,  and  was  in  the  battle  of 
Camden,  August,  1780. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress in  1784,  and  a  memljer  of  the  House  of 
commons  (1786  to  1789)  from  the  borough  of 
New  Berne. 

Mr.  Jefi'erson's  diary  contains  the  following: 

"  1789,  Hawkins  recommended  John  Sit- 
grea^■es,  as  a  very  clever  gentlemen,  of  good 
■deportment,  well  skilled  in  the  law  for  a  man 
of  his  age,  and  if  he  lives  long  enough,  will  be 
an  ornament  to  his  profession.  Siiaight  and 
Blount  concurring,  he  was  nomiiuited." 

He  died  at  Halifax,  March  4th,  1802,  where 
he  lies  buried. 

John  Ilerritage  Bryan,  born  1798,  died  May 
19th,  1870,  was  a  native  of  New  Berne. 

Ill  the  I'rovincial  Congress  of  November, 
1776,  at  Halifax,  three  of  this  name  were 
members.  His  early  education  was  conducted 
by  the  Reverend  T.  P.  Irving,  and  he  gi'adu- 
ated  at  the  university  in  1815,  in  the  same 
class  with  Isaac  Croom,  Edward  Hall,  Francis 
L.  Hawks,  Willie  P.  Manguiu,  Richard  Dobbs 
.iSpaight,  and  others.  He  read  law  and  at- 
tained high  rank  in  his  profession. 

He  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  in  1823 
.and  '24,  and  in  the  next  year  also,  and  at  the 
.same  time  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
^Nineteenth    Cojigress,  from   1825  to   1827;  an 


unprecedented  event,  and  the  more  so  as  he 
was  away  from  home  when  elected  to  both  of 
these  popular  positions.  He  accepted  the  seat 
in  congress,  and  he  was  elected  to  the  Twen- 
tieth Congress.  He  declined  a  re-election, 
the  care  of  a  young  and  increasing  family 
demanding  his  services.  He  removed  to  Ra- 
leigh, where  he  lived  nmny  years,  loved  and 
respected  liy  all  who  knew  him,  and  where  he 
died,  universally  regretted,  in  1870. 

Pie  married  the  daughter  of  William  Shep- 
ai'd,  of  New  Berne,  and  leaves  a  large  and 
interesting  family.  One  of  his  sons.  Francis, 
graduated  at  West  Point,  and  was  distin- 
guished in  battl-es  in  Mexico. 

Edward  Graham,  born  1765,  died  1833,  son 
of  Edward  Graham,  (who  came  from  Argyle- 
shire,  Scotland,)  was  liorn  in  New  York  city, 
graduated  at  Princeton  1785,  read  law  with 
Chief  Justice  Jay,  and  settled  in  New  Berne. 

He  was  a  member  in  the  legislature  from 
New  Berne,  in  1797 — his  only  public  service. 
He  was  the  second  of  Mr.  Stanly  in  his  fatal 
duel  with  Governor  Spaight.  He  died  in  New 
Berne,  xMarch  22d,  1838. 

He  married  Elizabeth,  the  daughter  of  Ed- 
ward Batchelor,  and  had  two  children: 

I.  Elizabeth,  born  1804,  who  married  John 
P.  Daves. 

II.  Jane    Frances,  married  to    William  H. ' 
Haywood,  late  United  States  senator. 

Francis  Lister  Hawks,  born  1705,  died  1866, 
the  son  of  John  Hawks,  was  a  native  of  New 
Berne,  and  distinguished  as  a  writer  and  pul- 
pit orator. 

One  of  his  ancestors  was  the  architect  and 
superintended  the  building  of  the  governor's 
•residence  at  New  Berne  in  1771.  Among  the 
Colonial  Records  in  London,  I  find  that  in 
June  29th,  1771,  at  a  meeting  of  the  council, 
he  submitted  his  accounts  of  expenses  for 
building  the  palace. 

He  graduated  at  the"  universit3'  in  1815,  in 
the  same  class  with  Mr.  Bryan,  and  others,  as 


CKAVE^ST  COUNTY, 


141 


alluded  toiu  the  sketch  of  Mr.  Bryan:  studied 
law  aud  was  the  reporter  of  the  decisions  of 
the  supreme  court  for  five  years,  (1820  to  '26.) 

In  1821,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons  from  Xcav  Berne,  hut  he 
resolved  to  devote  himself  to  the  ministry, 
and  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Eavenscroft  He, 
in  1827,  was  assistant  minister  of  Dr.  Harry 
Croswell,  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  In 
1829,  he  was  the  assistant  of  Bishop  White, 
at  St.  James,  Philadelphia,  and  from  1832 
to  1834,  was  the  rector  of  St.  Stephen's 
church.  New  York;  during  which  period  lie 
visited  Europe,  with  an  introduction  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  to  collect  materinl 
for  a  history  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  the 
United  States,  a  fragment  of  which  may  be 
seen  in  his  biography  of  Bishop  White. 

From  St.  Stephen's  he  passerl  to  St.  Thomas 
in  1832,  and  continued  his  connection  with  this 
parish  until  he  removed  to  Mississippi  in  1844. 
He  was  elected  bishop  of  the  diocese;  which 
he  declined,  as  also  his  election  to  be  bishop  of 
Rhode  Island.  At  tiie  close  of  1844,  he  took 
chaige  of  Christ  church  in  New  Orleans,  where 
he  continued  for  five  years,  during  which  time 
he  gave  his  aid  to  the  establishment  of  a  state' 
university,  of  wliicli  he  was  made  the  presi- 
dent. But  he  was  called  to  fill  the  pulpit  of 
Cavah'y  church,  and  he  returned  to  New  York 
and  continued  in  this  charge  until  18G1 ;  he 
then  resigned  l)ecause  he  sympathized  with 
the  south,  and  took  chai'ge  of  a  Baltimore 
churcli.  One  of  his  sons  was  major  in  the 
Confederate  army.  After  the  war  was  over 
he  returned  to  and  preache<l  in  the  Church  of 
the  Annunciation,  New  Y'ork,  where  he  died 
September  27,  1666. 

He  married  a  lady  in  Connecticut,  by  whom 
he  had  8e\'eral  children. 

Dr.  Hawks  was  true  to  North  Carolina  and 
proud  of  her  glorious  history.* 

*  This  sketch  is  compiled  from  original  documents 
and  from  a  memorial   of  F.  L.  Hawk-!,  DD.  LLD., 


As  a  divine,  his  merits  were  brilliant  and 
unsurpassed.  An  agreeable  address,  an  amia- 
ble and  placid  countenance,  a  deep  toneJ 
voice,  expressive  of  pathos  and  feeling,  mo^iu- 
lated  and  eloquent  in  all  its  utterances,  a  warm 
southern  sensibility  and  all  marked  with 
manly  frankness,  distinguished  Dr.  Hawks  as 
one  of  the  first  pulpit  orators  of  his  age. 

As  an  author  he  exhibited  great  learning 
and  laborious  research;  the  most  voluminous 
our  state  has  ever  produced.  Among  his  most 
important  works  are: 

I.  Reports  of  Supreme  Court  of  Nt.>rth 
Carolina,  (1820-'26,)  in  four  volumes. 

II.  J)igest  of  all  the  cases  decided  and  re- 
ported in  North   Carolina. 

III.  Contributions  to  the  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory of  the  United  States,  two  volumes,  em- 
bracing New  York,  Maryland,  and  Virginia. 

IV.  Egypt  and  her  Monuments,  (1849.) 

V.  Auricular  Confession  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  (1850.) 

VI.  History  of  North  Cai'olina,  two  volumes, 
(1857.) 

VII.  Antiquities  of  Peru,  (1854.) 

A^III.  Oflicial  and  Other  Papers  of  Alexan- 
der Hamilton,  (1842.) 

IX.  Romance  of  Biography. 

X.  Appleton's  Cyclo[iedia  of  Biography. 

XI.  Journal  of  General  Conventions  (1856) 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of  the 
United  States,  from  1785. 

XII.  Under  the  pseudonym  of  Uncle  Philip, 
several  juvenile  works  for  Harper's  "Boys'  and 
Girls'  Library." 

XIII.  He  compiled  from  Perr^-'s  original 
notes  "  the  Narrative  of  Commodore  Perry's 
Expedition  to  the  China  Seas  and  Japan," 
(1852.) 

XIV.  Lecture  on  Sir  Walter  Raleierh. 


by  Everitt  A.    Diiyckinck.   read  before    New  York 

Historical  Society.  May,  1867. 
'■  Cyclopedia  of  American  Literature.'' 
'•  iJictionary  of  American  biography  by  Francis  S. 

Drake,  1«76." 


142  AVPIEELEE'S    REMINISCENCES. 

XY.  Lecture  establishing  the  authenticity  ./appeariince,  of  great  geniality   of  temper  he 

of  the  Mecklenbarg,  N^orth  Carolina,  Deelara-  bwas  a  favorite  with  all  his  associates, 

tioij  of  Independence  of  May  20th,  1775.  \  descended  to  the  ludicrous.     Of  fine  personal 

At  the  time  of  his  death   he  was  preparing  But  his  transcendent  powers  as  an  advocate 

a  work  "  on  the  Ancient  Monuments  of  Cen-  did  not  detract  from  his  usefulness;  not  unlike 

tral   and  Western  America,"  and   a    Physical  Erskine,  the  giant  lawyer,  they  did  not  dwarf 

Geography.  the  able  statesman.     It  was  his   custtuu  when 

George  Edmund    Badger,  born   1795,  died  entering  the  senate,  to  linger  in  the  morning 

1866,  was  a  native  of  ISTew  Berne.     His  father,  and  liave  a  pleasant   word   with  nearly  ever}' 

a  devoted  patriot,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  member,   before   he  took    his    seat.     This  he 

His  mother  was  a  daugliter  of  Richard  Cog-  would  not  retain  long,  for  he  was  less  frerpient 

dell;  who  was  one  of  the  council   of  safety  in  in  his  own  seat  than  in  that  of  other  members. 

1775.     He  was  educated  at  Yale  College,  grad-  Yet,  witJi  this  apparent  carelessness,  he  would 

uated   in    1815,   and    studied   law    with   John  cutchand  remeinberevery  word,whetl)ertrivial 

Stanly,  who  was  his  relative.  or  important,  uttered  in  debate,  and  ready  to 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature  answer  any  question.     He  had  a  certain  kind 

1816;  and  in  1820,  at  the  early  age  of  25,  elec-  of  humoi'  to  ridicule,  in  a  pleasant  waj-,  even 

ted  one  of  the  judges  of  the  superior  courts,'  the  most  dignified  of  that  distinguished  body 

which  he  resigned  in  1825.     He  then   settled  about  any  little  mistake  or  blander,  either  in 

in  Raleigh  and  pursued  with  great  success  his  their  speeches  or  conversation, 

profession.     He  was   appointed  Secretary    of  On  one  occasion,  wlien   a  senator  was  con- 

the  Navy  in  1841,  but  resigned  on  Tjder's  ve-  cludinga  long  and  laboi'cd  speech,  (J.  P.  Hale) 

toiug   the    re-charter    of    the    United    States  he  remarked:"  I  guess  I  have  said  enough;"  Mr. 

Bank.*  Badger  who  was  just  behind  bin)  said  "  I  know 

From  1846  to   1855  he   was   United  States  you  have."     This  descent  from  the  sublime  to 

Senator.  the  ridiculous  created  a  pleasant  smile. 

In  1851,  he  was  nominated  one  of  the  judges  On  another  occasion,  when   he  had  moved 

of  the  Supreme  Coui't    of  the  United  States,  that     the     senate     adjourn    over    v.ext    day, 

bat  was  not  confirmed  by  the  senate.  being    Good     Friday,    the    motion    \\-as    lost. 

In  1861,  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention  "Well,"   he  said,  "I  submit,  but   this  is   the 

and   signed  the  ordinance  of  secession.     His  only  judicial  body  that  has  evei'  sat  on  Good 

admirable  letter  to  Mr.  Ely,  already  j^resented,  Friday,  since  the  days  of  Pontius  Pilate,  who 

(see   Beaarfort)    gives  the  "form    and   pres-  tried  and  condemned  our  Savioar."     Mr.  AVeb- 

sure  "  of  those  unhappy  times.    The  attendant  ster  was  present  and  remarked:  •'  That  Badger 

calamities  doubtless  shortened  bit?  days.  is  the  greatest  trifler  I  over  knev,';  we  are  all 

As  an  advocate   he   had   few  equals,  and   no  afraid    of    him;  he   can    make    mure   out  of  a 

superior  in  the  highest  tribunals  of  the  country,  trifling  occurrf  !.je  than  any  man  I  ever  knew." 

As  an  orator  he  was  eloquent,  learned  and  able;  But  there  was  pith  and  point  in  all  he  said 

abounding  in  wit  and  humor,  which  sometimes  and  did.     lie  had  no  superior  or  equal  in  his 

matchless    ability    for   winnowing   chatt'  from 

"^ It  is  singular  that  Korth  Carolma  has  rarely  been  ,       ,              ,                   i      ii- 
honored  by  having  one  of  her  citizens  made  a  cabinet  wheat,  or    the    most    brilliant   flowers   ol   elo- 

Sit'"'''''''^''"°'''^*''''^°'"°^'°^  q"^"^'^  ^■'■'J™  the  '^'-y  'detail  of  sophistry;  and 

I.  John  Branch,  1829;  II.  George  E  Badger,  1841  ;  while  he  indulged  in  the  humorous  or  hidicrous, 

III.  William  A.   Graham,  1850  ;  IV.   James  C.  Dob-  ,-,,,, 

bin.  1853.  he  wielded   his  arguments  with   the  force  of 


CtJMBERLAXD   COUIstTY.  147 

111  1798,  ho  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  su-  B}-  the  act  of  1817.  he   was   appointed  with 

perior  courts  of  hiw  and  equity.     At  this  time  lleiirj  Porter  and    Bartlett   Yaiiee^'  to  revise 

the  state  was  divided  into  eight  judicial  dis-  the  statute   law    of  the  state,  and   the  stat- 

tricts,Edenton,  Halifax,  New  Berne, Wilming-  utes  of  England  in  force  in   the  state.     This 

ton,.  Fayetteville,    llillsboro,    Salisijury,    aiul  work  was  completed   and   published  in  1821. 

Morgauton.     Court  was  held  twice  a  year,  at  In    1825,  Judge  Tajdor   continued    this  work, 

which  two  of  the  four  judges  ha<l  to  preside.  He,  .aliout  the  same  time,  publi-iied  a  treatise 

These    courts    had    supreme    jurisdiction,   for  '■  on  the  Duties  tif  Executors  and  Adnnnistra- 

there  was  no  court  of  appeals,  and  their  deci-  to-rs." 

sions  were  tinal.  This  obviaus  defect  was  en-  This  devoted  I oyalt}-  to  his  profession,  diicl 
deavored  to  be  remedied  by  the  act  of  1799,  not  prevent  Jiuige  Taylor  tVom  worshipping  at 
directing  the  judges  to  meet  together  at  Ra-  the  shrine  of  the  muses.  There  v/as  not,  per- 
leigh  twice  a  year  to  settle  questions  of  law  haps,  a  better  bcUcs  leltres  scholar  in  his  day. 
and  equity  arising  on  the  cii-cuits.  In  1801,  While  at  the  bar  he  possessed  a  singular 
the  act  of  1799  was  continued  for  three  years,  felicity  of  e.xpressitui,  which  alwa3's  seized  the 
and  the  meeting  of  the  judges  was  called  '-'the  most  appropiriate  word  suited  to  tlie  thought, 
court  of  confei'ence."  His  ett'orts  were  distinguished  by  a  playful,  be- 
lli 1804,  this  was  made  a  permanent  tribu-  nevolent  humor,  great  ingenuity  and  skill  in 
nal,  and  its  name  changed  in  the  following  argment,  and  a  most  retentive  memory, 
year  to  that  of  •' the  Supreme  Court."  In  Always  pxdite  to  his  associates,  and  respectful 
1808  the  judges  were  authorized  to  appoint  to  the  court,  with  high  and  generous  feelings, 
one  of  their  number  chief  justice,  and  Judge  he  was  loved  and  respiected.  Of  tlic  mode  in 
Taylor  was  selected.  In  1818,  the  supreme  which  ho  exercised  the  functions  of  ajndge  of 
court  was-established,  and  John  Lewis  Taylor,  this  highest  tribunal  in  our  land,  his  recorded 
John  Hall  and  Leonard  Henderson  were  ap-  opinions  will  demanstrate,  and  these  are 
pointed  to  hold  it.  Judge  Taylor  continued  models  of  eloqueiu-e  and  logic,  whilst  they  are 
as  chief  justice  until  his  death,  ^vllieh  oc-  admired  for  their  research  and  classic  beauty, 
curred  at  Raleigh,  January  29,  1829.  A^  a  neighbor,  no  oiio  had  a  more  benevo- 
Soon  after  his  appointment,  Judge  Taylor  lent  disposition,  moi'e  sincere  in  his  friendships 
began  to  take  notes  of  the  cases  decided  by  or  more  affectionate  in  all  the  relations  of 
him  and  bis  associates;  and  in  1802  he  pub-  life.  His  tiibute  to  the  nieiuory  of  the  late 
lished  "Cases  Determined  in  the  Si^perior  James  F.  Taylor,  who  died  in  1828,  is  credita- 
Courts  of  Law  and  Equity  of  the  State  of  ble  alike  to  his  head  and  heart.*  This  gen- 
North  Carolina."  tlenian,  though  bearing  the  same  name,  was  no 
In  1814,  he  published  anonymously  the  iirst,  blood  relatioii,  and  was  only  connected  by 
and  in  1816  the  second  volume  of  "  the  Caro-  having  married  his  adopted  daughter,  Eliza 
lina  Repository;"  also  another  volume  of  re-  L.  Manning.  Judge  Taylor  was  twice  married, 
ports  from  1816  to  1818,  known  as  "  Taylor's  His  first  wife  was  Julia  Rowan,  by  whom  he  had 
Term  Reports."  His  charge  to  the  grand  one  daiightoi-,  who  married  Maj  >r  Suded,  a 
jury  of  Edgecombe,  in  1817,  was  published  at  °on  of  whom  was  attorney -general  of  Tennes-. 
the  request  of  the  grand  juiy,  and  is  a  model  see.  The  second  wife  was  Jane  Gaston,  a 
of  its  kind,  showing  the  various  offences  that  sister  of  Judge  Gaston,  by  whom  he  had  one 
grand  juries  are  bound  to  notice,  and  a  general  daughtei-,  who  married  David  E.  Sumner,  of 
summary  of  their  duties.  -^^ig  ^^.^^.  ^^  ^^^^^^  .^^  ,  Devereux  Ueports,  527. 


148 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


Hertf'ort  Count}-,  and  a  son,  John  Louis,  who 
died  years  a.2;o,  nnniarried. 

Henry  P(.)tter,  horn  17G5,  died  1857,  was 
for  more  than  half  a  centuiy  jud^2;e  of  tire 
United  States  District  Court  for  the  state  of 
North  Carolina,  appointed  in  1801  h\- ]*Ir.  Jef- 
ferson. He  resided  in  Eayetteville;  he  was  a 
native  of  Granville  County. 

Of  his  ear]}'  education  we  have  no  informa- 
tion. But  he  was  for  years  a  trustee  and  an 
active  friend  of  the  university.  Kind  and 
courteous  in  his  manners,  upright  and  patieikt 
as  a  judge,  he  possessed  abilities  of  a  reputa- 
ble order;  but  to  preside  as  the  associate 
of  Marshal,  Daniel,  and  AYayne,  demanded  no 
ordinary  powers.  In  the  latter  days  of  his 
life  he  was  fond  of  narrating  the  events  of  his 
_youth.  He  had  known  Wasliington,  and  heard 
him  deliver  his  first  address  to  congress  at 
Philadelphia.  He  knew  Adams,  Jefferson, 
Madison,  Monroe,  Hamilton,  Charles  Carroll, 
Rufus  King  and  other  celebrities  of  the  revo- 
lution, as  well  Richard  Caswell,  Judge  Iredell, 
Governor  Johnstone,  Nash,  Burke,  Spaight, 
Ashe,  Davie,  and  others  of  our  own  state,  and 
such  giants  as  Cameron,  Gaston  Toomer, 
Means,  Dufiy  and  Strange  had  practiced  before 
him;  all  of  whom  preceded  him  to  the  grave. 
Had  he  written  the  reminiscences  of  his  times. 
How  agreeable  \^■ould  sucli  a  work  have  been 
to  our  age! 

He  wrote  a  work  "  on  the  Duties  of  a  Justice 
of  the  Feace^,"  and  with  Yancey  and  Taylor  re- 
vised our  statute  laws.  He  died  December 
,20,  1857. 

John  D.  Toomer  was  a  native  of  Wilming- 
ton; educated  at  the  university  but  did  not 
graduate. 

He  rejiresented  this  countj'  in  the  senate  of 
.the  state  legislature  in  1831  and  18-32,  and 
succeeded  Judy.e  Strange,  in  the  house  in  1836. 
He  had  been  a  judge  of  the  superior  courts  in 
1818,  and  was  on  the  supreme  court  bencli  in 
1829,  by  appointment  of  the  governor,  but  was 


not  elected  by  the  legislature.  In  1836,  he 
was  again  on  the  superior  court  bench  which 
he  resigned  from  ill  health  in  1840.  He  was 
an  eloquent  advocate,  a  learned  judge,  a  writer 
of  great  literary  attainments,  and  an  accom- 
plished and  urbane  gentleman.  He  died  in 
Pittsboro  in  1856. 

Louis  D.  Henry,  born  1788,  died  1846,  re- 
sided for  years  in  this  county.  He  was  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  educated  at  Princeton, 
■^A- here  he  graduated  in  1809.  He  read  law 
with  his  uncle,  Edward  Graham,  in  New 
Berne,  and  practiced  with  great  success.  He 
was  distinguished  for  his  courteous  manners, 
his  finished  elocution,  and  his  accurate  and 
extensive  memor3^  His  genial  temper  and 
popular  manners  were  duly  appreciated  by  his 
fellow  citizens.  He  represented  the  count}' 
1821  and  1822,  and  the  town  in  1830-'31  and 
'32,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  chosen  speaker. 

In  early  life,  when  quite  young,  he  became 
involved  in  a  duel  v/ith  Thomas  J.  Stanlj', 
(about  1812)  which  terminated  in  the  death 
of  the  latter. 

He  was  appointed  Minister  to  Belguim  bj- 
the  President  (VanBuren,)  which  mission  he 
declined,  but  he  accepted  the  appointment  of 
commissioner  to  settle  claims  against  Spain. 

In  1842,  he  made  an  unsuccessful  campaign 
as  candidate  for  governor  of  the  state.  This 
was  his  last  appearance  in  political  life,  for 
four  years  after  he  died  suddenlj-  at  his  resi- 
dence in  Raleigh. 

■Mr.  Henry  was  no  ordinary  man.  Gifted 
by  nature  with  high  mental  endowments,  cul- 
tivated by  education,  of  a  most  agreeable  pre- 
sence, an  exquisite  taste  f  )r  poetrj'  and  music, 
with  most  melodious  voice,  he  ^vas  a  welcome 
and  favoured  guest  wherever  he  moved. 

Mr.  Henry  was  tv.'ice  mainied.  By  his  last 
wife,,  who  survived  him,  he  had  several  chil- 
dren. One  of  whom  married  Duncan  K. 
McRae,  another  John  H.  Manh',  and  another 
was  tlie  first  ■wife  of  R.  P.  Waring,  of  Charlotte. 


CUMBERLAND   COUNTY.  149 

Robert  Strange,  born  1796,  died  Februar}'  Ilanghton,  distingnised  as  a  statesman  and 
19tl),  1854,  who  lived  and  died  in  Fayette-  advocate;  Cadwallader  Jones,  late  attiM'ney- 
ville,  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  was  eda-  general  of  the  state;  Richard  H.Smith,  and 
cated  at  Hampden  Sydney,  studied  law  and  others,  composed  the  class, 
settled  at  Fayetteville,  from  wliich  town  he  llis  gentle  and  genial  manners,  and  frank 
was  elected  a  representative  to  the  legislature  and  gentlemanly  deportment  made  him  a  uni- 
1821;  I'e-elected,  with  two  intermissions,  until  versal  favorite  with  the  faculty  and  students, 
1836,  when  he  was  electeil  one  of  the  judges  Kud  so  won  upon  the  affections  of  the  vener- 
of  the  superior  courts,  in  Avhich  position  he  aide  president,  Dr.  Caldwell,  that  he  was  often 
was  so  acceptable  that  in  1836,  he  was  elected  heard  to  say:  "it  would  gladden  his  heart  to  be 
United  States  senator.  Here  he  shone  con-  the  father  of  such  a  son  as  James  C.  Dobbin." 
spicuous  for  the  suavity  of  his  manners,  his  He  read  law  with  Judge  Strange,  then  one 
affable  demeanor,  and  his  brilliant  abilities,  of  the  judges  of  the  superior  courts,  with  whom 
Under  instructions  from  the  legislature,  he  was  a  special  favorite, 
elected  in  the  plirensy  of  the  "Log  Cabin"  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1835,  and  de- 
campaign  of  1840,  he  resigned,  glad  to  escape  voted  all  of  his  enei'giesto  the  profession.  In 
from  "  the  peltings  of  the  storm  "  of  political  it  he  was  eminiently  successful;  this,  toi,  at  a 
life  to  the  more  germane  and  protitable  pur-  b.ir  adorned  by  T(.)omer,  Eccles,  Henry,  and 
suits  of  tlie  law,  which  lie  practiced  with  great  others. 

success  until  his  death.     He  \vas  twice  married.  He    was   often    solicited    to    represent    his 

His  second   wife,  Mrs.  Nelson,  survived   him  county,  but  he  invariably  declined,  alledging 

but  a  short  time.  that  he  felt  more  satisfaction  in  the  discharge 

James  Cochrane  Dobltin,  born  1814,  died  of  his  professional  duties,  and  in  the  quiet  corn- 
August  4,  1857,  was  born,  lived,  and  died  in  forts  of  his  famil^^  than  in  the  contests  of 
Fayetteville.     He  was  the    son  of   John    M.  political  warfare. 

Dobbin,  and  Abness,  daughter  of  JaniesCoch-  But  such  talents  ;ind  merit  could   not   re- 

rane,  after   whorji    he   was   named,   and    who  main  unappreciated.     In  1845,  unsolicited  anil 

represented  the  Orange  district  in  the  Twelfth  unexpectedly  to  him,  he  was   nominated   for 

Congress,  1811   and   1813.     His  father,  a  sue-  congress  by  a  convention  in  the   Raleigh  dis- 

cessful    merchant    in    Faj'Cttox  ille    for  thirty  trict.     The  district   was   a  doubtful   one,  and 

years,  died  in  1837   universally'   loved   and    la-  had  previously  otily  Ijeen   can-ied    by   a  small 

mented.  majority  for  the  democratic  ticket. 

Mr.    Dobbin    was   pre[iared   for    college   by  The  opposition  was  able  and  active,  and  his 

William  J.  Bingham,  of  Hillsboro;  in  1828  he  competitor,  John    H.  Hiiughton,  a   practiced 

entered  the  freshman  class.     His  course  in  col-  and  successful  politician.     Yet  such   was   the 

lege  was  marked   by   a   faithful   discharge   of  gallant  and  genial  bearing  of  Mr.  Dobbin  and 

every  dutj'.     Though  much  the  3'oungest  mem-  his  captivating   and    winning   eloquence,  that 

ber  of  tlie  class,  during  the   whole  collegiate  he  was  elected  by  a  mijorit}' of  two  thousand 

course,  he  was  among  the  fii-st,  and  graduated  votes.     His  fame  preceded    him   to  congress, 

with  high  honors  in  1832,  and  this  was  no  idle  and  he  was  placed  on  the  committee  of  elec- 

and  empty  compliment,  when  it  is  stated  that  tions,  a  most  important  and  trying  position  for 

such  mimls  as  Thomas  S.  Ashe,  (now  one  of  the  a  young  and  inexperienced  member.     But  here 

judges  of  the  supreme  court,)  ThonnisL.  Cling-  he  so   bore  himself  as  to  win  the  approbation 

man,    late    United    States  senator;    John    H.  of  his  associates,  by   a  close   attention  to    his 


150 


WHEELER'S  REMmiSCENCES. 


dnties,  decidiiio;  accordiiicr  to  the  instice  of 
each  case,  and  his  own  convictions  of  right 
althougli  frequently  to  the  prejudice  of  his  own 
own  part}'. 

His  speecli  on  the  Oregon  question;  the 
three  million  bill;  Mexican  war;  public  lands; 
the  tariff,  and  other  questions,  established  for 
him  the  reputation  of  a  sagacious  and  honest 
statesman.  After  his  term  expired  he  de- 
clined a  re-election  to  congress,  intending  to 
devote  himself  to  his  profession,  in  which  he 
now  stood  in  the  foremost  rank.  But  the 
people  did  not  allow  him  to  retire  from  their 
service;  he  was  returned  from  the  county  in 
1848,  1850  and  1852,  to  the  legislature.  He 
was  chosen  the  speaker  of  the  house  in  1848 
and  1850.  His  course,  so  patriotic  and  yet  so 
modest,  commanded  the  respect  and  regard  of 
all.  His  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  Insane  Asy- 
lum, on  the  memorial  of  that  "white  winged 
messenger  of  peace,"  Miss  })ix,  is  the  monu- 
ment of  his  patrotism  and  his  philanthrophy. 
The  memorial  was  referred  to  a  select  commit- 
tee, on  motion  of  John  W.  Ellis,  and  a  bill 
was  reported  by  him  appropriating  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  In  the  mean  time, 
Mr.  Ellis,  on  being  elected  judge,  resigned, 
the  laboring  oar  was  then  allotted  to  Hon. 
Kenneth  Eaj'ner.  who,  in  a  speech  of  great 
power  and  of  impassioned  eloquence,  advoca- 
ted the  measure;  but  it  was  lost  by  a  vote  of 
66  to  44,  and  the  measure  seemed  to  be  irre- 
trievabh'  lost. 

Miss  Dix  felt  deeply  the  failure  of  a  measui-e 
so  dear  to  her  heart  and  to  humanity;  she 
called  on  Mr.  Doljbin,  who  had  not  been  pre- 
sent at  the  discussion,  his  lovelj'  wife  having 
only  a  day  or  so  previoush'  died;  Miss  Dix 
reminded  him  of  his  wife's  earnest  request  to 
support  this  bill.  The  appeal  did  not  fall  'un- 
heeded. The  next  day  the  bill  was  reconsid- 
ered. Mr.  Dobbin,  in  the  language  of  the 
Kaleigh  Register,  "  delivered  one  of  the  most 
touching  and  beautiful  efforts  ever  heard  in 


the  legislature."  The  bill  passed  almost  unan- 
imously. 

The  stranger,  wandering  in  our  midst,  as  he 
gazes  in  pride  on  "the  cloud  capt  turrets"  of 
this  splendid  edifice,  erected  at  our  capital,  may 
well  pause  and  breath  a  benediction  and 
thanks  to  the  names  of  Dorathea  Dix,  Ken- 
neth Rayner  and  James  C.  Dobbin. 

Mr.  Dobbin's  next  public  service  was  as  a 
delegate  to  the  convention  at  Baltimore  to 
nominate  candidates  for  president  and  vice- 
president.  He  was  elected  the  chairman  of 
the  North  Carolina  delegation.  After  a  pro- 
tracted and  animated  canvass,  it  was  found 
impossible  co  nominate  Buchanan,  Marcy, 
Cass,  or  Douglas,  or  any  one  acceptable  to  the 
contending  factions.  It  was  apprehendedthat 
the  convention  would  adjourn  in  confusion, 
and  without  any  nomination.  At  this  crisis 
Mr.  Dobbin  arose,  and  in  a  modest,  unobstru- 
sive    manner,    and   with  matchless,  eloquence, 

■  Like  the  sweet  South. 


Breathing  on  ;i  bank  of  violets, 
Stealing  and  giving  odor," 

spoke  as- follows: 

"Mr.  President:  Pardon  me  for  obtruding  one 
word  before  North  Carolina  casts  her  vote. 
We  came  to  pander  to  no  factious  artitices  here, 
to  enlist  undei-  no  man's  banner  at  the  hazard 
of  principle;  to  embark  in  no  crusade  to 
prostrate  any  asjiirant  for  the  sake  of  sec- 
tional or  personal  triumph.  We  came  here 
to  select  one  of  the  army  of  noble  spirits  in 
our  ranks  to  be  our  leader  and  champion  in  the 
glorious  struggle  for  the  great  principles  of 
democracy. 

"Again.,  and  again,  have  we  tendered  the 
banner  to  the  North.  Safe  our  hippy  Union, 
guard  well  the  rights  of  the  states,  sa}'  we, 
and  you  can  have  the  honor  of  the  standard 
bearer.  Zealously  and  sincerely  have  we  pre- 
sented the  name  of  Buchanan,  the  nobe  son 
of  the  Ke}'  Stone  state,  around  wliom  the  af- 
fections of  our  hearts  have  so  long  clustered. 
We  have  turned  to  the  Empire  State,  New 
York,  and  sought  to  honor  one  of  her  distin- 
guished sons.  We  now  feel  that  in  the  midst 
of  discord  and  destruction,  the  olive  Ijranch,  if 
tendered  once  more,  cannot  be  refused.     We 


CUMBERLAND   COUNTY.  151 

feel  the  hour  now  has  corm  when  the  spirit  of  lots  Mr.  Dobbin  received  within  one  or  two 

strife  must  be  banished,  and  the  mild,  gentler  ^f  enouo-h  votes  to  elect   him.     All  of  us  who 

and    holier   spirit  ot  patriotism    reisjn    in  its  "     ,           ..  ,,,,•,   , 

stead!     Come  then,  Mr.  President,  let   us   go  were  members  of  that  legislature  can   remem- 

to  the  altar  and  make  sacrifices  for  our  beloved  ber  the  intense  excitement  of  the  time.    The 

country.     We  now  propose,  with  other  friends,  opposition  was  able,  active,  and  not  over  scru- 

the  name  of  one  who  was  in  thefield  iust  long  ■            t;              it        -.      i     4.     i     ^  i,       •  j     x- 

,    ^               1  •        ].•         II     ^       IT           ^  pulous.     1  hey  could  not   elect;  but  bv  aid  ot 

enough  to  prove  himsclt  a  gallant  soldier,  and  ir                      j                                 >              . 

who  was  long  enough   in  Ihe   councils  of  the  one  or  two   meddling  marplots  of  the  other 

nation  to  demonstrate  that  he  is  a  statesman  side   the^^  could  prevent   the  election  of  the 

of  the  strong  mind  and  honesty  heart;  who  has  democratic  candidate.     Amid  all  this  excite- 

exhibited  in  the  career  of  legislation,  that  he  ,r     t^  ,,-                   ■,    ,          11            1 

knew  the    rights  of  the  South,  while  he  re-  ">eiit  Mr.  Dobbin  appeared  the  only  calm  and 

speeted  those  of  the  North,  as  well  as  of   the  considerate    person    among    us.      After   some 

East  and  the   West;  whose  principles  of  de-  fo,.tj   ballotings.  he  requested  that  a  caucus 

mocracy    are    as    solid    and   enduring    as    the  ,       ,  ,  ,         ,,  ",  '       1      -^i          n-     .    i    ■ 

■..    i^-u      I- I  ■               XT         XT          I-  should  1)6  caled,  and  with  unaitected  sincerity 

granite  hills  01  his  own   JNew   Hampshire  na-  '                                                    ■' 

tive  land— General  Franklin  Fierce.  and  glowing  eloquence  he  requested  his  name 

"  Come,  friends  and   brothers,   let  us  strike  to  be  withdrawn  and  some  other  person  vcted 

hands  now ;  now  for  harmony  and  conciliation,  j.^,^,_     ^^  ^^^  ^^,j^j^  g^^.^,^,^^,  ^1,^             distracted 

and  save  oui-  cherished  principles   and  our  be-  "^       ' 

loved  country."  by  jealousies,  and  a  feart'ul  chasm  of  disorder 

had  been  opened,  engulphing  its  unity,  if  not 
This  speecti   was  cheered  with  the  wildest  its  very   existence,     lie  withdrew  his  name; 
enthusiasm.     Several  states,  as  A^ermont  and  but  it  was  in  vain.     If  he  could  not  be  elected 
New   Jersey,  changed   their   votes   to   Pierce,  no  other  person  should  be,  and  the  state  iiad 
The  delegations  from   New    York,  Pennsylva-  only  one  senator  for  a  long  time, 
ilia,  Indiana  and  other  states,  retired  for  con-  On  the  accession  of  General  Pierce,  witb.oiit 
sultation,  but  soon  returned  and  joined  their  any  effort   of  friends  or  himself,  and    unex- 
voices  in  the  general  pean  of  j.iy.     Dispatches  pected  to  all,  for  he  had  recommended  another, 
and  congratulations  on  the  event  wei'e  I'Ceeived  he  was  tendered  the  position   of  Secretary  of 
from  Douglas,  Houston,  and  others.  Thepresi-  the  Navy.     The  manner  of  his  successful  dis- 
dent   of  the   convention    tlien  announced  the  charge  of  these  important  duties,  his  pure  and 
votC'    (two    hundred    and    eighty-three)    for  unspotted  integrity,  gave  more  strength  to  this 
Franklin  Pierce.  branch  of  the  public  service  than   it   has  e\"er 
It   was   acknowledged    that  the  address  of  receivexl  before  or  since.      His  decided  and 
Mr.  Dobbin  had  done  much  to  secure  this  re-  frank  course,  his  gentle  and  knightly  courtesy, 
suit.     He  was  selected  as  one  of  electors  with  his  frank  and  open  demeanour  won  the  hearts  of 
Burton  Craige,L.OVB.  Branch, Thomas  Bragg,  those  in  the  service,  and  he   left   the  depart- 
and  others,  and  made  a  gallant  camjiaign  for  ment  without  an  enemy  in  or  out  of  the  navy, 
the  ticket  and  cast  the  vote  of  the  state  for  He  possessed  in   a  high  degree  the  faculty 
Pierce  and  King.  of  "  reading  men,"  and  the  talent  of  diseerii- 
At  this  time  (] 8.52,)  the  legislature  had  to  ing.merit.     He  granted  with  pi'omptness  aiu' 
elect    a  senator  in   congress.     The  democratic  reasonable  request,  while  he  could  refuse  with 
party  in  caucus,  with    much  unanimity,  nomi-  delicacy  and  tact,  any   improper  application, 
nated  Mr.   Dobbin.      The  parties   (democrat  Whilst  his  health  was  always  delicate,  yet  he 
and  whig)  v.'cre  nearly  equally    divided.    The  attended  labcu'iously  every  duty  of  this  import- 
selfish  ambition   of  one   or  two  aspii'aiits  pre-  ant   position.     It  i*  a  singular  fact,  already  al- 
vented  an    election;  although  on   several  hal-  luded  to,  that  our  state  has  rarely  been   hnn- 


152  WHEELER'S   REiMINISCENCES. 

ored  by  a  cabinet  appointment,  but  when  it  lias  '•  Should,  however,  the  wcene  be  changed  and 

it  was  the  Navy  Department.  otherwise,  let  your  better-half  and  your  boys 

T-    .      ,        .        ,        ,         ,         ,  •     ,     m-  know  that  Mr.  Dobbin  is  one  that   they   may 

It  13  also  sino-ular  that  the  cabinet  of  Pierce,  approach  and  find   their  steady  friend.     But 

which  has  had  no  superior  in  the  history  of  the  perhaps  we  may  meet  in  years   to   come,   and 

republic  for  integrity,  ability,  or  usefulness,  is  then  what  friendly   chats,  Shakespeare,  poli- 

, ,          ,        ,  ■      ,", ,    ",             "    ■  4.    1     -         11  tics.     Good-live.     God  preserve  and  bless  you, 

the  onlv  caljinet  that  ever  existed,  m   whicb  -                ,} -^            „    -r,          -'„    ' 

'              .  "  James  C.  Dobbin." 
there  was,  during  its  legal  existence,  perfect  in- 
tegrity, with  out  resignation  or  change.    These  But  if  the  life  of  Mr.  Dobbin  was  one  con- 
distinguished  men  seemed  to  be  as  united  in  tinned  exercise  of  the  noblest  functions  of  our 
their  social  and  official  relations,  as  they  were  nature,  and  bis  career  as  short  as  it  was  bril- 
for  the  welfare  and  honor  of  their  countiy.  liant,  it  was  eclipsed  by  the  salilime    manner 

This    terminated,    the   public    life    of   Mr.  of  his  death. 

Dolibin,  a  career  so  brilliant  and  yet  so  short.  His  health,  never  strong,  was  exhausted  by 

In  private  life  his  character  exhibited  it-  his  official  laliors  at  AVashington,  and  he  re- 
self  still  more  lovely.  As  a  son,  he  was  turned  home  only  to  die.  We  are  informed 
obedient  and  docile;  as  a  husband,  tender;  as  a  by  Ecv.  Mr.  Gilchrist,  who  was  with  hira  in 
father,  provident  and  affectionate,  and  as  a  his  last  moments,  that  Mr.  Dobbin  was  con- 
friend  sincere,  frank,  and  unseltish.  scions  for  some  time  of  his  approaching  disso- 

I  trust  it  will  not  be   deemed    ostentatious  Intion,  and  wlien  the  icy  hand  of  death  touched 

when  I  say  of  Mr.  Dobbin,  as  did  Anthony  of  his  heart,  he  did  not  shrink  from  its  approach 

Caesar:  "  He  was  my  friend,  faithful  and  just,  but   calmly  bade   his   little   children   and   his 

to  me  "  earnest  and  sincere.     He  sustained  my  weeping  friends  adieu;  and  with  fixed   h.ands, 

course,  when  absent   from    the  country  under  composing  himself  in  his  bed,  he  was  heard  to 

peculiar  circumstances,  when  assailed  by  pre-  whisper,  "  praise  the  Lord,  oh  my  soul!"  and 

judice  and  sectional  jealousy.     I  allude  to  the  with  these  words  his  spirit  departed, 

course  pursued  by  me  in  Central  America.     To  " Sure  the  lust  end 

the    li^t    hour    of    bi^     Hfe    he    coiitinupd    li;-^  Of  the  a;oO(l  m;iii  is  peace !     How  culm  his  exit; 

uie    la^r    nour    or    ni^,    lire    ne    connnui  a   nib  Night  clews  fali  not  move  gently  to  the  ground 

kindl}'  offices.  Nor  we^ry  worn  o  t  winds  expire  more  soft." 

As  I  was  leaving  the  country,  I  received  the  Mr.  Dobbin   left  three  children;  two  sons, 

followin.g   letter,  which  better   expresses  his  both  since   dead,  and    a   daughter.      The  sad 

friendship  and  generous,  noble  natui-e  than  any  fate  f)f  his  brotliei-,  John  V.  Dobbin,  who  per- 

possible  language  of  mine:  ished  at  sea,  in  the  steam  ship  Central  America, 

"Washington,  October  Znl,lihi.  ''^^^  already  been  alluded  to.      (See  Beaufort 

''  Dear  Wheeler:  County.) 

"The   beautiful  painting  has  arrived,  and  Wa,-ren    Winslow,  l,orn    1810,    died    1862 
shall  conspicuouslv  adorn  my  parlor.  ,           ,..,,.,.     .^ 
'  "  I  prize  it  highly.     It  is  the  picture  of  the  ''''^'  '"'''"'  ''''°'^  ''""'  ^^'°'^  ^^  Fayetteville.     He 
beloved  Washington.     It  is  one  of  '  Sully's  '  was  educate  d  at  the  University  of  Xorth  Car- 
paintings  too.     It  comes  to  me  from  the  warm  olina,  and   graduated   in  1827,  in    s:ime  class 
heart  of  a  true  friend,  and  therel)y  seems  to  -ii    i    i        .    n   v)    v  ,    ,            ,-  n, 
1         1               1       ■  1       .^       1        1  ■  1     1      T     -i  with  .1  u(  ge  A.  <_).  r.  JNicno  son,  ot  Tennessee 
liave  borrowed  a  richer  touch,  which   lends  it  •"                                       V          -imeasoc, 

additional  beauty.  Charles    B.    Shephai'd,    Lewis  Thompson  and 

"  I  shall  remember  you,  when  you  are  far,  others, 

far  away;    and  when  you  return,  and   see  my  jj^  .t^^ij^.^  i^„      ^^.^^^  ^^^^^.^^^      ,,,!;_   jj^. 
little    folks,    tell   them    how    warm   was   the 

friendship  between  yourself  and  their  father,  senator  m  the  state  legislature  the  same  year, 

whose  life  was  so  hopeful  and  yet  so  short.  (1851,)  and  was  chosen  speaker.  In  the  election 


CUMBERLAND  COUNTY, 


153 


of  Governor  Reid   as   senator  in    congress   he  a  lawyer,    but    abandoned    the  profos-ion  and 

became  ex  ojficw  govevnov  of  the  state.     The  joined  the  ministry.     As  a  writer  slie  has  at- 

next  year  he   was   elected   a   member   of  the  tained  great  success.     Many  of  her  proluetions 

Thirty-fourth    Congress,    1855,-'57,    and    was  show  the  fire  of  genius. 

re-elected  to  the  Thirty-fifth,  1857, -'59,   and         The  Presbyterian  board  of  publication  have 

Thirty-sixth    Congress,    185  9,-'61,   when    the  issued  several  of  her  works  as  Sunday-school 


state  seceeded. 


books,  and  her  poems   in   tlie   North  Carolina 


He  (in  1854)  was  sent  on  a  special  mission     rresliyteriau    and  the   Central    Pros' lytorran, 

by    Mr.   Pierce   to    Madrid,    in    reference    to     published  at    Richmond,    Virginia,    have   at- 

the  Black  Warrior  affair.  tained  celebrity,  and  sucli  happy  conceits,  as 

When  the  civil  war  commenced  he  took  an     that  of  "  Linda  Lee  "  address  alike  the  fancy 

active  part.     lie  died  in  Fayetteville  in  1863.     as  the  heart. 

Governor  AVinslow  had  many  genial  and  A  few  of  her  poems  are  preserved  in '•  Wood 
generous  qualities,  and  was  much  loved  b}'  his  Notes,"  a  collection  of  North  Carolina  poety, 
friends.     The  troubles  of  the  country  hurried     made  by  Mrs.   Clarke,  and   published  in  1854, 

but  most  of  them   have  appeared  <<nly  in  tlie 
newspapers. 

Henry  Washington  Hilliard,  mentioned  in 
the  same  woi-k  '•'  The  Living  Writers  of  the 
Sontli,"  is  a  native  of  CnmlierUand  County, 
liorn  1808.      He   has   lieen    distin2;uis]ied    as  a 


him  to  an  early  grave. 

Duncan  Kirkland  MacRae,  l)orn  August 
16th,  1820,  is  a  native  of  Fayetteville,  son  of 
John  MacRae,  Esq.  He  v/as  educated  at  the 
University  of  Virginia,  and  at  William  and 
Mary;  studied   law    with  Judge   Strange,   and 


was  a  successful  and  eloquent  advocate.  Elected  lawyer,  a  diplomist,  a  p  )litician,  and  a  divine, 

to  the  legislature  in  1842.  He  was  educated  at  Cohimbia,  S  mth  Caro- 

He  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate   for  gov-  lina;  studied    law    and     settled    at    Athens, 

ernor  in  1848,  being  defeated  by  Governor  Ellis.  Geoi'gii.     In  1851,  he  was  elected  a  professor 

On  the  accession  of  General  Pierce,  he  was  in  the  LTni versify  of  Georgia;  and  inlS38,wa-< 

appointed    Consul    of   the    United    States    at  a    mendier    of    the   legislature.      Tliree    years 


Paris,  where  he  remained  onlj^  a  few  years. 

On  bis  return  he  removed  to  Memphis,  Ten- 
nessee, then  to  Chicago,  and  recently  returned 
to  his  native  state,  and  is  now  residing  at 
Wilmington. 

He  married  Virginia,  daughter  of  Louis  D. 
Heniy,  and  has  several  children. 

Mrs.  Mary  Ajar  Miller,  is  mentioned  among 
the  "living  female  writers  of  the  south." 
She  was  born  in  Fayetteville,  and  on  the  death 


later  he  was  a[ipointed  churge  (V.:ff<iJres  to 
Belgium.  From  1845  to  1852,  he  was  a  rep- 
resentative in  congress  from  Georgia,  siibse- 
quentl}'  he  became  a  Methodist  preadier. 

He  became  envoy  extraordinary  and  minis- 
ter plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States  to 
Brazil. 

His  literary  pioductions  are — 

I.  Speeches  and  Addresses,  which  contain 
his  speeches  delivered  in  congress  and   some 


of  her  father.  General  Henry  Ayer,  removed  literary  addresses. 

with    her   mother,  when    she   was  only    eight  II.  DeVane,  a  story  of  Plebeians  and  Patri- 

years  old,  to  Lexington,  North  Carolina,  to  be  cians,  (1866,)  which  exhibits  the  highest  evi-. 

educated  by  her  uncle,  the  Rev.  Jesse  Rankin  deuce  of  scholarship,  and  a  high  appreciation 

of  the  Presbyterian   church,  who  had  a  school  of  the  true,  the  beautiful  and  the  good. 

at  that  place.     She  married   a  j'oung  lawyer,  Wesley  Clark  'l^roy   resides  in  Fayetteville, 

Willis  M.  Miller,  who  gave  great  proiiiise  as  but  is  a  native  of  Randolph  County,  where  he 


154  WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 

was  born  on  Jul}'  30,  1833.     His  father  was  a  a  native  North  Carolinian,  and  has  many  warm 

representative  from  Randolph  in   1827.     His  friends.     He  now  resides  in   the  city  of  New 

mother    was  a  daughter    of  Colonel   Andrev,-  York,  and  as  a  book  publisher  has  ijeen  greatly 

Balfour,  whose  atrocious  murder  is  recorded  beneficial  to  southern  literature.* 

under  the  head  of  Randolph  County.  Many  other  names  worthy  of  record  are  pre- 

Mr.    Troy  was  a  member   of  the  house  in  sented   in    the    history    of    Cumberland,    as 

1876.  Bethum,in  congress  1831,-'33;  Cameron,  judge 

Edward  J.  Hale,  who  for  a  long  time  con-  iu  Fhn-ida,  Davis,  Dutfy,  Eccles,  Jordan,  Mil- 
ducted  the  Fayetteville  Observer  with  inde-  ler,  Porterfield,  S.  D.  Furviance,  and  many 
fatigable  industry  and  unsurpassed  ability,  is  others;  but  to  those  who  have  accurate  infor- 
a  native  of  Moore  County,  born  in  1802.  His  mation  as  to  their  lives  and  services  we  must 
press  was  the  leading  one  of  the  state,  and  con-  leave  this  pleasing  task,  and  especially  as  more 
ducted  at  times  with  much  violence,  which  space  has  been  devoted  to  this  interesting- 
doubtless  age  and  time  have  corrected.     He  is  county  that  the  limits  of  our  work  justify. 


'  o^ 


CHAPTER    XVI. 
CURRITUCK  COUNTY. 

Dk..  Henry  Marchand  Shaw,  born  Novem-  several  shai'p  and  heavy  engagements  at  Roan- 

ber  20th,    1819,    died    February    Ist,    1804,  oke  Island,  New  Berne,  and  other  places,  in 

resided  in  this  county,   which  he  represented  which  he  bore  himself  with  coolness,  gallantry 

in  the  senate  of  the  state  legislature  in  1852;  and  enterprise. 

and  the  Edenton  district  in  the  Thirty-third         On  February  1,  1804,  he  became  engaged  in 

Congress,  1853,-'55,  and  Thirty-fifth  Congress,  a   skirmish    with   some   advanced    troops  at 

1857,-'59  Batchelor's  Creek,  near  New  Berue,  was  mor- 

He  was  one  of  the  electors  in  1857  on  the  tally  wounded,  and  died  immediately  on  the 

Buchanan  ticket.  field.      His  fall    was  deeply  lamented  by  his 

He   was    born    in   Newport,  Rhode    Island;  comrades  and  his  country.     He  died  the  death 

.the  son  of  Rev.  William  A.  Shaw,  a  minister  he  had  often  expressed  a  wish  for — the  death 

of   the   Baptist  church.      He  graduated  as  a  of  a  soldier  in  defence  of  his  country's  rights, 

phy.sicinn  in  Philadelphia,  in  1830,  and  came  and  his  country's  honor. 

with  his  father  to  North  Carolina,  and  settled         "  Tre,  vero  felix  Agricola;  non  vitaj  tantum 

in  this  county.  claritate,  sed  etiam  opportunitate  mortis. "t 

When  our  civil  war  commenced,  he  cast  his         Emerson  Etheridge,  was  born  September  28, 

fortunes    with    the    destiny    of    his   adopted  1819,  in  this  county,  and,  when  thirteen  years 

state,  and  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  ei^'lith  

.      J,  -KT     ,-,    r^       T  "  *.\foore  II.,  411. 

:regiment  of  JNorth  (yarolina  troops,    and   did        t  "  Thou  truly  art  hiippy.  Agricola,  not  so  much 

■ir-t^'P    HPi-vipp    in    tliic:    1-,f^i;^-;,^,>       TT„„.        •  from  tlie  brilliiincv  of  your  life,  but  in  the  ch-cum- 

act.%e    seiMce    m    tins    potitiom     He  was    m  stances  of  your  death.'' 


DAVIDSON  AND  DUPLIX  COUNTIES. 


loo 


old,  moved  to  Tennessee,  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  congress  from  Tennessee  in  tbe  Thirty- 
third  (1853,-'55)  Thirty-fourth,  (1855,  1857,) 
also,  Thirty-sixth  Congress,  (1859,-'60.)  On 
the  meeting  of  the  Thirty-seventh  Congress 
(1861, -'63)  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  house, 
the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  fidelity 
and  ability.  He  is  a  lawyer  by  profession,  of 
large  observation  of  men  and  measures,  and 
possesses  rare  conversational  powers  equalled 


by  few  persons  in  this  or  any  other  country-. 
-Man}'  other  names  cluster  around  this  an- 
cient county,  the  memories  of  whom  deserve 
to  be  cherished.  The  Baxters,  Bells,  Doziers, 
the  Etheridges,  (Willis,  Caleb  and  Joseph 
W.)  Ferrebees,  Halls,  Jones,  Lindsays,  Salyear 
Simmons,  and  others;  but  our  limits  do  not 
allow  the  space,  and  we  leave  this  dnt}'  to 
some  son  of  Currituck  to  rescue  these  materials 
from  the  carroding  tooth  of  time. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
DAVIDSON  COUNTY. 


The  revolutionary  history  of  this  county  is 
connected  with  that  of  Rowan  County,  from 
which  it  was  taken  in  1822. 

James  Madison  Leach  resides  in  this  county. 
He  is  a  native  of  Randolph  County,  born  1821, 
educated  chiefly  at  home.  He  was  for  a  time 
a  cadet  of  the  military  academy  at  West  Point. 
He  read  law  with  his  brother.  Julian  E.  Leach, 
and  attained  nmch  distinction  at  the  bar  as  an 
able,  astute,  and  successful  advocate.  But  his 
fame  is  cljiefly  based  upon  his  success  as  a 
statesman.  In  1848,  he  was  elected  to  the 
legislature,  and  continuously  to  1856,  and 
in  1856  he  was  one  of  the  Filmore  electors. 
He  was  elected  to  the  senate  in  1865,-'66,-'67, 
and  again  in  1879.  He  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Thirty-fourth  Congress,  1859,-'61,  his 
opponent  being  General  A.  M.  Scales. 


In  the  war  he  entered  the  confederate  arm}", 
and  served  as  colonel  of  the  eleventh  regiment 
of  North  Carolina  troops.  But  on  being  elec- 
ted a  member  of  the  confederate  congress,  1864, 
-'65,  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the  arm}-. 

Since  the  war  he  has  served  as  a  meinlier  of 
the  Forty-second  and  Forty-third  Congresses, 
1871,-'75. 

The  political  career  of  General  Leach  has 
been  brilliant  and  successful.  In  no  instance 
has  he  ever  been  defeated  in  an  election  be 
fore  tlio  peoi)le.  His  shrewdness  as  a  piJitician, 
his  powers  as  an  oi-ator  and  logician,  combined 
with  a  pleasing  address,  render  him  invincible. 

lie  married  in  1846,  Lizzie  Montgomery 
Lewis,  and  has  an  interesting  family  of  three 
sons,  Wilmont,  Henry  Archer  and  Ja.mes  M. 
t(j  inherit  his  name  and  reputation. 


DUPLIN  COUNTY. 

The  men  of  this  ancient   county  in  revolu-  ration   in  1777,  the  original  is  on  file  in   the 

tiouary   times,  proved   their  devotion   to  the  clerk's  office  ofthe  county,  they  held  that,  "The 

cause    of   liberty.     They   united   in  wresting  King  of  England,  nor  any  other  foreign  power, 

their  inde[!endence  from  England,  in  a  decla-  had  an}-  right  to  the  sovereignty  of  this  state; 


156  WHEELEE'S    REinNISCENCES. 

and  the}-  renounced  all  allegiance  to  the  same,  A  monnment  marks  liis   grave  in    the  con- 

and  I'esoh'ed  to  sup[iort  smd    maintain  the  in-  gressional  burying  ground, 

dependence     of    the    state    against    the    said  Owen  Rand  Keenau,  son  of  Thomas,  was 

King."  born  March  24,  1806.     Studied  medicine,  and 

This  is  signed  by  Henry  Cannon,  William  afterwards  law.  Member  of  the  legislature 
Dickson,  Alexander  Gray,  Samuel  Houston,  1834,-'35,-'36,  and  of  the  confederate  con- 
James  Lockhart,  Michael  Kennon,  James  Ken-  grass,  1862. 

non,    James     Sampson,     Edward    Toole,    and  Charles  Hooks,  a  native  of  this  count}',  often 

others.  represented  it  in   the  legislature.     Ii:  1817,  he 

James  Gillaspie  was  a  native  of  this  count}',  succeeded  AVilliam  Ii.  King  in   congress,  and 

We  kiio^'\'   but  little   of  him,  except  from  tlie  was  re-elected  to  congress  in    1821, -'23.      He 
public   records,  which   inform    us   that  he  was  ,.  also  moved  to  Alabama. 

often  a  meml>er  of  the  legislature,  and  a  member  Thomas  Ke^nan.also  a  native  of  thiscouuty, 

from  this  distrit't  in  the Thiid  Congress,  (1793,  and  fronr  whose  family    the    county  town  de- 

'95;)  Fourth  Congress,  (1795,-'97;)  Fifth  ('on-  rives  its  name,  was,  in  1804,  in  the  senate  of 

gress,  (1798,-'99;)  Eighth  Congress,  and  until  the  legislature,  and  from  1805  to  1811,  repre- 

his  death,  which  occured  while  he  was  in  con-  sented  this  district  in  congress.     He  removed 

gress,  January,  1805,  at  Washington  city.  to  Alabama,  where  he  died  near  Selma,  in  1822. 


DAVIE  COUNTY. 

Chakles  Price,  late  speaker  of   the  house  John  E.  Plnssey,  represented  Dulphin  in  1815,- 

(1876,)  resides    at   Mocksville.     He  was  born  "16,V17,-'18,  in   the   house,  and  from  1833  to 

in   A¥arren   County,  July  26,1847.      He  read  1S3(^,  in  tlie  senate. 

law  with  Judge  Pearson;  and  after  obtaining  John  B.  Hussey  received  :ill  the  educational 
a  license  settled  at  Mocks^■ille,  where  he  soon  advantages  of  the  day.  He  was  educated  at 
by  liis  attainments,  his  pleasant  address,  and  the  Kenansville  academy,  the  Cablwell  iusti- 
high  moral  character,  won '•  troops  of  friends."  tute,  and  the  university.  The  war  prevented 
Such  was  the  appreciation  of  the  people  that  his  graduating,  and  at  the  early  age  of  fii'teen 
in  1872,  they  elected  him  to  the  senate.  He  he  entered  the  army  in  the  thirty-eighth 
was  also  a  member  of  the  constitutional  con-  Korth  Carolina  regiment,  and  was  in  several 
vention  of  1875,  and  a  member  of  the  house  in  engagements  around  Richmond.  In  1803,  he 
1876,  of  which  body,  over  memliers  of  more  was  assigned  to  the  signal  service  at  Smith- 
years,  he  av  as  chosen  speaker;  a  just  compli-  ville,  and  was  the  signal  officer  of  "The  Helen," 
ment  to  his  genius,  talents  and  ability.  a  Liverpool  blockade  runner,  in  which  capacity 

We  would   do  injustice  to  modest  and  sub-  he  made  many  successful  trips  to  Nassau,  Ber- 

stantial   merit,  and  solid   ability,  were  we  to  mudas  and  Halifax.     After  this  service  he  was 

omit  in  our  sketches  the  name  and  services  of  assigned  to    duty  on  the  Cape  Fear,  and  was 

John  Bryan  Hussey.  wouiided  at  the  fearhil  b.ittle  of  Fort  Fisher, 

He  is  a  native  of  Duipin   County,  born  Jan-  taken  prisoner  and  confined  at  Fortress  Mon- 

uaiy  1,  1846.     His   family   is  well    known  for  roe  and  Fort  Delaware.     The  war  being  over, 

their  abilit}  and  integrity.     A   near    relative,  he  was  released.     He  studied  law  with  Wil- 


EDGECOMBE    COUNTY.  157 

liani  A.  Allen,  and  was  licensed  in  1868.     He  ville,and  subsequently  conducted  the  News  at 

removed  to  Newton,  and  thence   to  Hickory,  Raleigh.     He  was  appointed  librarian  to  the 

where    he    established    the    Piedmont    Press,  house  of  representatives  in  1879,  which  position 

In  1874,  he  started  the  Landmark  at   States-  he  now  occupies  with  great  satisfaction  to  all. 


EDGECOMBE  COUNTY. 

ALTHOtJGH  this  county,  from  its  inland  .posi-  Colonel  William  Polk,  received  a  severe  and 

tion,  was  not  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  attack  dangerous    wound.      With   a    patriotism    de- 

in  the  revolution,  yet  no  section  of  the  state  serving   all    praise,  a  marble    monument    has 

was  more  sensitive  of  its  duty,  or  sent  more  been  erected    over   their   graves  by   the   lib- 

wilhng  and  patriotic  sons  to  do   battle  in  the  erality  of  J.  F.  Watson,  of  Philadelphia, 

cause  of  the  country.  A  sister  of  Colonel  Irwin  married  Lawrence 

Among  these,  conspicuously  stands  the  name  Toole,  whose  son,  grandson,  and  great  grand 

of  Henry  Irwin,  killed  in  battle  1777.    He  had  son,  bear  the  same  name — Henry  Irwin  Toole,' 

for  a  long  time  been  a  resident  and  merchant  all    distinguished   for    ability    and   influence, 

of  Tarboro,  much  esteemed   for  his  integrity,  The  first  took  a  commission  in  the  war,  and 

patriotism,   and    courage,   and    very   popular,  was  in  the  battle  of  the  Great  Bridge,  Vir- 

He  was  a  member  of  the  provincial  congress,  ginia. 

at  New  Berne,  in  1775,  also  of  the  congress  at  It  would  be  unpiardonable  on  this  oc- 
Halifax,  in  1776,  and  by  that  body  appointed  casion  says  an  able  article  on  the  County 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  second  regiment,  of  Edgecombe  in  1810,  by  Dr.  Jeremiah  Bat- 
of  which  Edward  Buncombe  was  colonel,  tie,  (see  University  Magazine,  April,  1861,) 
This  gallant  regiment  marched  to  join  the  not  to  mention  tlie  merits  and  services  of 
army  of  t!ie  north,  and  on  the  fatal  field  of  Colonel  Jonas  Johnston,  born  1740,  died  July 
Germantown,  (October  4th,  1777,)  both  he  29th  1779,  who  rose  from  obscurity  and 
and  his  comniander  fell.  .  acted  a  conspicuous  part  in  our  revolution- 
Colonel  Irwin  left  one  son  and  two  daugh-  ary  struggles.  He  was  born  in  the  year 
ters.  One  of  his  daughters  married  Lovatt  1740,  in  Southampton  County,  Virginia, 
Burgess,  whose  only  son,  Thomas  Burgess,  dis-  and  came  when  a  youth  with  his  fatlier  to 
tinguished  as  a  lawyer,  died  in  Halifax  a  few  this  county.  He  was  raised  a  plain  indus- 
years  since..  Another  daughter  married  Gov-  trious  farmer,  without  education.  But  he 
ernor  Monford  Stokes,  whose  oidy  child  by  possessed  native  talent,  and  unflinching 
this  marriage  was  Mrs.  William  B.  Lewis,  of  patriotism.  At  an  early  day  he  embarked  in 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  v,-hose  only  daughter  the  cause  of  liberty,  and  ever  proved  himself  a 
married  Monsieur  Pageot,  the  French  Min-  true  patriot,  hero  and  statesman.  From  time 
ister.  to  time,  ho  flUed  every  office  in  the  county 
The  battle  of  Germantown  brought  sadness  both  civil  and  military.  He  represented  the 
and  sorrow  to  many  a  hearthstone  of  North  county  in  the  convention,  1776,  and  was  ap- 
Carolina,for  in  it  the  patriotic  generals,  Nash,  pointed  major  by  the  provincial  congress.  He 
Turner,  Lucas,  and  man}'  others,  gave  up  their  was  a  member  of  the  commons  in  1777,-'78. 
lives  for  their  country,  and  here  the  veteran,  He  was  a  natural  orator.     After  one  of  his 


158 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


speeches  in  the  general  assembly,  more  remark- 
able for  sound  sense,  than  for  grammatical 
stj'le,  he  was  asked  by  a  professional  gentle- 
man "  where  lie  got  his  education."  He  refilled, 
"  at  the  plough  handles."  He  was  modest,  yet 
determined,  prompt,  yet  cautions.  From  the 
date  of  his  commission  to  his  death  he  was 
constantly  employed.  He  was  at  the  battle  of 
Moore's  Creek  Bridge,  and  in  1779  in  com- 
mand of  a  regimeut,  he  went  to  the  assistance 
of  South  Carolina.  He  was  in  the  battle  of 
Stono,  where  he  bore  himself  with  the  intrep- 
editj'  of  a  vetei'an,  receiving  a  wound.  His 
care  and  tenderness  of  the  soldiers  under  liis 
command  are  remembered  to  this  day  with 
affection  and  gratitude  by  those  who  served 
under  him. 

From  the  privations  of  war,  and  the  de- 
bilitating effects  of  a  southern  climate,  his 
health  gave  way,  and  he  died,  on  his  return 
home,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Amis,  on  Drowning 
Creek,  near  the  South  Cai'olina  line,  on  July 
29, 1779. 

He  left  several  children,  one  of  whom  was 
the  maternal  grand-mother  of  the  late  Richard 
Hines,  member  from  this  district  to  the  Nine- 
teenth Congress,  (1825,-'27.) 

The  Haywood  familj^,  one  of  the  most  num- 
erous, also  one  of  the  most  distinguished  in 
the  state,  had  its  first  origin  in  North  Caro- 
lina, in  this  county. 

For  the  genealogy  of  the  Haywood  family 
see  appendix. 

This  genealogical  table  was  the  work  of 
much  research,  and  is  for  the  first  time  printed. 
It  was  compiled  chiefly  by  the  late  Governor 
Henry  T.  Clarke,  one  of  this  numerous  family, 
and  may  be  useful  in  tracing  lines  of  relation- 
ship that  would  otherwise  be  obliterated  by 
time.  Of  the  progenitor,  John  Haywood,  lit- 
tle information  of  his  life  and  services  are 
preserved. 

Of  his  son,  William  Haywood,  died  1779, 
we  have  more  information.     He  was  a  mem- 


ber of  the  committee  of  safety  for  the  Hali- 
fax district,  1775;  a  member  of  the  provincial 
congress  at  Halifax,  in  April,  1776,  also  of 
the  same  bod^^  at  the  same  place  in  November 
following,  and  was  one  of  the  cotumittee  to 
form  the  state  constitution,  and  by  that  body 
appointed  one  of  the  council  of  the  state. "  He 
was  the  father  of  ten  childi'en,  most  of  whom 
reai'ed  families  to  usefulness  and  distinction. 
These,  will  be  severally  noticed  in  the  coun- 
ties in  which  they  resided. 

There  are  few  families  in  the  state  with 
whom  are  connected  names  better  known. 

Among  them  are  two  United  States  Sena- 
tors, William  Haywood  aiul  George  E.  Bad- 
ger; three  Governors,  Dudlej',  Clarke,  and 
Manly;  two  Judges,  Badger  and  John  Hay- 
wood, the  historian  of  Tennessee;  four  mem- 
bers of  congress,  William  S.  Ashe,  E.  B.  Dud- 
lej^  Sion  H.  Rogers,  and  Thomas  RufHii;  army 
officers,  General  Junius  Daniel,  Colonel  Wil- 
liam H.  Bell ;  navy  officers,  Admiral  II.  II. 
Bell;  lawyers,  Badger,  Burgess,  Hogg,  McRae, 
Edward  G.  Haywood,  and  others. 

Thomas  Blount  v>'ho  resided  in  this  county, 
and  represented  this  district  in  congress,  and 
died  while  in  congress,  February  7th,  1812, 
has  already  been  noticed. 

I  Henry  Toole  Clark,  born  1808,  died  April 
14th,  1874,  son  of  Honorable  James  W. 
Clark,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm,  "  Wal- 
nut Creek,"  about  nine  miles  above  Tarboro, 
on  the  banks  of  Tar  River. 

His  eai'l^'  education  was  conducted  at  a 
schoid  in  Tarboro,  ke|it  by  George  Phillips,  and 
the  Louisburg  academy,  and  when  only  four- 
teen years  old  .heA\'as  sent  to  the  university  at 
Chapel  Hill.  Among  his  class  mates  were  Hon- 
orable Daniel  M.  Barringor,  Rev.  Samuel  Ire- 
dell Johnstone,  and  others.  At  this  time  this 
venerable  institution  contained  a  body  of  young 
men  unsurpassed  at  any  period  of  Its  liistoiy. 
Graham  and  Manly  (both  afterwards  govern- 
or) Polk,  and  others,  were  on  its  rolls. 


EDGECOMBE    COUNTY. 


159 


After  graduating  in  182fi,  he  read  law  in 
Ealeigh  under  the  guidance  of  his  kind^man 
William  11.  Haywood,  jr.,  who  was  his  nestor 
in  politics,  as  well  as  in  law.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  hut  never  praetieed,  nor  did  he 
take  much  interest  in  polii.ics  until  1850,  when 
he  was  elected  senator  in  the  legislature  from 
Edgecombe,  and  continued  to  occap\'  this 
position  without  intei'missiou  until  1861.  In 
1858,  ho  was  chosen  speaker  which  he  occupied 
until  early  in  the  summer  of  1861,  when  he 
summoned  to  Raleigh,  upon  the  illness  of  Gov- 
ernor Ellis,  and  on  his  death  he  became  gover- 
nor of  the  state.  This  was  a  perilous  period  of 
our  history  and  demanded  tlie  exercise  of  pru- 
dence and  sagacity;  Governor  Clark  discharged 
his  duties  to  tlie  best  of  his  aliility. 

At  the  close  of  his  administration  he  retired 
to  his  home,  near  Tarbor,  where  he  was  near 
being  captured  by  a  raid  of  Federal  cavalry. 
He  escaped,  but  his  house  was  plundered,  the 
jewelry  and  watches  taken  from  the  ladies 
of  his  family,  and  all  the  stores  for  their  sup- 
port carried  off  or  destroyed. 

After  the  war  closed,  Governor  Clark  was 
again  elected  to  the  senate  (1866)  under 
Johnson's  reconstruction  acts.  This  was  his 
last  pulilic  servic.--. 

He  had  been  for  years  the  presiding  justice 
of  the  peace  for  the  county. 

During  tlie  whole  course  of  his  life  he  was 
a  laborious  and  devoted  student  of  the  history 
of  his  state.  As  a  local  chronicler  of  the 
present,  or  a  patient  anticpiorian  of  the  past, 
he  was  unijuestionab'e  authority,  recognized 
as  sucli  \>y  all.  It  was  for  many  years  the 
earnest  wish  of  his  heart  to  have  printed  the 
early  journals  of  the  assembly  and  such  docu- 
ments in  theoflice  of  the  secretary  of  the  state, 
as  illustrated  the  early  history  of  our  state,  but 
in  vain.  A  distinguished  statesman  of  South 
Carolina,  Waddy  Thompson,  was  wont  to  say: 
"  iSiorth  Carolina  has  a  proud  and  glorious 
revolutionary  history,  far   superior  to   any  of 


her  sister  states,  but  has  had  none  since."  It  is 
because  we  have  had  so  few  like  Governor 
Clark,  who  wish  to  preserve  these  precious 
memorials,  and 

"  Bequeath  them 
As  a  rich  legacy  unto  their  issue  '' 

There  were  few  men  in  Xorth  Carolina  bet- 
ter posted  as  to  her  men,  families  and  sections. 
Only  a  year  or  two  before  his  death,  he  pro- 
posed to  me  to  unite  in  a  periodical,  devoted 
to  history  and  genealogj'.  He  left  on  bistable 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  a  letter  on  this  sub- 
ject to  the  Ilonoraljle  Kemp  P.  Battle. 

We  do  not  claim  for  Governor  Clark  the 
renown  of  the  accomplished  statesman,  or  the 
thrilling  eloquence  of  the  orator,  but  he  was 
an  honesi  man,  and  always  ecpial  to  anj-  duty 
assigned  to  hitu  by  bis  country;  never  above 
or  below,  but  just  erpial  to  the  duties  of  his 
station. 

Simple  and  unaffected  and  unassuming  in 
liis  numners,  modest  in  his  demeanor,  a  gen- 
tleman by  birth  and  education,  as  well  as  b}' 
di-sposition  and  nature;  warm  in  his  attach- 
ments and  sincere  in  his  friendships,  he  lived 
honored,  respected,  and  trusted  in  life,  and 
enjoying  the  esteem,  respect,  and  regard  of 
every  one  who  knew  him. 

He  departed  this  life  on  April  14th,  1874. 
On  the  day  of  his  burial  all  liusiness  was  sus- 
pended, and  the  town  and  surrounding  coun- 
try united  in  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to  his 
character. 

He  was  married  m  February,  1850,  to  Mi's. 
Mary  W.  Hargrave,  daughter  of  Theophilus 
Parker,  who,  with  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters survive  him.  Truly  to  him  may  be  ap- 
plied the  exquisite  lines  of  Br^-ant: 

■'  He  so  lived,  that  wheu  the  summous  c  luie  to  joia 
The  iiinunierable  caravan,  that  moves 
To  that  mysterious  realm,  where  each  shall  take 
His  chamber  in  the  halls  of  death. 

Sustained  and  soothed 

By  an  unfaltering  trust,  he  approaclied  the  grave, 
Like  one  that  draws  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 


160 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


The  Battle  family,  one  of  the  most  numerous 
and  distinguished  families  of  the  state,  had 
its  origin  in  this  count}'.  Elisha  Battle,  the 
progenitor  of  the  famil}',  was  born  in  Nanse- 
moud  Countj',  Virginia,  January  9,  1723.  He 
moved  to  Tar  River,  in  this  county,  in  1748. 
About  1764  he  joined  the  Baptists,  was  chosen 
deacon,  and  continued  a  consistent  and  zeal- 
ous member  of  this  denomination  until  his 
death.  Equally  useful  was  he  in  the  affairs  of 
state;  he  was  elected  for  twenty  years  suc- 
cessively to  represent  this  county  in  the  leg- 
islature; he  was  also  a  member  of  the  provin- 
cial congress  at  Halifax,  which  formed  the 
state  constitution,  and  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention at  Hillsboro,  to  deliberate  upon  the 
ratification  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States.  In  1742,  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Sumner;  in  1799  (March  6th,)  he  died,  leav- 
ing eight  children. 

William  Horn  Battle,  late  one  of  the  judges 
of  the  supreme  and  superior  courts  of  North 
Carolina,  was  a  native  of  this  county,  born 
October  17,  1802.  He  was  the  son  of  Joel 
Battle,  and  grandson  of  William,  the  fifth 
child  of  Elisha  Battle,  just  mentioned.  liis 
education  was  received  at  the  university^ 
where  he  graduated  in  1820,  delivering  the 
valedictory,  then  the  prize  of  the  scholar  sec- 
ond in  rank.  This  was  no  small  distinction 
among  such  scholars  as  Bartholomew  F.  Moore, 
Bishop  Otey,  Charles  G.  Spaight,  and  others 
of  that  class.  He  read  law  with  Judge  Hen- 
derson, and  was  licensed  to  practice  in  1824. 
From  his  modest  and  retiring  demeanor,  his 
success  was  but  slow,  and  gave  but  little  pro- 
mise of  future  eminence,  and  for  years  but 
few  bi'iefs  engaged  his  services.  But  he  per- 
severed, and  finally  attained  the  highest  hon- 
ors of  his  profession.  This  example  should 
certainly  afford  encouragement  to  young  and 
briefless  lawyers.  His  time  was  occupied  in 
constant  study,  and  in  laying  deep  and  broad 
his  knowledge  of  the  law.     He  prepared  a  sec- 


ond edition  of  the  first  volume  of  Haywood's 
Reports,  greatly  enhanced  in  value  by  the  ad- 
dition of  notes  showing  the  chatiges  made  in 
the  course  of  forty  years'  legislation,  and  new 
decisions  construing  the  law.  This  edition 
was  received  bj'  the  profession  with  great 
commendation,  and  gave  Mr.  Battle  such  a 
reputation  that  he  was  appointed  b}'  the  gov- 
ernor, with  other  able  jurists,  to  revise  the 
statutes  of  the  state.  After  the  labor  of  three 
years,  these  "Revised  Statutes"  were  submitted 
to  the  legislature  for  ratification,  and  adopted. 

Mr.  Battle  had  been  associated  with  Mr. 
Devereux  as  reporter  of  the  decisions  of  the 
supreme  court.  On  the  resignation  of  his 
associate  in  1839,  Mr.  Battle  became  the  sole 
reporter.  Tiie  fidelity-  and  accuracy  with 
which  he  discharged  the  duties  of  this  post, 
won  for  him  the  approbation  and  applause  of 
the  profession  on  the  bencli  and  at  the  bar, 
and,  therefore,  upon  the  resignation  of  Judge 
Toonier,  lie  was  appointed  by  Governor  Dud- 
ley, in  August,  1840,  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
superior  court,  which  appointment  was  con- 
firined  at  its  next  session  by  the  legisla- 
ture. 

In  1843  he  removed  to  Chaiiel  Hill,  and  in 
1845  was  elected,  by  the  trustess  of  the  uni- 
versit}',  Professor  of  Law,  confej'ring  upon  him, 
at  the  same  time,  the  degree  of  LL.I).  On 
the  death  of  Judge  Daniel,  he  was  appointed 
(May,  1848.)  by  Governor  Graliam.  one  of  the 
justices  of  tiie  supreme  court  of  the  state, 
but  this  appointmenc  was  not  coiiiirmed  by 
tlie  legislature,  although,  by  the  same  body, 
upon  the  resignation  of  Honorable  Augustus 
Moore,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  superior 
court,  he  was  elected  to  fill  that  vacancy.  \He 
held  this  position  for  some  time.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1852,  he  was  elected  by  the  legislature 
one  of  the  justices  of  the  supreme  court.  The 
circumstances,  so  gratifying  and  honorable, 
connected  with  this  appointment  are  best  ex- 
plained by  the  following  correspondence: 


EDGECOMBE   COUNTY. 


161 


"City  of  Ealeigh, 

"House  of  Commons, 
"December  8rd,  1852. 

"Sir:  The  general  assembly  of  the  State  of 
North  Carolina,  now  in  session,  on  yesterday, 
with  an  unanimity  seldom  equalled  in  the 
councils  of  the  state,  have  elected  you  to  the 
elevated  position  of  jndge  of  the  supreme 
court. 

"This  will  be  doubtless  unexpected  to  you, 
but  we  trust  that  it  will  be  gratifying.  It 
was  done  without  any  caucus  or  convention 
arrangement;  but  both  of  the  great  parties, 
now  so  equall}  balanced  in  the  legislature, 
have  with  patriotic  unanimitj'  thrown  aside 
the  shackles  of  party,  and  offer  to  your  hands 
the  highest  office  in  their  gift. 

"In  the  language  of  one  of  your  distinguished 
compeers,  we  can  say:  'To  give  a  wholesome 
exposition  of  the  law,  to  settle  the  Hiictna- 
ting  and  reconcile  the  seeming  conflicting 
analogies  of  judicial  decisions,  to  administer 
justice  in  the  last  resort  with  a  steady  hand 
and  upright  purpose,'  are  amriiig  the  highest 
civil  functions  that  in  our  republic  a  citizen 
can  be  called  upon  to  discharge.  This  post  we 
now  tender  to  you.  In  this  case'  the  office  bus 
sought  the  man,  and  not  the  man  the  office.' 
We  sincerely  hope  that  you  will  accept  it. 

"With  assurance  of  our  personal  regards  f(ir 
your  health  and  happiness,  we  are  faithfully 
your  friends, 

"Jno.  H.  Wheeler,         J.  G.  MacDug.\ld, 
"Jno.  Baxter,  W.  K.  Martin, 

"A.  M.  Scales,  H.  Sherrill. 

"J.  A.  Waugh,  R.  a.  Kussell, 

"C.  H.  Wiley,  K.  G.  A.  Love, 

"JosiAH  Turner,  jr.,        B.  L.  Duruaji, 
"W.  J.  Long. 

"To  Hon.   Wm.  H.  Battle, 

"Raleigh,  N.  C." 

"Chapel  Hill, 

"December  10,  1852. 
"Gentlemen:  Your  note,  directed  to  me  at 
this  place,  informing  me  that  the  general  as- 
sembly had  elected  me  to  the  office  of  judge 
of  the  supreme  court,  and  asking  my  accept- 
ance of  it,  did  not  find  me  here,  for  the 
reason  that  I  had  not  then  returned  from  my 
circuit.  You  are  aware  that  upon  my  arrival 
in  Ealeigh,  on  my  way  home,  I  addressed  a 
communication  to  the  honorable  body,  of 
which  you  are  members,  in  which  I  signified 
my  acceptance  of  the  post  which  their  partial- 
ity had    assigned    me.     This  would  seem   to 


render  unneoessaiy  any  reply  to  your  note,  Imt 
the  kind  and  friendly  spirit  which  dictated  it, 
and  the  highly  complimentary  term^  in  which' 
it  is  couched,  forbid  my  leaving  it  unuoticetl. 

"I  do  not  pretend  to  be  exempt  from  the 
amlDition  of  standing  fair  in  the  estinntion  of 
my  fellow-citizens,  nor  can  I  receive  with  in- 
difference any  manifestation  of  their  favor.  I 
accept  with  a  grateful  heart  the  high  and  re- 
sponsible office  which  the}-,  b}'  their  represen- 
tatives, liave  conferred  upon  me  I  aeoopt  it 
with  a  deeper  feeling  of  gratitude  because  it 
was  bestowed  spontaneously  and  without  dis- 
tinction of  party.  I  know  full  well  that  its 
duties  are  of  the  gravest  and  most  import-ant 
character,  and  that  the  successful  pertormauce 
of  them  demands  the  highest  attributes  of 
the  head  and  heart;  attriljute-!  which  distin- 
guished and  illustrated  the  official  life  of  him 
whose  vacant  place  I  am  now  called  uiion  to 
occupy.  I  sometimes  fear  that  I  may  luit  be 
equal  to  the  task  which  I  have  couseuted  to 
assume.  I  might  shrink  from  tlie  attempt 
were  I  not  cheered  on  b}'  the  refi',.H?tion  that 
my  labors  for  twelve  years  in  a  se:ircely  L^s^ 
responsible  position  have  been  ai)proved  by 
tlio  present  action  of  your  honora'>lo  body. 
With  this  animating  reflection,  an<l  trusting  in 
the  beneficence  of  that  Providence  which  has 
hitherto  upheld  and  supported  uio,  I  enter 
upon  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  m\-  pres- 
ent office,  determined  to  spend  m3'self  in  the 
service  of  my  native  state,  whit. h  has  so 
highly  honored  me. 

'•[''orthe  kind  and  flatteringnianner  in  which 
you  have  thought  proper  to  address  me,  please 
accept  the  assurances  of  my  most  grateful  ac- 
nowledgments. 

"I  am,  with  sincere  regard,  verj' truly  yours, 
"William  H.  Battle. 

"To  Messrs. 
"John  II.  Wheeler,        J.  G.  MacDug.ald-,. 
"John  Baxter,  Wm.  K.  >Lvrtin, 

"Alfred  M.  Scales,        H.  Sherrill, 
"J.  A.  Waugh,  R.  A.  Russell, 

"Calvin  11.  Wiley,  R.  G.  A.  Love, 

"Josiah  Turner,  jr.,        B.  L.  Durham, 
"W.  J.  Long. 

"Raleigh,  N.  C." 

He  held  this  high  position  until  the  civil 
war  closed  the  courts,  and  in  1868  he  returned 
to  Raleigh.  The  space  allowed  for  this  sketch 
does  not  permit  au}^  extended  comments  upon 
the  judicial  decisions  of  Judge  Battle.     He 


162  WHEEL EE'S    KEMINISCENCES. 

won,  by  long  years  of   diligence  and   labor,  a  the  professors  in  the   United   States  Observa- 

reputation    of  the  highest    order   for   modest  tory    at    Washington     cit^',)    Colonel    W.    L. 

merit,  extensive   learning,    associated  with  a  Saunders,  Colonel  Juni  us  B.  "Wheeler,  (Profes- 

fii-m  and  steady  administration  of  justice.  sor  of  Engineering  at  West  Point.)  Alexander 

His  moi-al  character  was  spotless;  he  was  a  Mclver,  Hon.  A.  M.  Waddell,  Joseph  A.  En- 
consistent  mendier  of  the  Episcopal  cliurch.  glehard,  William  and  Robert  Bingham,  and 
His  death  oc'anrred  at  Chapel  Hill,  March  14,  many  others.  The  classes  of  Mr.  Battle  were 
1879.  He  was  married  June  1,  1855,  to  Lucy,  remarkable  for  their  order,  attention,  and  ap- 
second  daughter  of  the  late  Kemp  Plummer,  a  plication.  He  resigned  this  post  in  1854,  and 
distinguished  lawyer  of  Warrenton ;  she  died  having  already  been  licensed,  opened  a  law 
February  24,  1874,  loved  and  appreciated  by  oflRco  in  Raleigh,  and  practiced  with  n^ich  suc- 
all   who  knew   her,  for    her   accomplishments,  cess. 

and    virtues.       The    children    of    this    distin-         On  the  organization  of   the  Bank  of  North 

guished  couple    are   Di'.  Joel    J),   (deceased,)  Carolina,  Mr.    Battle,  young  as   he  was,  was 

Susan    C.    (deceased,)    Kemp    Plummei',    Dr.  chosen  one  of  the  directors  with  such  veteran 

William    Horn,  who    married   Miss    Lindsay;  financhTS  as  George  W.  Mordecai,  George  E. 

Richard  Henry,  married  the  daughter  of  Judge  Badger,  John  H.  Bryan,  and  others.     Li  1860, 

Tbomas  S.    Ashe;  Mary    (deceased,)    mariied  lie    was    candidate    for    the     legislature,  and 

to  WiUiam  Van  Wyck,  of  New  York;  Junius,  failed  of  an  election  by  three  votes, 
killed  at  South  Mountain,  1862;  Lewis,  killed         In    the    stirring   and    exciting   scenes  that 

at  Gettysburg,  1863.  followed,    Mr.    Battle    was    for    the    Union, 

Kemp  Plummer  Battle,  the  eldest  living  and  the  President  of  the  Union  Club  of 
son  of  Judge  William  Horn  Battle,  was  born  Wake.  But  when  Lincoln  called  for  men  to 
near  Louisburg,  in  Franklin  County,  Be-  subjugate  the  south,  he  cast  his  fortunes  with 
cember  19,  18-31.  He  was  educated  at  the  his  state,  and  became  a  member  of  the  con- 
best  schools  in  the  country,  and  graduated  at  vention  of  1861, and  with  Mi-.  Badger  and  the 
tbe  university  in  1849,  receiving  the  first  dis-  other  members,  signed  the  ordinance  of  seces- 
tinction  in  all  his  studies.  His  companions  in  sion  He  united  with  the  conservative  party 
these  honors  were  Peter  M.  Hale  and  T.  J  in  electing  Governor  Vance  by  a  hirge  nuyor- 
Robiiison.  Mr.  Battle  w:is  nuide  tutor  of  ity,  and  during  the  whole  war  was  the  warm 
Latin  and  Greek  immediately  after  graduat-  supporter  of  his  ureasures. 
ing;  and  after  serving  in  that  capacity'  for  one  In  1866,  ho  became  a  candidate  for  treasurer 
session,  he  was  chosen  tutor  of  mathematics,  of  the  state,  at  the  request  of  Governor 
This  position  he  held  for  four  3'ears,  during  Worth,  iind  was  almost  unaniniouslj^  elected, 
the  palmiest  daj's  of  this  ancient  and  renowned  His  of&cial  reports  are  considered  models  of 
institution.  He  seems  peculiarly  fitted  by  na-  financial  abilitj-,  conciseness  and  accuracy.  He 
tare  and  education  for  this  occupation;  his  shared  the  fortunes  of  the  conservative  party 
mind  is  clear  and  discriiiiinating,  cultivated  to  with  Governor  Woith  and  other  otHcials,  and 
a  high  degree,  apt  to  learn,  and  patient  in  im-  was  deprived  of  his  othce  in  Julj-,  1868,  l)y  the 
parting  instruction,  kind  and  generous  in  bis  nuindate  of  military  power.  This  is  the  last 
temper,  he  had  much  success  as  a  tutor.  This  post  of  political  preferment  which  .Mr.  Battle 
is  evinced  by  his  training  to  usefulness  such  held,  nor  was  he  sorry  to  quit  the  excitement 
minds  as  those  of  W.  L.  BeRossett,  DuBrutz  and  contests  of  such  a  life,  since  they  were  not 
Cutlar,   Major  A.  W.   Lawrence,  (Lite   one  of  germane  to  his  tastes,  although  he  discharged 


EDGECOMBE   COUNTY.  163 

the   duties  devolving  upon  liim    witli  talent  1742,  had  eight  children,  to-wit:     Sarah. .John, 

and  fidelitj-.  Elizabeth,  Elisha,    William,    Denipse}-,  Jacob 

But  the  great  mission  of  his  life  is  the  res-  and  Jethro. 

toration  of  the  university  of  the  state.    It  is  his  I.   Sarah  married  (first )  .Jacob  Plilliard,  and 

«<»!«?/ia^e?' in  very  truth,  from -which  he  imbibed  had  Elizabeth    Ilil'.iard,    (who  married    Wni. 

tjie  knowledge  and  usefulness  he  had  taught  in  Fort,   and  had    Sarah    who    w;is    married    to 

her  halls,  and  to  build  up  the  broken  walls  of  Orren  Battle;)  also   .Jacob,   James,   Mary  and 

this  literary  Zion,  he  has  devoted  his  time,  all  .Jeremiah;  and  to  Sarah    and    Jacob  llilliard 

his  attention,  and  his  private  fortune.     He  was  were  also  born  .Jereiiiiali,  who  married  Xancy 

elected  a trnstee  of  the  university  in  18'32,and  ililliard.     Sarah  also  mai-ried  (second)   Henry 

served  on  the  executive  committee  until  1868;  Horn,  and  had   Piet\',  Charity,  who   married 

he 'made  an  elaborate  and  exhaustive  report  of  Burwell  Bunn,  to  whom  were  born  Jeremiah, 

a   plan    to    reorganize    the    universit}'.      This  William,    Henrj'    and   Celia  Bunn,  who    was 

plan  was  not   completed  in  consequence  of  a  married  (first)  to  Sugg,  and   (second)  Doctor 

change  in  the    board,  but  when  the   appoint-  Fort;  to  Sarah   and   Henry   Horn  were  born 

ment  of  trustees  became  vested  in    the    legis-  (their  last  child)  Henry. 

lature,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  trustees,  and  11.  .John  (died  1796,)  marrierl  Frances 
at  the  first  meeting  of  the  board  was  unani-  Davis,  to  whom  were  born  .Mary,  married  to 
mously  chosen  secretary  and  treasurer.  J-Iere  Allen  Andrews,  to  whom  were  born  Elizabeth 
was  a  field  of  labor  demanding  constant  exer-  Andrews,  married  to  .John  Cotten;  .John  mar- 
tion,  nnflincbing  zeal,  and  intelligence.  All  ried  Miss  Pope  and  .Jesse  married  Miss  Battle. 
kinds  of  legal  obstructions  presented  them-  HI.  Elizabeth  married  to  .Josiah  Crudnp. 
selves,  and  the  destitution  of  all  financial  member  of  Congress,  1821,-'23,  to  whiun  were 
measures  seemed  to  render  the  missi(;n  well  born  George,  married  J^eah  Ellis;  Josiidi  mar- 
nigh  hopeless.  But  Mr.  Battle  seemed  a  very  ried  Ann  Da\'is,  who  had  Mai-tha,  Archibald 
Hercules  in  this  work,  and  threw  himself  with  Davis,  Jaiiies,  Edward,  Alston,  and  Cullen 
such  devotion  into  the  cause,  that  success  married  Miss  .Jones;  to  Elizabeth  and  .Josiah 
smiled  on  his  eiforts.  The  payment  of  inter-  Crudup  wei'e  born  two  more  childr^'n,  Chloe, 
est  on  the  land  scrip  by  the  state,  his  elo-  (married  Joseph  I>.  Lee,  their  daughter  Eliza- 
queiit  appeals  to  the  Alumni  and  others  for  beth  married  Cullen  Andrews,)  and  Bethesda 
aid,   the   attendance  of  a  goodly  number  of  man-ied  to  Fowler. 

pupils,  prove  his  work  to  have  been  successful.  IV.  Elisha  Battle, -Junior,  born  1749,  mar- 
He  is  now  the  president  of  the  university,  ried  Mary,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Bunn,  had 
and  we  trust,  under  his  guidance  and  his  able  Amelia,  married  Ross,  Doctor  Jeremiah,  died 
corps  of  co-adjutors,  its  usefulness  and  fame  1824,  William  married  Lamond,  Jesse  mar- 
will  rival  its  former  renown.  Mr.  Battle  mar-  ried  Vick,  Bennett  married  Hinton,  and  Sarah 
ried,  in   18.55,  Martha,  daughter  of  James  S.  married  Andrews. 

Battle.  Three  of  his  sons  have  been  students  in  V.  William,,  died    1781,    married    Charity 

the  classes  of  the  university — the  fourth  gener-  Horn,  had  Isaac,  married  Mary;  Ann   married 

ation  of  this  family  who  have  joined  this  in-  Ross,  (to  whom  were  born  William,  James  B.,. 

stitution.  and  Charity  who  married  Hines;)  .Joel  born 

The  genealogy  of  the  Battle  family:  1779,  died    1829,  mari'ied  Mary,  daughter  of 

Elisha  Battle,  born    January  9,  172-3,  died  Amos  Johnson.    These  last  had  Laura  married 

March    6^    1799,   married    Elizabeth  Sumner  to  Phillips,  Susan  married  to  McKee,  Christo- 


164 


WHEELEE'S  REMINISCENCES. 


pher  Ciilumbus,  Benjamin  Dossey,  Catherine, 
married  Doctor  Lewis,  Richacd,  Amos  John- 
son, and  William  Horn,  (see  his  sketch  for 
his  descendants.) 

VI.  Dempsey,  born  1758,  died  1857,  married 
Jane  Andrews,  had  Amelia,  married  to  Cuth- 
bert  of  Georgia,  Andrews  married  Duggan, 
Callen  married  (tirst)  Elizabetli,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Battle,  and  (second)  Jane  Lamon. 

VII.  Jacol),  born   1774,   died  1814,  married 

Mi's. Edwards,  had  Marmaduke,  Elizabeth, 

married  in  (1802)  to  Doctor  Callen  Battle; 
Cullen,  Thomas,  Lucy,  .James  S.,  born  1786, 
died  1854,  married  (first)  Tempy  Battle,  and 
(second)  Harriet  Westray;  to  James  S.,  were 
born  xvlarniaduke,  William  S.,  married 
Dancy,  Tniner  Westray  married  daughter  of 
Judge  Daniel;  Cornelia  married  John  S.  Dan- 
cy; Mary  E.  married  (first)  to  W.  F.  Dancy, 
(second)  to  Dr.  N.  J.  Pittman,  Martha  married 
to  Kemp  P.  Battle,  and  Penelope  married  to 
W.  R.  Cox. 

VTII.  Jethi'O  married  Martha  Lane,  died 
181-3,  had  Joseph  S.,  married  (first)  Dunn, 
(second)  Horn,  to  whom  was  born  Temper- 
ance, married  to  Marriott;  H.  L.  Battle,  Dr. 
Ja.mes,  John,  George,  Mary  Ann  married 
Bridgei's,  Marcus  and  Martha;  to  Jetliro  and 
Martha  Battle  was  also  born  Orren,  married 
Eort,  and  moved  to  Tennessee;  and  Alfred, 
who  had  Jethro:  this  Jethro  died  in  the  Mex- 
ican war;  James  L.,  Mary  married  to  Tillory; 
Elizabeth  married  to  Fort. 

The  aljove  table  is  from  a  geneological 
paper  drawn  by  Governor  Henry  T.  Clark,  and 
may  therefore  be  relied  upon  as  being  accu- 
rate. 

Louis  Dickson  Wilson,  born  1789,  died  Au- 
gust 12,  1847,  was  born,  raised  and  lived  in 
.this  county. 

His  education  was  not  classical.  He  was 
placed  in  a  counting-house,  and  became  a 
.student  of  men  rather  than  of  books.  He  was 
.successful  in  business.     From  1815  to  1846,  he 


was  member  of  either  one  or  the  other 
branches  of  the  legislature. 

He  was  a  member  of  that  distinguished  con- 
vention of  1835,  to  amend  the  constitution  of 
the  state.  The  meed  of  exalted  statesmanship, 
or  of  brilliant  eloquence,  or  of  deep  philoso- 
phical research,  cannot  be  claimed  for.  him. 
Yet  he  was  honest  in  his  principles,  and  sin- 
cere in  his  convictions,  and  a  laborious  and 
useful  man,  rather  than  pretentious  or  showy, 
but  of  great  popularity. 

After  more  than  thirty  years  in  the  civil 
service  of  his  state,  in  the  war  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico,  he  joined  the  army, 
and  as  captain  of  the  line,  and  marched  to  the 
seat  of  war.  Without  any  application  or 
knowledge  on  his  part,  he  was  made  colonel  of 
the  twelfth  regiment  of  infantry.  While  su- 
perintending a  forward  movement  of  this 
regiment  from  Vera  Cruz,  the  visissitudes  of 
war,  the  dangerous  climate,  with  the  weight 
of  three  score  years,  proved  too  nmch  for  his 
constitution.  He  was  seized  with  the  fever 
of   the    country,   and    died    on  Ma,y  12,  1847. 

He  was  never  married.  By  his  will  his 
patrimonial  estate,  (land  and  slaves,)  was  be- 
queathed to  his  next  of  kin,  (a  nephew  and  a 
neice.)  and  the  residue,  about  §40,000,  to  the 
poor  of  Edgecon)be  County. 

The  county  court  of  Edgecombe  has  ordered 
the  erection  of  an  appropriate  asylum  as  one 
of  the  first  investments  of  the  fund. 

This  noble  charity,  as  also  the  erection  of  a 
county  called  after  his  name,  perpetuates  his 
life  long  services  in  the  councils  of  the  state, 
and  his  lamented  death,  leading  the  columns 
of  his  troops  to  subdue  the  enemies  of  his 
country  will  keep  his  memory  ever  fresh  in  the 
heart  of  every  .North  Carolinian.  The  end  of 
his  life  was  just   as  he  could  have  wished  it: 

"  Whether  on  the  scaffold  high, 
Or  in  the  battle's  van, 
The  fitte.st  place  for  man  to  die. 
Is  when  man  dies  for  man." 

The  brilliant  eulogium  pronounced  by  Gov- 


EDGECOMBE   C0L3TY. 


165 


eriior  Brogden  in  con2;ress,  in  memory  of  Gen- 
eral Wilson,  was  worth}'  of  the  theme. 

"  Louis  D.  AVilson  was  one  of  nature's  no- 
blemen, and  his  sympathies  was  ever  on  the 
side  of  justice  and  humanity. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity'  of  charac- 
ter, a  friend  of  the  poor  and  needy,  and  pos- 
sessed many  of  the  best  traits  and  qualities  of 
human  nature.  He  was  atfable  and  social  in 
his  manner,  the  embodiment  of  patriotism  and 
the  soul  of  honor. 

"  Studiouslj'  neat  in  his  person,  he  was  a 
favorite  in  all  circles;  he  won  the  sobriquet 
for  years  of  the  Chesterfield  of  the  senate." 

Duncan  Laniond  Clinch,  born  1798,  died 
1849,  late  brigadier-general  in  the  United 
States  army,  was  a  native  of  this  count}'. 

He  was  the  son  of  Joseph  Clinch,  by  a 
daughter  of  Duncan  Laniond,  a  colonel  in  the 
revolutionary  war,  and  a  terror  to  the  tories — 
one  of  these  he  hung  in  Nash  County. 

General  Clinch  had  attained  the  rank  of  a 
brigadier-general.  When  the  Seminole  war 
broke  out  in  Florida,  in  1835,  he  was  in  com- 
mand of  that  district,  and  at  the  battle  of 
Oiiithlecooche  (December  31st,  1835,)  dis- 
[ilayed  the  most  intrepid  coui'age.  Pie  re- 
signed his  commission  the  next  j^ear,  and  from 
1843  to  1845,  was  a  member  of  congress  from 
Georgia. 

He  married  a  Miss  Mcintosh.  '  He  died  at 
Macon,  Georgia.  November  27th,  1849,  leaving 
several  children;  one  of  his  daughters  married 
General  Robert  Anderson,  of  Fort  Sumter 
fame.  A  son,  John  Houston  Mcintosh  Clinch, 
graduated  at  the  university  in  1844,  in  the 
same  class  with  William  A.  Blount,  Joseph 
M.  Graham,  Philemon  B.  Hawkins,  Thomas 
Ruffin,  and  others. 

Another  son,  with  his  father's  name,  gradu- 
ated at  the  same  university  in  1847,  in  the 
same  class  with  James  J.  Rettigrew,  John 
i'ool,  Matthew  W.  Ransom,  and  others. 

The  genealogy  of  this  family  is  comiected 
with  that  of  tlie  Bellamy's,  which  see. 


William  Dorsey  Pender  was  a  native  and 
resident  of  this  county.  He  was  educated  at 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point.  One  of  the  earliest  and  most  enthusi- 
astic in  the  cause  he  deemed  just,  he  was  made. 
May  27,  1861,  colonel  of  sixth  regiment  of 
North  Carolina  troops,  and  such  were  his  ser- 
vices that  he  soon  became  a  brigadier  general. 
He  was  universally  regarded  as  one  of  the 
bravest  and  most  efficient  officers  in  the  arm\-. 
General  A.  P.  Hill  pronounced  him  "  one  of 
the  best  officers  of  his  grade  he  ever  knew." 

General  Lee,  in  his  report  on  the  Pennsjd- 
vania  campaign,  dated  July  31,  1863,  thus 
writes: 

"  General  Pender  has  since  died.  This 
lamented  officer  has  borne  a  distinguished  part 
in  every  engagement  of  this  army,  and  was 
wounded  on  several  occasions,  v.'hile  leading 
his  command  ■with  conspicuous  gallantry  and 
ability.  The  confidence  and  admiration  in- 
spired by  his  courage  and  capacit}-  as  an  officer, 
were  onl}'  equalled  by  the  esteem  and  respect 
entertained,  by  all  with  whom  he  was  associat- 
ed, for  the  noble  qualities  of  his  modest  and 
unassuming  character." 

Universally  lamented  and  loved,  he  fell  on 
the  blood}'  field  of  Gettysburg,  and  his  remains 
now  lie  in  the  cemetery  of  Calvary  church  in 
Tarboro. 

An  appropriate  memorial  window  erected 
by  his  brother,  Mr.  David  Pender,  bears  this 
inscription 

'■  111  Memoriam, 

I  have  fought  a  good  flght;  I  have  kept  the  faith  " 

iSlajor  General  William  Dorsey  Pender, 

born  Febiuary  6th,  1834,  died  July  18th,  1863. 

His  name,  so  dear  to  every  patriot,  has  been 
preserved  by  calling  a  county  after  him,  and 
causes  his  gallantry  and  patriotism  to  be 
cherished  in  oar  hearts. 

The  battle  of  Gettysburg,  enduring  the  first 
three  days  in  July,  1863,  was  the  bloodiest  en- 
counter of  the  whole  war,  and  proved  the 
Waterloo  of  the  unhappy  contest.  For  here 
the  flag  of  the  confederacy  fell  never  to  rise 


166 


WHEELEK'S    REMINISCENCES. 


again.  Especially  did  the  loss  fall  on  North  in  all  the  battles  fought  by  this  noble  army  of 
Carolina,  for  here  thousands  of  lier  bravest,  Northern  Virginia,  until  the  curtain  fell  at 
noblest  sons  found  a  soldier's  grave.  Not  Appomattox,  on  the  bloody  drama. 
only  did  General  Pender,  full  of  gallantry  and  After  the  war,  Major  Englehard  resumed  the 
spirit,  but  Colonel  Isaac  E.  Avery,  J.  K.  Mar-  practice  of  the  law  at  Tarboro,  and  in  addition 
shal  also  fell  in  this  battle,  General  Pettigrew  to  his  professional  duties,  exercised  those  of  the 
was  wounded,  a  few  days  afterwards,  died,  clerk  and  master  in  equity. 
General  Scales,  Colonel  Lowe,  and  others  of  Repurchased,  in  1865,  James  Fulton's  in- 
equal  merit,  were  wounded.  Of  the  ten  terest  in  the  Wilmington  Journal,  and  became 
thousand  men  lost  by  the  confederates,  the  the  successor,  from  March,  1866,  of  that  able 
larger  portion  were  North  Carolinians.  Of  editor,  and  so  became  a  citizen  of  Wilmington, 
Colonel  Burgwyn's  command,  who  was  killed, ,  then  wielding  a  powerful  influence  throughout 
(the  Twenty-sixth  North  Carolina  regiment,)  the  state. 


five  hundred  and  forty  were  killed  out  of 
eight  hundred.  The  heavy  loss  of  the  union 
army  could  be  easily  replaced,  but  the  great 
gaps  in  the  confederate  ranks  could  never 
be  closed  aeain. 


In  June,  1876,  he  was  nominated  at  Raleigh, 
by  the  democratic  state  convention  for  secre- 
tary of  state.  He  entered  witli  energy  and 
ability  into  the  canvass.  He  stood  before  the 
people  almost  every  day,  and  with  a  po^ver  of 


In  reply  to  a  recent  letter  of  General  Scales     elocution  rarel}'  surpassed,  and  an  oratory  irre- 
and   Captain    J.   J.    Davis,    Colonel   John    B.     sistable,  so  urged  the  cause  that,  on    Novem- 


Bachelder  has  given  a  graphic  aceonnt  of  this 
desperate  conflict,  which,  v.'ith  the  diagrams, 
affords  an  intelligible  and  reliable  account. 

Joseph  A.  Englehard,  the  onlj'  son  of  Ed- 
ward Englehard,  was  born  at  Monticello,  Mis- 
sissippi, September  27,  1832. 

He  was  an  educated  man  and  graduated  at 
the  University  of  North  Carolina,  with  the 
first  honors,  in  1854,  in  the  same  class  with 
William  L.  Saunders,  and  others,  fle  then 
studied  law  at  the  Harvard  law  school,  and 
w^ith  Judge  Battle;  in  1856  he  was  licensed  to 
practice.      He   settled  at  Tarboro,  where  he 


her  7,  the  whole  ticket  was  elected,  and  he 
the  first  in  the  number  of  votes  received. 

He  performed  all  the  duties  of  his  position 
with  satisfaction  and  intelligence,  established 
order  out  of  chaos,  and  system  from  confusion. 

Major  Englehard  was  a  devoted  friend 
to  the  cause  of  ediication.  He  delivered 
the  Alumni  address  at  the  universitj',  where 
his  sen  had  recently  graduated.  But  this 
usefulness  was  soon  to  end,  and  after  a  short  ill- 
ness he  died  on  February  3  5,  1879,  at  the 
Yarboro  House,  Raleigh.  His  death  was  the 
regret  of  his  friends,  and  an  irremediable  loss 


had  married  in  1855,  Margaret,  daughter  of     to  the  state. 


John  W.  Gotten. 

Pie  entered  the  army  in  May,  1861,  as  captain 
and  quarter-master  of  the  thirty-third  regi- 
ment, and  the  next  year  he  was  promoted  to 
quarter-master  of  General  Branch's  brigade, 
with  the  rank  of  major.  He  was  transferred  in 
December,  1862,  to  Pender's  brigade  and  be- 
came adjutant-general,  and  in  May  following 
he  was  made  adjutant-general  of  Pender's, 
afterwards  Wilcox's  division,  and  participated 


Robert  Rufus  Bridgers,  is  a  native  of  this 
county.  He  was  born  on  Town  Creek,  No- 
vember 2-3,  1819. 

His  early  education  was  conducted  by  Ben- 
jamin Sumner,  and  finished  at  the  university 
in  1841,  when  he  graduated  in  the  same  class 
with  Governor  Ellis,  Samuel  F.  and  Dv. 
Charles  Phillips,  Judge  Clarke,  William  F. 
Dancj',  John  F.  Hoke,  and  others.  To  receive 
honors  in  such  a  class  was  no  light  praise. 


FORSYTH  COUNTY. 


167 


He  read  law,  while  pursuing  his  collegiate 
studies,  with  Governor  Swain,  and  was  licensed 
by  the  supreme  court  to  practice  the  week 
after  he  graduated,  and  soon  entered  upon  an 
extensive  and  lucrative  practice.  He  entered 
the  legislatui'e  in  1844,  and  was  re-elected  in 
1856,-'58  and  '60, 

After  the  state  joined  the  confederacy,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  confederate  con- 


gress, and  was  an  active,  useful,  and  able 
member. 

After  the  war  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  Wilmington  and  Weldon  railroad  com- 
pauy,  and  is  distinguished  for  the  abilitj'  and 
iidelity  with  which  he  manages  this  important 
trust. 

He  married  Miss  Margaret  Johnston  and 
has  an  interesting  family. 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 
FORSYTH    COUNTY. 


This  county  presents  the  name  of  Colonel 
Benjamin  Forsythe,  a  native  of  this  section, 
who  fell  in  battle  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
resided  at  Germantown,  was  a  native  of 
Stokes,  and  represented  that  county  in  the 
legislature  in  1807  and  '08.  He  received  a 
lieutenant's  commission,  April  2.3,  1S08,  in  the 
regular  army,  and  marched  to  Canada.  In 
September,  1812,  he  crossed  at  Cape  Vincent, 
attacked  the  British,  and  routed  them.  Pie 
took  many  prisoners  and  much  ammunition  and 
stores,  vv'ith  the  loss  of  only  one  man. 

"  In  February  following,  he  left  Ogdensburg, 
and  crossed  at  Morrist own,  surprised  the  Brit- 
ish, and  took  lifty-two  prisoners,  among  them 
a  major,  three  captains  and  two  lieutenants, 
without  the  loss  of  a  man."*  In  1813,  he  was 
distinguished  at  the  capture  of  Fort  George, 
Upper  Canada. 

For  his  gallant  conduct  he  was  rapidly  pro- 
moted, and  attained  the  rank  of  colonel. 

On  June  28,  1814,  General  Smyth  formed  a 
plan  for  ambuscading  the  British  near  Odel- 
tovvn.     Colonel   Forsythe  liad  ordurs  to  make 

♦Kiles  Kegister,  III..  408. 


the  attack  and  then  retreat;  so  as  to  draw  the 
enemy  into  the  snare.  He  made  the  attack,  but 
instead  of  falling  back  as  prdfu-ed,  his  personal 
courage  tempted  him  to  m^e  a  stand  on  the 
road  within  fifteen  rods  of  the  enemy.  In 
this  exposed  and  perilous  position  he  received 
a  fatal  wound,  which  broke  his  collar  lione. 
He  fell,  mortally  wounded,  exclaiming  with 
his  last  breath:  "  Bo^'s,  rush  on!"  He  was  the 
only  person  killed;  several  were  wounded.  The 
enemy  lost  seventeen  killed.  His  loss  was  uni- 
versally lamented,  and  he  Avas  buried  the  next 
day  with  the  honors  of  war. 

By  his  intrepid  courage  and  his  fearless  dar- 
ing, he  became  the  idol  of  his  troops,  and  the 
terror  of  the  enemy.  He  was  one  of  the  best 
partisan  officers  that  ever  lived. t 

The  legislature  of  North  Carolina,  in  1817, 
with  patriotic  philanthrophy,  adopted  the 
only  son  of  Colonel  Forsythe,  and  the  only 
daughter  of  Captain  Blakely,  of  the  nav}',  as 
children  of  the  state,  and  made  provision  for 
their  education  at   the  public  expense.     James 


tSee  Gardiner's  Diet,  of  tlie  Army;  Drake's  Biogra- 
phy Sketclies;  Niles'  Register,  ill.,  48. 


168  WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 

N.   Forsythe,  the  son,  entered   the    freshman  with  the  command  of  Captain  George  MofFett, 

class  at   the    nniversity  in    182i,   and    subse-  (making  sixty  men  altogether.)  they  pursued  a 

quentlj',    with  the  acquiescence   of  Governor  party  of  Indians  between    Forts  Young  and 

Burton,  he  was  appointed  a  midshipman  in  the  Dinwiddle,  and  were  drawn  into  an  ambuscade 

United  States  navy.     He   was    on   board  the  on  September  30,  1763.     They  were  fired  on 

sloop  of  war,  the  Hornet,  which   was  lost  at  from  both  sides  of  the   trail,  but  maintained 

sea.*  the  fight  for  a    considerable  time;    at  length 

The  county  seat  of  Forsyth  preserves  the  the}-  were  overpowered  by  numbers  and  were 

name  of  Joseph  Winston.  forced  to  give  away,  scattering  as  best  they 

He  was  born  June  17, 1746,  in  Louisa  County,  could.  Several  were  killed;  young  Winston 
Virginia;  a  branch  of  the  family,  originally  had  his  horse  killed  under  him  and  was  him- 
from  Yorkshire,  England,  settled  in  Wales,  -  self  twice  wounded  in  the  body  and  through 
and  thence  migrated  to  Virginia,  where,  says  the  thigh,  making  him  u'ell  nigh  helpless. 
Alexander  IT.  Everett,  they  were  the  most  He  managed,  however,  to  conceal  himself  un- 
distinguished in  the  colony.  til  the  Indians  had  gone   in    pursuit    of   the 

"Two  hundred  years  ago,"  says  the  bio-  fugitives,  when  a  comrade  fortunately  came 
graphical  sketch  of  William  Winston  Seaton,  to  his  aid,  carried  him  upon  his  back  for  three 
(of  the  firm  of  Gales  &  Seaton,)  "five  broth-  days,  living  upon  wild  roseberries,  until  at 
ers,  Winston,  from  Winston  Hall,  Yorkshii-e,  length  they  reached  a  friendly  frontier  cabin. 
England,  gentlemen  of  fortune  and  famil}',  Although  he  in  time  recovered,  yet  the  ball 
emigrated  to  the  colony  of  Virginia.  These  in  his  bociy  was  never  extracted,  and  occasion- 
brothers  were  men  of  comely  statue  and  ap-  ally  caused  him  exquisite  pain, 
pearauce.  They  settled  in  Hanover  County,  Early  trained  to  arms,  for  he  was  in  Brad- 
stocking  Virginia  with  a  stalwart  and  pro-  dock's  defeat  in  1755;  in  the  revolution  he 
phetic  race,  extending  to  Kentucky,  Mis-  was  the  early  and  devoted  friend  to  the  canse 
sissippi,  and  North  Carolina,  in  which  states,  of  independance,  and  co-operated  with  the 
to  this  day,  they  are  noted  for  their  fine  patriots  of  that  period  in  the  meetings  of  the 
personal   appearance."     "  The   family  of  Win-  people. 

stons,"  says  Mr.  Sparks, '•  was  among  the  most  In  1769   we  find  that  Joseph  Winston   and 

distinguished   of  the   colony,  and   the  genius  others  petitioned  the  Virginia  authorities  for 

and  eloquence   of  Patrick  Henry  may  be  sup-  a  grant  of  10,000  acres  of  land   on   the  south 

posed  to  have  been  transmitted  through  this  side  of  tlie  Guj'andotte  river;  failing   in   this^ 

liue,  from   which    he    descended."     The  fiery  he  emigrated  to  North  Carolina,    and   settled 

spirit  "  in  words  that  breathed  and  thoughts  on  the  town  fork  of  the  Dan,  in  that  part   of 

that  burned,"  lighted  the  flame  of  liberty  in  tlie  state,  now  Forsyth  County.     In  1775,  he 

the  hearts  of  his  countrymen    and  relations,  -^yag  .^   member  of  the  Hillsboro    convention. 

Among  them  his  cousin,  Joseph  Winston,  who  which  met  on  August  21,  1775,  and  erected  a 

won  renown  by  his  military  career.  provisional  form  of  government  for  the  state, 

Joseph   Winston  received  a  fair  education,  all    hopes    of   reconciliation    with    the    Royal 

but  at  the  age  of   seventeen,  joined   a  com-  government  having  been  ended.     The  sword 

pany  of  rangers,  under  Captain  Phelps,  who  ^as  drawn  and  the  scabbard  thrown  away.  In 

marched    from    Louisa    County    to    Jackson  February,    1776,    he    was    in    the   expedition 

river,   on    the  then  frontiers,   where,  uniting-  against  the  Scotch  tories  on   Cross  creek.     In 

*MSS.  letter  of  Governor  Swain.  this    year    he    was    created    ranger    of    Surry 


FORSYTH  COmSTTY. 


169 


Oouijty,and  major  of  militia,  serving  in  Rnth- 
erfoi'd's  expedition  against  the  Cherokee 
Indians.  In  1777,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons  fi'om  Suri'y,  and  with 
Waightstill  Avery,  William  Sharpa  and  Rob- 
ert Lanier,  placed  upon  that  commission 
which  made  a  treaty  with  the  Cherokees 
at  Long  Island  on  the  Holston,  a  treaty 
made  without  an  oath  and  yet  one  that  has 
never  been  violated.  In  1780,  he  served 
with  Colonel  Davidson  in  pursuit  of  Br3'an's 
tories,  and  was  with  Cleaveland  in  his  move- 
ments against  the  loyalists  on  New  River;  he 
was  in  a  skirmish  on  the  Alamance,  and  com- 
manded a  portion  of  the  right  wing  at  King's 
mountain,  October  9,  1780. 

At  King's  mountain  he  was  a  major  of  the 
North  Carolina  line,  serving  with  Colonels 
McDowell  and  Cleaveland.  The  battle  was 
fierce  and  bloody,  in  which  tlie  Americans 
drove  the  British  and  tories  from  their  lofty 
position,  whence  their  commander,  Colonel 
Patrick  Ferguson,  had  impiously  declaimed 
''  that  God  Almighty  could  not   drive   them." 

In  the  plan  of  battle  adopted  by  the  colonels 
present  on  that  occasion,  Winston's  battalion 
had  to  make  a  lengthy  detonr  of  the  mountain 
from  a  point  at  the  junction  of  King's  Creek, 
and  the  Quarry  Road,  and  thence  to  move  to 
the  east  side  of  the  battle  field  and  so  reacli  a 
point  where  his  men  were  to  move  up  the 
mountain's  side,  and  make  part  of  the  "  wall 
of  fire  "  around  Ferguson.  The  several  corps 
were  put  in  motion  for  the  posts  they  were 
assigned  in  the  day's  operation.  Both  the 
right  and  left  wings  were  somewhat  longer  in 
reaching  their  designated  positions  than  had 
been  expected.  Win^jton's  party  had  marched 
about  a  mile,  when  they  reached  a  very  steep 
ascent,  which  they  took  to  be  the  point  where 
they  were  to  move  up  to  the  enenjy's  lines. 
Some  men  came  in  view  and  directed  them  to 
distuount  and  proceed,  as  being  at  the  point  of 
attack  assigned  them,  but  before  they  had  gone 


two-hundred  paces  they  were  again  hailed  and 
shown  their  true  line  of  march,  and  were  then 
assured  they  were  yet  a  mile  from  their  posi- 
tion in  the  alignment  for  the  battle.  Thej' 
then  ran  down  the  declivity  with  great  pre- 
cipitation to  their  horses,  and  mounting  them, 
rode,  like  so  many  fox-hunters,  at  almost  a 
break-neck  speed,  through  rough  woods  and 
brambles,  leaping  branches  and  crossing  ridges, 
without  any  guide  who  had  a  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  country.  They  soon  came  upon 
the  enemy,  and,  as  if  directed  by  the  Provi- 
dence itself,  at  the  very  jwint  of  their  intend- 
ed destination,  where  they  did  great  havoc  in 
that  bloody  fray.*  In  a  few  minute-  the 
action  became  general  and  severe,  continuing 
furiously  for  three-fourtlis  of  an  hour,  when 
the  enemy  being  driven  from  the  east  to  the 
west  end  of  the  mountain,  surrendered  at  dis- 
cretion. Ferguson  was  killed  with  two  hun- 
dred and  six  oi  bis  officers  and  men,  and  eight 
hundi'cd  and  ninety-nine  of  the  British  were 
captured.  The  Americans  had  eiglity -eight 
killed  and  wounded.  •'  The  whole  mountain 
was  covered  with  smoke  and  seemed  to  thun- 
der." For  his  distinguished  services  on  that 
day  the  legislature  of  the  state  voted  Joseph 
Winston  an  elegant  sword. 

Colonel  John  Campbell,  of  Abington,  in  pre- 
paring his  '■'  Memoir  of  the  Militairy  Transac- 
tions of  West  Virginia,"  says: 

"In  the  unique  affair  of  King's  Mountain, 
Colonel  Winston  played  a  conspicuous  part. 
He  led  the  right  wing  on  this  '  Bunker  Hill  of 
the  south,'  and  contributed  greatly  to  that 
momentous  victory,  of  which  the  battle  of 
Cowpens,  Guilford,  and  the  surrender  of  Corn- 
wallis  at  Yorktown,  were  the"  direct  conse- 
quences." 

Mr.  Jefferson, in  a  letter  now  before  me, says: 
"  he  remembered  well  the  deep  and  grateful 
impression  made  by  that  memorable  victory. 
It  was  the  joyful  enunciation  of  the  first  turn 


*Wheeler's  History  of  North  CaroUna,  II.,  106. 


170  WHEELEE'S  REMINISUENCES. 

of  the  tide  of  success  that  ended  the  war  with  sister,  who  had  a  babe  a  month  old,  called  to 

tlie  seal  of  our  independence."  visit  the  mother,  and  proposed  to  adopt  one 

In  Febriiaiy,  1781,  he  led  a  party  against  a  of  the  trio,  and  thus  each  would  practically  have 
band  of  tories,  had  a  running  fight  with  them,  a  set  of  twins  to  rear.  Mrs.  AVinston  regarded 
killed  some  and  dispersed  the  residue;  he  then  the  proposition  favorably,  and,  as  she  sat  up  in 
joined  General  Greene  with  one  hundred  rifle-  bed,  carefully  examined  all  three  to  determine 
men,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Guilford  which  to  part  with  and  which  to  keep  for  her 
Court  House,  March  15,  1781;  in  which,  al-  own;  at  length  she  exclaimed:  "  I  cannot,  for 
thougl)  Lord  Cornwallis  held  the  battle  field,  my  life,  decide;  you  cannot  have  either  of 
yet  his  losses  %vere  so  great,  and  the  shock  he  them,  sister!  As  God  has  given  them  to  me, 
received  so  severe,  that  he  afterward  avoided  He  will  give  me  strength  to  nurse  them  !" 
'  battle,  wliich  before  he  so  anxiously  sought.  And  so  He  did,  all  of  them  lived  and  were 
Crippled  and  wounded,  he  retired  to  Wil-  well  educated.  One  of  them  became  a  raajor- 
mington,  drew  his  slow  length  along,  hoping  general,  another  a  judge,  whilst  the  third  be- 
to  meet  Arnold,  if  not  Clinton,  but  from  the  came  a  state  senator  and  lieutenant-governor 
effects  of  his  barren  victory  at  Guilford,  he  of  Mississippi;  a  brother  of  these  triplets,  who 
never  recovered,  and  tiually  was  compelled  to  remained  in  North  Carolina,  fought  in  the  war 
suri'ender  at  Yorktown,  October  19,  1781.  of  1812,  became  a  major-general  and  a  member 

In  1793  and  in  1803,  Joseph  Winston  was  a  of  the  legislature, 
member  of  congress,     In  1800,  he  was  a  presi-         Israel  G.    Law,    born    1810,    died  1878,  at 

dential  elector,  voting  for  Jefferson,  and  again  Bethania,   (then  in    Stokes,)    worked    on    a 

in  1812,  voting  for  Madison.  farm  till   manhood,  and  then  engaged  in  mer- 

For    three    terms    he     represented     Surry  chandizing,   manufacturing,    and    banking,  in 

County  in  the  state  senate,  and  when  Stokes  all  of  which  he  was  eminently  successful.     He 

County  was  erected,  he  was  appointed  lieuten-  was,  in  1847,  president  of  the  branch  bank  of 

ant-colonel,   and    for    five    terms    represented  Cape  Fear,  at  Salem,  and  at  the   close  of  the 

that  county  in  the  state   senate,  between  1790  war,  obtained  a  charter  for  the  First  Xational 

arid  1812;  in  was  during  this  last  service  that  Bank  at  Salem. 


'» 


he  was  presented  with  the  sword  for  military  He  was  a  member  of  the  state  convention  in 

services  in  1780,-'81     The  county  seat  of  For-  1865,  with  Judge  Starbuck,  and  of  the  Fortieth 

syth  county  derives  its  name  from  him.     lie  and  Forty-first  Congress,  1867  to  '71. 

is  its  patron  saint.  He  was  a    man   of  large  wealth,  and  well 

He  was  a  man  of  stately  form,  old  school  known    as   a    sagacious    financier.      He  died 

manners,  and  of  a  commanding  presence.     His  April  7th,  1878. 

home  was  within  the  lofty  mountains  of  Stokes  AVe  should  do  injustice  to  the  truth  of  his- 

und  Surry,  whose  "  cloud  capt  summits  seemed  tory  to  make  no  reference  to  the  Moravians, 

■within  a  squirrel's  jump  of  heaven."     Here  he  located  in  this  county. 

died  April  21,  1815,  leaving  m;iny  worthj'  de-  "There    is    not,"  says  Williamson,  "a  more 

oendants.     He  was  the  uncle  of  William  AVin-  industrious  and  temperate  body  of  people  than 

ston  Seaton,of  the  Naiiomd  Intelligencer,  Wash-  the  Moravians,  who  live  between  the  Dan  and 

•ington  city.  Yadkin  Rivers." 

Dr.      Draper,    in    his    "King's    Mountain  In   1749,  the  British    Parliament  passed  an 

Heroes,"  adds  the  following  incident:  He  left  act  by  which  the  Unitas  Fratum,  was  acknovvl- 

thi'ee  sons,  Ijornat  a  single  birth.     A  married  edged  as  a  Protestant  Episcopial    Church.     By 


FORSYTH  COUXTY, 


171 


this  act,  the  free  exercise  of  all  their  rights  as 
a  church  was  secured  throughout  England 
and  her  colonies,  which  riglit  was  denied  to 
them  in  other  countries.  Hence  it  was  de- 
sirable to  make  settlements,  where  this  libert}' 
of  conscience  could  be  enjoyed.  Offers  of 
land  were  made  from  various  quarters;  but 
the  most  acceptable  was  that  of  Lord  Gran- 
ville, the  owner  of  large  possessions  in  North 
Carolina. 

The  Lord  Proprietors,  under  charter  of  Charles 
II.,  (March  24th,  1663,)  on  account  of  the 
expenses  incident  to  a  distant  colony,  and 
the  small  revenue  derived,  in  1729,  surren- 
dered their  claims  to  the  Crown,  receiving 
in  return  £2,500  sterling  each;  only  Lord  Gran- 
ville retained  his  eighth  part,  which  was  laid 
off  for  him  in  1743.  He  continued  to  receive 
rents,  and  have  his  agent  and  land  office 
until  the  revolution.  In  the  present  century 
his  heir  brought  suit  in  the  circuit  court  of 
the  Uuited  States  to  assert  his  rights.  Mr. 
Gaston  was  his  counsel.  The  suit  went  on 
appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  and  there  was  dismissed  for  want  of 
an  appeal  bond.* 

Lord  Granville  offered  to  Count  Zinjsendorff 
100,000  acres  on  reasonable  terms.  At  a  con- 
ference of  the  brethren,  held  in  London,  ISTo- 
vemlier  29,  1751,  the  otfer  was  accepted,  and 
on  August  9,  1753,  John,  Earl  of  Granville, 
conveyed  the  title  to  a  tract  lying  in  the 
forks  of  Gargalee,  or  Muddy  Creek,  Rowan 
County,  to  James  HutLon,of  London,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Unitas  Frntrurn.  By  the  repeated 
divisions  of  Rowan,  this  tract  has  been  suc- 
cessively in  Rowan  county;  in  1770,  in  Surry; 
in  1789,  in  Stokes;  and  in   1848,  in  Forsyth. 

An  agent  was  sent  out  (Bishop  Spangen- 
berg,)  in  1752,  who,  with  Churton,  the  Sur- 
vey or  General  and  Agent  of  Lord  Granville, 
after  enduring  incredible  suffering  and  many 
privations,   reached    the  Wachovia   tract,    so 

*Svvain's  Lecture  on  the  Regulations;  Mooro  I.,  71, 


called  from  (  Wa:h,  the  principal  creek;  and  luic 
meadow,)  and  made  the  survey.  In  1782, 
the  legislature  of  North  Carolina  vested  "in 
F.  W.  Marshal,  and  his  heirs  and  assigns 
forever,  the  Wachovia  tract,  and  all  the  lands 
in  North  Carolina  acquired  by  the  brethren. 
Of  the  thirty  thousand  Germans  who  left  their 
native  land  for  the  far  west,  eighteen  thou- 
sand eventually  settled  in  North  Carolina. 
The  colony  of  Moravians  suffered  all  the  trials 
and  tribulations  incident  to  a  settlement  in  a 
new  country.  Their  salt  was  brought  from  Vir- 
ginia; and  the  first  bee  hive,  (an  emblem  of 
their  industry,)  from  Tar  River.  The  Indians 
for  a  while  committed  depredations  and  mur- 
ders. The  war  of  the  Regulation,  and  tiiat  of 
the  revolution  brought  many  troubles  to  these 
peaceful  and  industrious  non  combatants.  Hos- 
tile troops  ravaged  their  fields  and  plundered 
their  property.  Bat  the  mild  character  of 
their  people,  their  peaceful  and  indiistiious 
lives,  their  patient  labor,  and  indefatigable 
industry  triumphed  eventually.  In  1791, 
they  were  visited  by  Ge:ieral  Wasiiington, 
and  the  brethren  of  Wachovia  addressed  him 
a  note  of  welcome,  to  which  he  responded  as 
follow?:* 

'•  To  the  United  Brethren  of  Wachovia  : 

"Gentlemen:  I  am  greatly  indebted  to  your 
respectful  and  affectionate  expression  of  per- 
sonal regard,  and  I  am  not  less  obliged  by  the 
patriotic  sentiment  contained  in  your  address. 

"  From  a  society  whose  governing  principles 
are  industry  and  love  of  order,  much  may  be 
expected  towards  the  improvement  and  pros- 
perity of  the  country,  in  which  tiiese  oi,ttle- 
ments  arc  formed;  and  experience  authorizes 
the  belief  that  much  will  be  attained. 

"Thanking  you  with  grateful  sincerity 
for  your  prayers  in  my  behalf,  I  desire  to 
assure  you  of  my  best  wishes  for  your 
social  and  individual  happiness. 

"  George  Washington." 

Bishop  Ravenscroft,  in  his  letters,  describes 

*  The  Moravians:  Tor  this  valual^le  information  "we 
are  indebted  to  the  worli  of  Rev.  Levin  T.  Keicliel,  of 
Salem,  N.  C,  published  in  1857. 


172 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


at  great  length,  a  visit  he  made  in  August,  1827 
to  this  benignant  settlement,  how  cheerfully  he 
was  received,  communed  with  the  cliurch,  and 
received  with  greatest  cordiality  and  brotherly 
greeting.  " 

The  great  feature  of  usefulness,  and  the 
most  enduring  monument  of  the  society  is  the 
Salem  Female  Academy.  The  ancients  were 
accustomed  to  inaugurate  their  rulers  on  the 
banks  of  a  pure  stream,  hoping  that  their  rule, 
like  the  pel  acid  stream,  would  refresh  and 
fructify  the'  Avhole  land  by  its  benign  influ- 
ences. So  has  this  institution  for  nearly  three- 
fourths  of  a  century  sent  forth  living  streams 
of  virtue  and  beautj'  to  delight,  purify,  and 
invigorate  our  land.  It  was  established  in 
1804,  therefore  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  literary 
institutions  in  the  south,  and  is  held  in  grate- 
ful remembrance  by  many  Christian  mothers 
who  here  received  their  elementary  education 
and  the  holy  impressions  of  eternal  truth,  and 
•had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  their  daughters 
and  grand-daughters,  educated  at  the  same 
place,  connected  with  such  pleasing  and  useful 
I'emembrances  of  their  earlier  days. 

The  first  pupils  connected  with  the  Salem 
academy,  from  Hillsboro,were  Elizabeth  Strud- 


wick,  Ann  and  Elizabeth  Kirkland,  and  Mary 
Phillips. 

We  have  not  been  favored  with  any  recent  • 
statistics  of  this  academy,  but  up  to  1856  there 
had  been  three  thousand  four-hundred  and 
seventy  scholars  entered;  and  in  evidence  of 
the  healthfulness  of  the  place,  only  twelve  had 
died  while  at  school. 

The  founders  and  the  principals,  (all  are 
Moravians,)  have  rendered  this  service  to  the 
country.  They  may  well  rejoice  in  their  work, 
and  feel 

"The  warrior's  name  I 

'Tho  pealed  and  chimed  on  every  tongue  of  fame, 
Sounds  les^  liarmouious  to  the  grateful  mind. 
Than  he  who  fashions  and  improves  mankind  " 

Thomas  Johnson  Wilson,  is  a  native  of  this 
county,  born  December  31,  181.5.  Studied 
law,  and  was  licensed  1874;  elected  solicitor 
of  Stokes  and  of  Davidson  Counties.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  convention,  1861,  and  advo- 
cated the  propriet}^  of  submitting  the  question 
of  secession  to  the  people. 

He  was  elected  in  1874,  judge  of  the  eighth 
judicial  circuit,  and  held  the  courts  for  six- 
months  until  the  supreme  court  decided  that 
his  [iredecessor,  Judge  Cloud,  was  entitled  to 
hold  over. 


-««^ 


-»— -t-®^ 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


The  origin  of  Ijmehlaw  :  During  the  revo- 
lution there  was  a  noted  tory,  (and  there  were 
but  few,)  in  that  portion  formerly  called  Bute 
Count}',  now  embraced  within  the  counties  of 
■Franklin  and  Nash,  called  Major  Beard. 
Major  John  H.  Drake  lived  near  Hilliardston ; 
he  and  his  family  were    decided    whigs.     He 


had  a  daughter,  beautiful  and  accomplished, 
by  whose  charms  Beard  was  captivated;  and 
the  tradition  runs,  that  tho  handsome  figure  and 
conmianding  air  of  Beard  had  its  effect  on  the 
young  lady,  notwithstanding  the  differerice  in 
politics  between  him  and  her  father.  On  one 
occasion,  Beard  encamped  for  the  night  near 


FRAXKLIiS^  COUNTY. 


r 


a  mill  on  Swift  Creek.  This  became  known 
to  Major  Drake  and  other  whisj^s,  and  they  or- 
ganized a  force  to  capture  him.  They  came 
upon  the  tories  early  in  the  morning  while  at 
breakfast,  surprised  and  dispersed  them  in 
great  confusion;  they  leaving  their  breakfast 
and  horses.  The  whigs  pursued  them  with  great 
earnestness.  Britton  Drake,  brother  of  the 
young  lady,  of  powerful  frame  and  strength, 
armed  with  a  rifle  led  the  chase,  and  came  sud- 
denly on  Beard,  who  was  hid  behind  some 
small  pines.  He  did  not  move  until  Drake, 
who  was  not  aware  of  his  position  came  right 
upon  him.  Beard  was  armed  only  with  a 
sword;  he  sprang  upon  Drake,  who  was  too 
near  and  closely  pursued  to,  shoot.  lie  club- 
bed his  rifle  and  felled  Beard  to  tlie  ground; 
and  as  Drake  thought  he  was  dead,  for  he  was 
senseless,  Drake  left  him  for  dead  and  went  in 
pursuit  of  other  fugitives.  When  the  pursuit 
was  over,  he  returned  to  the  -place  of  rencounter 
with  Beard,  and  found  that  he.  was  not  dead. 
After  some  consultation  it  was  resolved  to 
take  him  as  a  prisoner  to  headquarters  of 
Colonel  Seawell,  commanding  in  camp  at  a 
ford  on  Lynch  Creek,  in  Franklin  County, 
about  twenty  miles  off.  He  was  tied  on  his 
horse  and  carried  under  guard.  After  reach- 
ing camp,  it  was  determined  to  organize  a 
court-martial,  and  try  him  for  his  life.  But 
before  proceeding  to  trial,  a  report  came  that 
a  strong  body  of  tories  were  in  pursuit  to  res- 
cue him;  thi.s  created  a  panic,  for  they  knew 
his  popularity  and  power,  so  they  hung  him. 
The  reported  pursuit  proved  a  false  alarm,  and 
it  being  suggested  that  as  tlie  sentence  had  been 
inflicted,  before  tlie  judgment  of  the  court  had 
been  pronounced  therefore  it  was  illegal.  The 
b :)(h'  \va8then  taken  down,  the  court  reortran- 
ized,  he  was  tried,  craidemned,  and  re-hung  by 
the  neck  until  he  was  dead. 


*The  Hon.  B.  F.  Moore  communicated  the  afore- 
going tradition  to  me,  lie  received  it  from  the  Uralce 
family. 


The  tree  on  which  he  was  hung  stood  not 
far  from  Rocky  Ford,  on  Lj^nch's  Creek;  and 
it  became  a  saying  in  Franklin,  when  a  per- 
son committed  any  offence  of  magnitude,  that 
"  he  ought  to  be  taken  to  Lynch  Creek;"  and  so 
the  word  "  Lynch  law  "  became  a  fixture  in 
the  English  language.* 

Joseph  J.  Davis  was  born  and  bred  in  Frank- 
lin County.  He  is  the  sou  of  Jonathan  Davis, 
and  his  wife,  Maiy  Butler;  was  born  in  1828. 

His  early  education  was  conducted  by  John 
B.  Bobbib,  and  finished  at  Wake  Forest  Col- 
lege. He  received  the  degree  of  batchelor  of 
law,  at  the  university  in  1850,  and  after  re- 
ceiving a  license  to  practice,  settled  in  Oxford. 
In  1852,  he  moved  to  Louisburg.  In  1866,  he 
was  elected  to  the  legislature,  receiving  everv 
vote  in  the  count}-.  AVhen  the  civil  war  began 
he  entered  the  army  as  captain  of  the  forty- 
seventh  regiment,  commanded  by  the  late 
Sion  H.  Rogers.  His  company  was  ordered  to 
New  Berne,  where  he  received  his  "first  bap- 
tism of  fire,"  at  Banrington's  Ferry;  and 
again  at  Blount's  Creek.  At  the  bloody  bat- 
tle of  Gettysbury,  his  regiment  v\'as  in  the 
heaviest  of  the  tight,  and  Captain  Davis  was 
wounded  and  taken  a  prisoner;  he  was  confined 
at  Fort  Delaware  and  at  Johnson's  Island  for 
twenty  months,  during  this  period,  the  curtain 
fell  on  the  scene  of  war  and  he  was  discharged 
on  i^arole.  He  returned  home  and  resumed 
his    profession. 

He  was  selected  as  one  of  the  electors  in 
1868,  on  the  Seymour  and  Blair  ticket,  and  was 
nominated  in  1874,  and  triumphantly  elected 
to  congress;  again  in  1876,  and  again  in  1S7S. 
He  married  Kate,  the  daughter  of  Robert  J. 
Shaw,  and  has  an  interesting  family. 

We  might  say  much  of  Mr.  Davis'  course  in 
congress,  but  this  speaks  for  itself.  No  one 
was  more  attentive  and  faithful,  and  earnestly 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  Much  to  the 
loss  of  the  nation  and  the  regrets  of  his  associ- 
ates, he  declined  a  re-nomination  to  congress. 


174 


WPIEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


Thomas  Person,  who  died  in  November, 
1799,  at  the  home  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Tom  Tay- 
lor, in  Franklin  Count}',  was  a  native  of  Gran- 
ville. He  was  distinguished  for  his  enter- 
prise, his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  liberty,  the 
foe  of  oppression,  and  the  friend  of  the  down 
trodden  and  persecuted. 

He  sympathized  deeply  with  the  Regula- 
tors, suffering  from  the  oppressive  measures  of 
the  public  officers.  I  find  in  the  journals  of 
the  Colonial  Assembly  in  the  Public  Records, 
in  London,  as  follows: 

"1770,  December  6,  Mr.  Husbands  presented 
a  petition  of  the  in  habitants  of  Orange 
County,  complaining  of  sundry  grievances; 
and  praying  for  relief. 

"'  Mr.  Person  presented  a  petition  from  the 
inhabitants  of  Bute  County,  complaining  of 
the  many  exhorbitant  and  oppressive  meas- 
ures practiced  by  the  public  officers."* 

For  this  independent  course  General  Per- 
son received  severe  treatment  from  General 
Tryon;  and  was  for  a  time  confined  in  prison, 
and  at  other  times  in  prison  bounds  or  on  his 
parole.  When  on  parole,  he  boarded  at  the 
house  of  Rev,  Mr.  Micklejohn,  who  preached 
in  Hillsboro.  Soon  after  the  battle  of  Ala- 
mance, six  of  the  Regulators  were  hanged 
by  order  of  Tryon,  in  sight  of  the  Court 
House. 

At  one  time  his  life  was  in  eminent  peril 
from  the  choleric  Tryon,  who  in  1771  issued 
his  proclamation  oft'ering  pardon  to  those  who 
would  come  in  and  fake  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  King,  except  Thomas  Person,  and  some 
others. 

The  reverend  divine,  on  one  occasion,  in 
regard  to  his  prisoner,  is  said  to  have  dodged 
the  truth,  or  clearl_y  equivocated.  It  Avas 
suspected  that  the  general  had  broken  his  parole 
by  passing  the  bounds  of  Hillsboro.  In  fact  he 
had  much  money  and  bonds  at  his  home  at 
Goshen,  exposed    to   marauders  and    thieves. 

*  Colonial  Documents,  180.  '■ 


With  the  connivance  of  his  friend,  at  night, 
he  mounted  his  fleet  mare,  rode  to  Goshen, 
secured  his  valuables  in  a  brick  kiln,  and  re- 
turned by  dawn  of  day  to  Hillsboro.  The 
officers  of  Tryon  demanded  of  the  parson: 
"If  Gen  eral  Person  had  not  left  his  prison 
bonds  the  night  before."  "  I  supped  and  break- 
fasted witli  the  general,"  was  the  delphic 
reply. 

The    University    Magazine,   IV.,  250,  says: 

"  A  faithful  biographical  sketch  of  the  Rev- 
erend George  Micklejohn  is  greatly  to  be  de- 
sired. He  resided  in  Hillsboro  before  and 
many  years  after  the  revolution.  On  the  first 
attempt  at  organization  of  the  university'  in 
1794,  he  among  others  was  named  for  the  presi 
denc}'." 

Bishop  Meade  in  his  work"  Old  Churches, 
Ministers  and  Families  in  Virginia  "  states  that 
"  the  successor  of  the  Reverend  John  Cameron, 
(father  of  Judge  Duncan  Cameron)  as  the 
rector  of  Cumberland  Parish  in  Virginia,  at 
his  death  1815,  was  the  Reverend  John  Mickle- 
john, but  not  as  the  regular  minister.  He 
was  then  at  an  advanced  age,  and  probably 
died  there." 

But  severe  as  his  trials  were,  General  Per- 
son was  ready  to  take  up  arms  in  1774,  for 
the  cause  of  the  people  and  against  the  pow- 
ers of  royalty. 

He  was  a  member  from  Granville,  in  1774, 
of  the  first  colonial  assembly  that  niet  at  New 
Berne,  in  open  defiance  of  the  royal  governor. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  provincial  con- 
gress that  met  at  Halifax,  April  15,  1776,  and 
again  on  November  12th  following^  which 
body  formed  the  constitution,  and  with  Cor- 
nelius Harnett  and  others  was  appointed  one 
of  the  council  of  state.  This  proves  the  confi- 
dence entertained  for  his  patriotism  and  in- 
tegrity. 

He  was  elected  to  the  first  legislature  under 
the  constitution  (1777,)  and  continued  in  the 
service  of  the  people,  enjoying   their   regard 


GASTON  COTJNTY. 


175 


and  confidence  till  the  day  of  his  death.  He 
was  a  surveyor  by  profession  and  was  an  ex- 
tensive land  owner.  His  deeds  covered  70,- 
000  acres.  He  gave  largely  to  the  university, 
and  a  hall  called  by  his  name  bears  testimony 
to  his  alnlity.  He  gave  his  friend,  who  had 
stood  by  him  in  his  troubles,  Parson  Alickle- 
john,  his  "  Goshen  place"  in  Granville,  where 
ho  lived,  which  is  called  to  this  day  "the 
Glebe." 

General  Person  was  never  married.  He 
left  two  sisters,  one  of  whom,  Martha,  married 
Major  Thomas  Taylor,  in  Franklin,  at  whose 
house  he  died;  and  Mary,  who  married  George 
Littlejandone  brother,  William.  He  adopted 
William  P.  Little,  his  sister's  child,  when  only 


two  years  old,  and  educated  him  at  Sprig's 
college  near  Willianisboro,in  Granville  County, 
where  John  Ha^'wood,  Sherwood  Haywood  and 
Robert  Goodloe  Harper,*  were  educated. 

He  died  in  1799,  and  was  buried  at  Personton . 
in  Warren  County,  five  miles  from  Littleton. 

Judge  Henderson,  of  our  supreme  court, 
always  spoke  of  General  Person  with  the 
fondest  affection,  (and  acted  as  his  counsel, 
wrote  his  will,  which  was,  however,  not  found 
after  his  death,)  and  often  declared  that  "he 
was  one  of  nature's  noblemen."  His  services 
and  his  sufferings  demand  our  respect,  and  his 
patriotism  our  gratitude.  His  memor}^  is  very 
aiDpropriatelj'  preserved  by  calling  one  of  the 
best  counties  of  the  state  after  his  uame.f 


CHAPTER  XX. 
GASTON  COUNTY. 


The  character  and  services  of  Rev.  Hum- 
phrey Hunter,  boi'ii  1755,  deserves  a  place  in 
our  record  and  reniembrances,as  a  true  christian 
and  a  patriotic  citizen.  "  He  was  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  a  man  of  letters,"  born  near  Lon- 
donderry; he  combined  in  his  character  all  the 
elements  of  that  Scotch-Irish  character,  so 
conspicuous  a  type  in  our  struggles  for  liberty. 
W-'itli  a  widowed  mother  he  came  to  America 
and  settled  near  Poplar  Tent,  then  Mecklen- 
burg County,  and  here  he  was  I'aised.  When 
the  orders  were  offered  for  a  convention,  at 
Charlotte,  which  met  on  May  19  and  20,  1775, 
he  attended,  and  his  testimony  is  clear  on  the 
subject  of  the  celebrated  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence at  that  time  and  place.  He  soon 
after  enlisted  as  a  private  in  a  corps  of  cav- 
alry, commanded  by  Charles  Polk,  and  served 


with  credit  and  honor.  He  also  served  in  a 
campaign  against  the  Indians,  under  Colonel 
Robert  Mebaiie.  He  also  served  as  lieutenant 
in  Captain  Given's  company,  under  General 
Rutherford,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Camden, 
(August,  1780,)  where  he  was  taken  prisoner. 
After  some  time  spent  in  confinement,  he  es- 
caped and  returned  home.  After  remaining  at 
his  mother's  residence  afew  daj^sheagain  joined 
the  army,  under  General  Greene,  as  a  lieuten- 
ant under  Colonel  Hour}'  Lee,  and  was 
wounded    in    the    severe    battle    of    Eutaw 


*  Mr.  Harper  acquired  great  distinction  in  after 
life.  There  is  a  tradition  that  he  was  born  in  this  state, 
and  many  have  so  stated.  Dr.  Hawlis  and  Mr.  Drake 
think  differently. 

tXhe  sketch,  meagre  as  it  is,  is  collated  from  the 
journals  of  the  colonial  assembly  in  London,  our  own 
legislative  journals,  and  from  a  recent  article  in  the 
lialeigh  Observer. 


176 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


Springs.  This  closed  liis  military  career.  He 
returned  home  and  renewed  his  classical 
studies.  In  1787,  he  graduated  at  Mount  Zion 
College,  in  Winnsboro,  Sonth  Carolina.  He 
then  studied  theology,  under  the  care  of  the 
presbytry  of  South  Carolina,  and  was  licensed 
to  practice.  In  the  first  year.s  his  services 
were  confined  to  South  Carolina.  In  1805, 
he  accepted  a  call  from  the  Steel  Creek 
church,  in  Mecklenburg  County,  and  here  he 
labored  successfully  and  acceptably  for  many 
yearS;  and  there  he  died  on  August  21,  1827, 
in  the  peaceful  hope  of  a  glorious  immortality. 
He  left  several  children,  one  of  whom,  Dr.  C. 
L.  Hunter,  is  distinguished  as  an  author  and  a 
gentleman.  He  lies  in  the  church  yard  of 
Steel  Creek  church,  and  on  his  tombstone  is 
recorded  the  inscription: 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  Reverend  Humphrey 
Hunter,  who  departed  this  life  August  21,  1827,  in  the 
73d  year  of  his  age.  He  Avas  a  native  of  Irel  ud  and 
emigrated  to  America  at  an  early  period  of  his  life.  He 
was  one  of  those  who  early  promoted  the  cause  of  lib- 
erty in  Mecklenberg  County,  May  20.  1775,  and  subse- 
quently bore  an  active  part  in  securing  the  independ- 
ence of  his  country.  For  nearly  thirty-eight  years  he 
labored  as  a  faithful  and  assiduous  enilmssador  of 
Christ,  strenously  urging  the  necessity  of  repentance, 
and  pointing  out  the  terms  of  salvation.  As  a  parent, 
he  was  kind  and  affectionate;  as  a  friend,  warm  and 
sincere;  as  a  minister,  persuasive  and  convincing. " 

On  the  heights  of  King's  Mountain,  in  the 
southern  part  of  this  county,  stands  a  plain 
headstone  bearing  these  words: 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Major  William  Chronicle, 
Captain  William  Mattocks,  William  Rabb,  and  John 
Boyd,  who  were  killed  here  fighting  in  defense  of 
America,  on  the  7th  of  October,  1780  '' 

William  Chronicle  lived  near  Ai'mstrong's 
ford,  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Catawba  river. 
His  mother  was  first  married  to  a  Mr.  McKee, 
and  by  this  marriage  she  had  one  son,  the  late 
James  McKee,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  revo- 
lution, and  the  ancestor  of  several  families  of 
that  name  in  this  neighborhood.  After  his 
death  she  married  Mr.  Chronicle,  by  v/hom 
she  had  an  only  son,  the  gallant  soldier  of 
King's  Mountain.  The  universal  testimony  of 
all  who  knew  Major  Chronicle  is,  that  he  was 


an  intrepid  soldier  and  an  earnest  advocate  of 
liberty.  His  first  appearance  in  the  v.^ar  was 
in  South  Carolina  in  1779,  after  the  fall  of 
Savannah.  In  the  fall  of  1780,  a  call  was  made 
for  a  regiment  from  Lincoln,  (then  Tryon 
County,)  to  repel  the  enemy  marching  from  the 
south,  and  flushed  with  victory.  Of  this  regi- 
ment William  Graham  was  colonel,  Frederick 
Hambright,  lieutenant-colonel,  William  Chron- 
icle, major.  Major  Chronicle  was  peculiarly 
fitted  for  the  life  of  a  soldier.  Brave  to  a 
fault,  energetic  in  movement,  and  calm  in 
action. 

Colonel  Graham,  on  account  of  illness,  was 
not  at  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain,  and  the 
conmiand  of  the  regiment  devolved  on  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Hambright  and  Major  Chroni- 
cle. Onward  the.se  brave  men  marched  with 
their  leaders,  and  approached  within  gunshot 
of  the  enemy,  when  a  volley  was  fii'ed  l)y  the 
enemy,  who  then  i-etreated.  The  l^rave 
Chi'onicle  fell,  pierced  through  the  heart  by  a 
rifle  ball.  At  the  same  time  fell  Captain 
Mattocks,  William  Rabb,  and  John  Boyd. 

This  battle  of  King's  Mountain,  from  its  lo- 
cation and  other  causes,  has  never  had  the 
important  place  in  history  that  it  deserves_ 
"There  is  no  diflicultj  in_j:leclaring,  that  if 
Ferguson  had  jiot_  fallen  at- -King's  Jylountain, 
*-'5J'Il^^Ill?--3'5'J3JiL_iioi .  liaye  „suiTencler8d  at 
Yorktown.  It  was  the  pivot  on  which  the 
revolutionary  war  in  the  south  turned."*  It 
is  in  many  respects,  the  most  important,  the 
most  glorious  battle_fought  in  the  great  con- 
test for  liberty.  It  was  fought  on  our  side 
exclusively  by  volunteers,  without  the  pres- 
ence or  advice  of  a  single  regular  officer.  It 
was  won  by  raw  militia,  never  before  under 
fire,  over  trained  troops,  commanded  by  a  vet- 
eran officer  of  approved  and  desperate  courage, 
who  had  no  superior  in  the  English  arnn-. 

Frederick  Hambright,  born  1740,  died 
1817,  was  also  one  of    the    gallant  heroes  of 


""Univeisity  Magazine,  February,  1858,  VII.,  p.  245. 


GATES   C0U:NTY. 


17; 


King's  Mountain.  He  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many; emigrated  to  America  in  1727,  and 
finally  settled  on  Long  Creek,  then  in  Tryon 
County,  wliere  he  lived  when  the  battle  of 
King's  Mountain  took  place.  He  early  em- 
barked in  the  cause  of  independence;  in  1777, 
was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel,  and  was 
throughout  the  war  an  active  and  fearless  offi- 
cer. At  the  battle  of  King's  Mouritain, 
Colon_el  William  Graham,  who  had  command 
of  the  Lincoln  regiment,  on  account  of  sick- 
ness in  his  family',  was  absent,  and  the  com- 
mand devolved  upon  Colonel  Hambright. 
Nobly  did  he  sustain  this  perilous  charge;  in 
the  conflict  he  was  severely  wounded  by  a 
large  rifle  ball  passing  through  his  thigh;  but 
he  refused  to  leave  the  field,  and  continued 
encouraging  his  men,  he  led  them  to  battle 
and  to  victory.  The  effects  of  this  wound 
caused  him  to  falter  in  his  walk,  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

He  was  twice  married,  and  left  a  large 
family  to  emulate  his  patriotic  example.  He 
died  in  1817,  and  was  buried  at  Shiloh,  in  the 
limits  of  the  present  county  of  Cleaveland. 
His  tombstone  bears  this  inscription: 

•'  In  memory  of  Colonel  Frederick  Hambright,  who 
departed  tins  life  March,  1S17,  in  the  90th  year  of  his 
age." 

Robert  Hall  Morrison,  D.D.,  resides  at  Cot- 
tage Home,  near  the  line  between  Gaston  and 
Lincoln  Counties. 

He  was  educated  at  the  university  and  grad- 
uated in  1818,  in  the  same  class  with  James  K. 


Polk,  Robert  Donaldson,  William  D.  Mosely, 
Hamilton  C.Jones,  Hugh  Waddell,  and  others. 
He  studied  for  the  ministry,  and  has  spent  a 
life  long  service  in  this  holy  calling. 
•  He  has  had  the  charge  of  several  Presbyterian 
churches  in  the  state;  has  been  president  of  the 
Davidson  college,  and  until  recently  the  loved 
and  venerated  pastor  of  Unity  church,  near 
Beattie's  Ford.  It  has  been  my  privilege  to 
sit  for  many  years  under  the  teachings  of  this 
most  excellent  man.  I  can  saj'  that  I  never 
more  trul}-  felt  the  influence  of  religious 
truth  and  its  importance,  than  as  it  fell  from 
his  lips,  as  also  the  force  of  the  example  of  one 

"  Whose  doctrine  and  whose  life 

Co-incident  exhibit  lucid  proof. 
That  he  is  honest  in  tUe  sacred  cause.'' 

He  is  now  near  the  close  of  a  long  and  well 
spent  life;  possessing  the  esteem  of  all  who 
know  him. 

He  married  Mary,  the  third  daughter  of 
General  Jose[)h  Graham,*  by  wliom  he  had 
several  children: 

I.  Isabella,  married  to  General  D.  H.  Hill. 

II.  Ann,  married  to    General  T.  J.  Jackson 
(Stonewall.) 

III.  Margaret,  married  to  James  Erwin. 

IV.  Eugenia,  married  to  General  Rufus  Bar- 
ringer. 

V.  Joseph,  married  to  Miss  Davis. 

VI.  Alfred. 

VII.  Laura,  married  to  John  L.  Brown. 

VIII.  Robert. 

IX.  Susan,  married  to  Alphonzo   C.  Avery. 


GATES   COUNTY.. 

AViLiiiAJi  Paul  Roberts  is  a  native  of  this  moted  to  a  captaincy,  and  in  a  short  time,  al- 

county,  born  July  11,  1841.  though  the  junior  captain,  was  made  )najor; 

His  occupation  is  that  of  a  farmer,  but  his  war  and  in  that  same  year  was  promoted  to  a  col- 
record  is  brilliant.  Entering  the  army  in  June,  onelcy.  In  the  next  year,  1865,  he  was  commis- 
1861,  as  a  non-commissioned  officer  in  the  sec-  sioned  brigadier,  then  only  in  his  twenty- 
ond  North  Carolina  cavalry,  he  was  soon  pro-  ^~  ^^Qge  geueaology,  see  Lincoln  County. 


178  WHEELEE'S  EEMmiSCENCES. 

fourth  j'ear,  the  youngest  brigadier  in  the  ser-  leading  a  retired  life.  But  in  1875  his 
vice.  His  brigade  was  one  of  the  best  ]<:nown  friends  and  admirers  elected  him  to  the  consti- 
and  most  highly  appreciated  in  the  army  of  tutional  convention,  and  in  187G  he  was  elected 
iS^ortheri!  Virginia.  a  member  of  the  house.  Here  his  services  were 
After  the  war  closed,  General  Roberts,  lil^e  so  appreciated  that  the  state  democratic  con- 
Cincinnatus,  went  to  tlie  plough  and  sought  veotion  in  1880,  without  his  knowledge  or  con- 
repose  in  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  agriculture,  sent,  nominated  him  as  auditor  of  the  state. 


GRANVILLE  COUNTY. 

John    Tenn,  born    1741,  died  1788,   one  of  John  Williams,  who  lived  and  died  in  this 

the  signers  of  the  declaration  of  independence  county,  was  a  native  of  Hanover  County,  Vir- 

of  July    4th,    1776,   lived   and    died    in    this  ginia.     In  April,  1770,  while  attending  court 

count}-.      He  was    born   in    Caroline   County,  at  Hillsboro,  he  was  set  on  hv   the  regulators, 

Virginia,    the  onlj^  son   of   Moses   I'enn    and  and  severely  beaten  by  them.     His  early  edu- 

Caroline,  his  wife,  who  was  the  daughter   "  of  cation  was  neglected,  as  he  was  raised  to  the 

John  Taylor  of  Caroline,"  distinguished   as  a  trade  of  a  house  carpenter.     But  he  possessed 

politician  and  a  political  writer.     His  father  strong  native    sense,  and    was  chosen   one  of 

died  whilst  he  was  only  a  youth,  and  his  educa-  the  first  judges,  in  1777,  with  Samuel  Spencer 

tion  was   defective.     He  read   law  with  Ed-  and  John  Ashe  as  associates.    He  was  elected  a 

mund  Pendleton,  and  displayed  much  genius  member  of  the  continental  congress  in  1778, 

and  eloquence.  He  moved  in  1774  to  Granville,  and  died  in  October,  1799. 

and  the  next  j'ear  succeeded  Richard   Caswell  The  Hicks  family  were  distinguished  among 

as  a   delegate  to  the  continental  congress  at  those  worthj'  of  remembrance  in  Granville. 

Pliiladelpbia,    which  sat    from  1775    to  1780.  Captain    Robert  Hicks  lived  about  a  mile 

He  was  appointed  receiver  of  public  taxes  for  from  Oxford,  in  1770. 

JN'orth  Carolina  by  Robert  Morris.     This  posi-  The  family  is  English,  and  settled  in  BVook- 

tion  he  soon   resigned.     He  died   September,  Ij'ii,  New  York,  iii  the  locality  now  known  as 

1788.  Hicks  street.     The  family  was  distinguished 

James  Williams,  who  fell  in  battle  at  King's  in  England  for  its  courage  and  ability,  and 

Mountain  on  October  7,  1780,  was  a  native  of  one  of  them  was  knighted   for  his  deeds  of 

Granville  County.  He  moved  (1773)  to  Laurens  daring. 

district.  South  Carolina;  became  active  in  Robert  Hicks  entered  the  revolutionary 
the  partisan  warfare  in  chat  state,  and  dis-  army,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Guilford, 
tinguished  himself  in  the  battle  of  Musgrove  with  the  North  Carolina  militia,  where  these 
Mill.  After  that  engagement  he  went  to  I'aw  and  undisciplined  troops  were  i:)laced  by 
Hillsboro,  where  he  raised  a  troop  of  cavalry.  General  Greene  in  the  front  line,  and  there, 
and  returned  to  South  Carolina.  He  fell  at  overwhelmed  by  the  British,  fled;  young 
King's  Mountain,  at  the  same  moment  that  Hicks  stood  his  ground,  and  fought  single 
the  leader  of  the  British  forces  was  slain,  and  handed,  until  nearly  surrounded,  and  after  his 
was  buried  on  the  battle  field.*  men  had  gone  a  considerable  distance,  he  then 
escaped  and  shared,  during  the  remainder  of 

*Lossing;  University  Magazine,  VII.,  245.  the  war,  its  dangers  and  its  glori^              -> 


GRANVILLE  GOUInTT. 


179 


.He  died  suddeiily  of  a  disease  of  the  heart, 
and  left  a  large  family,  some  of  whom  still 
live  in  G-ranviUe. 

Oiie  of  his  sons  is  a  professor  of  a  medical 
college  in  New  Orleans,  and  another  moved  to 
Arkansas,  another,  Dr.  John  R.  Hicks,  one  of 
the  best  and  purest  of  men,  died  not  long 
since,  near  Wiliiamsboro  in  this  county.  The 
old  homestead  is  now  owned  b\  a  colored  man, 
whose  wife  once  belonged  to  one  of  Captain 
Hicks  daughters.  Her  husband  now  owns  the 
home  from  which  her  young  mistress  went 
3'ears  ago  as  a  bride.  How  strange  is  the  rev- 
olution of  time  and  circumstance! 

Captain  Benjamin  Norwood,  like  Robert 
Hicks,  was  one  of  the  revolutionary  heroes  of 
Granville.  On  the  approach  of  Cornwallis  he 
recruited  a  company,  and  was  present  in  the 
battle  of  Guilford,  and,  like  Captain  Hicks, 
behaved  with  great  personal  gallantry.  He 
fought  for  some  time  after  his  men  had 
ingloriously  fled.  The  conduct  of  these  two 
patriots  should  condone  the  conduct  of  their 
.  men,  who  unused  to  the  pomp,  pride  and  cir- 
cumstance of  war,  utterly  undisci[ilined,  were 
opposed  from  the  first  to  regular  veterans. 
Captain  Norwood  did  good  service  in  the  war, 
and  died  lamented  and  loved.  He  had  two 
brotliers  who  lived  in  other  portions  of  the 
state.  One  in  Lenoir,.  Ca.ldwell  County,  and 
the  other  in  Orange.  His  wife  was  a  sister  of 
Governor  Aiken,  of  South  Carolina,  and  Mrs. 
Cicero  W.  Harris,  of  Wilmington,  is  one  of  his 
descendants. 

Robert  Burton,  born  1747,  died  1825,  lived 
and  died  in  this  county.  He  was  born  in 
Mecklenburg  County,  Virginia,  and  moved 
to  Granville  about  1775;  here  he  was  appointed 
an  officer  in  the  army.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  1787,  and  one  of  the 
commissioners  to  run  the  line  between  North 
Carolina  and  South  Carolina  in  1801,  and 
Georgia. 

He  was  distinguished  as  a  successful  farmer. 


He  married  the  only  daughter  of  Judge 
Williams,  and  died  in  1825,  leaving  nine  chil- 
dren surviving,  among  whom  were  the  Burtons 
of  Lincoln,  (Hon.  Robert  H.  Burton  and  A. 
M.  Burton.) 

The  Henderson  familj^  has  been  long 
favorably  known  in  North  C^iroliiia  as  one  of 
distinguished  ability.  Its  name  has  been  in- 
scribed on  a  count}',  on  a  town,  and  on  a 
village;  the  talents  of  its  members  have  been 
displayed  at  the  bar,  in  the  pulpit,  on  the 
bench,  and  in  the  halls  of  congress.  The 
progenitor  of  this  family  in  North  Carolina  was 
Richard  Henderson,  who  came  from  Han-', 
over  count}',  Virginia,  about  1762,  and  settled 
in  this  county. 

I  found  in  the  Roll's  office,  London,  among 
the  records  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  these  en- 
tries: 

"1769,  March  1st.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
Council;  present.  Governor  Tryon,  John  Ruth- 
erford, Benjamin  Heron,  Lewis  Be  Rosett 
and  Samuel  Strudwick. 

"Richard  Henderson,  Esq.,  was  appointed 
Associate  Judge,  &c.,  as  also  Maurice  Moore, 
Esq."  *  *  *  j^,[p_  Henderson,  Governor 
Tryon  reports,  "is  a  gentlemaii  of  candor  and 
ability,  born  in  Virginia,  and  lives  in  Hills- 
boro,  where  he  is  highly  esteemed.  The  Gov- 
ernor stated  that  he  wished  to  have  appointed 
to  these  two  places,  Mr.  Edmund  Fanning 
and  Mr.  Marmaduke  Jones,  but  they  de- 
clined  ." 

I  found  among  the  papers  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  on  file  in  the  Rolls  Office,  London,  a 
letter  from  Judge  Hentlerson  to  Governor 
Tryon,  dated  September  24th,  1770,  at  Hi lls- 
boro,  stating,  "on  that  day,  Herman  Husbands, 
James  Hunter,  William  Butler,  Ninian  Bell 
Hamilton,  Jeremiah  Fields,  Matthew  Hamil- 
ton, Eli  Branson,  Peter  Craven,  John  Fruit, 
Abraham  Teague,  and  Samuel  Parks,  armed 
with  cudgels  and  cowskin  whips,  broke  up  the 
court  and  attempted  to  strike  the  judge,  (Hen- 
derson,) and  made  him  leave  the  bench.  They 
assaulted   and  beat   John    Williams  severely. 


^ 


J- 


-180 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


and  also  Edmund  Fanninsc,  until  he  retreated 
into  the  store  of  Messrs.  Johnstone  and  Thack- 
ston;  thej'  demolished  Fanning's  house.  Not 
only  were  these  beaten,  but  Thomas  Hart, 
John  Luttrel,  (clerk  of  the  crown.)  and  many 
otliers,  were  severely  whipped." 

Another  entry,  January  25th,  1771,  ordered 
that  Richard  Henderson,  who  appeared  as 
prosecutor  of  the  several  charges  against 
Thomas  Person,  should  pay  all  costs. 

Another  rec{jrd :  "Proclamation  of  Governor 
Martin,  dated  February  10th,  1775,  issued  as 
governor  and  as  agent  and  attorney  of  Lord 
Granville,  forliidding  Richard  Henderson 
from  purchasing  or  holding  any  lands  from  the 
Cherokee  Indians." 

Extracted  from  Governor  Martin's  dispatch; 
"■I  enclose  a  copy  of  Lord  Dunmore's  procla- 
mation, also  Richard  Henderson's  plan  of  set- 
tlement of  a  large  tract  of  land  on  the  waters 
of  the  Kentuck}',  the  Cumberland,  the  Ohio, 
and  the  Tennessee." 

These  extracts  prove  the  enterprise  and 
character  of  Judge  Henderson,  under  the  royal 
rule.  After  independence  had  been  declared, 
and  the  state  government  organized  and  es- 
tablished in  North  Carolina,  he  was  elected 
one  of  three  judges  of  the  court,  which  he  de- 
clined td  accept,  or  resigned  in  a  few  months. 
The  chief  reason  that  caused  this,  was  that 
Judge  Henderson  ^yas  at  that  time  the  chief 
manager  of  the  "  Transjdvania  Land  Com- 
pany." He  and  his  associates  had  bought,  for 
a  fair  consideration,  of  the  Cherokee  Indians, 
who  had  offered  their  lands  for  sale,  a  rich 
tract  of  countr;/,  in  which  was  embraced  a 
considerable  portion  of  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see. The  treaty  by  which  this  purchase  was 
made  was  concluded  in  1775,  on  the  AVatauga 
river,  at  which  Daniel  Boone  was  present. 
The  stsites  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  de- 
clared this  void. 

His  associates  in  this  transactions  were  John 
Williams,  Leonard   Henly  Bullock,  of  Gran- 


ville, William  Johnston,  James  Hogg,  Thomas 
Hart,  of  Orange. 

The  company  took  possession  of  these  lands 
on  April  20th,  1775. 

The  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  (Martin,) 
by  proclamation,  declared  this  purchase  ille- 
gal; the  state  of  Virginia  did  the  same,  and 
the  state  of  Tennessee  claimed  these  lauds; 
but  the  states  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia 
each  subsequently  granted  to  the  company 
200,000  acres  as  remuneration. 

In  1779,  Judge  Henderson  was  appointed 
with  Oroondates  Davis,  John  Williams,  of  Cas- 
well, James  Kerr,  and  William  Baily  Smith, 
to  run  the  line  between  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina  into  Powell's  Valley. 

The  same  year  he  opened  a  land  office  at 
the  French  Lick,  (now  Nashville,)  for  the  sale 
of  the  companj''s  lands. 

Judge  Henderson  had  several  brothers,  the 
youngest  of  whom  was  Major  Pleasant  Hen- 
derson. He  was  born  in  1750,  and  served  in 
the  war  of  the  revolution.  In  1789,  he  suc- 
ceeded John  Haywood,  as  clerk  of  the  House 
of  Commons,  which  position  he  held  for  forty 
years,  continuously.  He  married.  (1786,)  a 
daughter  of  Colonel  James  Martin,  of  Stokes 
County,  and  settled  at  Chapel  Hill,  where  he 
resided  for  many  years,  and  reared  a  large 
family.  He  moved  .in  18-31  to  Tennessee, 
where  he  died  in  1842,  in  the  Both  year  of  his 
age,  leaving  Dr.  Pleasant  Henderson,  of  Salis- 
bury, born  1802;  Dr.  Alexander  Martin  Hen- 
derson, horn  1807;  Mrs.  Hamilton  C.  Jones, 
of  Rowan  County. 

Judge  Henderson  married  Elizabeth  Keel- 
ing, a  step-daughter  of  Judge  Williams,  and 
had  six  chilclren. 

I.  Fanny,  born  176-t;  married  to  Judge 
Spruce  McCay,  of  Salisbury. 

II.  Richard,  born  July,  1766. 

III.  Archibald,  born  1768. 

IV.  Elizabeth,  bora  1770;  married  William 
Lee  Alexander. 


GRANVILLE  COUNTY.  181 

V.  Leo!iard,  born  1778.                                    .  his  element.     It  was  in  the  profession  of  the 

VI.  John  LawsoUjboni  1770.  law  thut  he  attained  his  matchless  reputation, 
Judge   Richard   Henderson   returned    honie  and  was  pronounced  by  one  qualified  tojudge:* 

from  Tennessee  in    1780,  and  surrounded  by  "The  most  pei-fect  model  of  a  lawyer  the  l)ar 

peace  and  plenty,  esteemed   and  loved  by  all  of  North  Carolina  has  ever  produced." 

who  knew  him,  he  departed  this  life  on  Janu-  "He    contributed, "    says    Judge    Murphey, 

ary  30,  1786.  "  more  to  give  dignity  to  the  profession  than 

His  ihiughters,  intelligent  and  accomplished,  any   lawyer  since  the  daj^s  of  General   Davie, 

married    men  of  ability  and   high    reputation,  and  Alfred  Moore." 

Each  of  his  sons  studied  the  profession  of  the  He  looked,  as  did  Hooker,  "  with  reverence 

law,  ill  which  their  father  was  distinguished,  on  tlie  science  of  the  law,"  for  with  him,  he 

and  tlie\-  did  Jiis  name  no  dishonor.  thought,  that  "  her  voice  was  the  harmony  of 

Richard  Henderson,  first  son  of  Richard,  was  the  world  and  her  seat  the  bosom  of  God."  By 

highl}-    educated,  gr:i(luated   at    universit}'  in  the  teachings  of  the  law,  men    are   taught  the 

1804,  read  law,  and  gave  every  promise  of  dis-  great  lessons  of  ol)edience  to  rules  and  rever- 

tinction;  but  he  died  at  an  early  age.  enee  for  their  administration.     No  one  under- 

Archibald  Henderson,  b  irn  1768,  died  1822,  stood  this  better  than  did  Archibald  Hender- 

the    sec.>nd    son    of    Richard     and    Eliz.foeth  son,  and  in  his  practice  no  one  more  studiously 

Keeling,  lived  and  died  in  Salisbiuy;  and  was  observed   it.      Mr.   Henderson  has  often   said 

the  acknowledged   head   of  the  profession  in  that  he  knew  "  but  few   men  fitted  for  the 

Western  North   Carolina.     He  v/as   educated  bench.    He  had  known  many  good  lawyei-s,  Imt 

at  the  schools  and   academies  of  the   county,  few  good  judges."     The  qualifications  requisite 

lor  his  name  does  not  appear  among  the  gradu-  for  a  good  judge,  are  rarely  combined.     Many 

ates  of  tlie  university.     He  studied  law  with  esteem  legal  learning,  the  first    qualification, 

his  relati\'e,  Judge  Williams,  and  settled  in  Mr,  Henderson   thouglit  strong   common  sense, 

Salisbury.     He  was  a  nieniber  of  the  House  of  the  Jii'st  qualification;  an  intimate  knowledge 

Commons  from  Salisbury,  in  1807  to  1809, 1814,  of  men,  particularly  of    the    middle   or   lower 

1815,1819,  1820,  and   a  member  of  coiigi'ess  classes,  their  passions  and  jjrejudices,  modes  of 

from    1799    to    1803.      These    were    e.xciting  thoughts,  was  the  swo??d;  good  moral  character, 

times  ill  congress.     Onr  limits  do  not  allow  us  subdued    feelings,   without   prejudice    or    par- 

to  detail   the  exciting  questions  of  that  day,  tiality,  was  the  i/i/cci;  independence  and  energy 

but  one  may  be  alluded  to.     For  the  first  time  of  will  tha  fourth,  and  legal  learning  the  last." 

in  our  history  the    election  of  piesident    de-  Lord  Mansfield  gave  this  advice  to  a  brave 

volvcd  on    the   bouse  of  representatives,   and  old  admiral,  who,  for  his  gallantry  and  services, 

the  foundations  of  our  republic  were  severely  had  been  appointed  a  judge  by  the  crown,  to 

tested.      Mr.  Henderson,    with  William  Barry  some  distant  point,  and  at  once   went  to  him, 

GroN'e,    Joseph    Dickson,    William    H.    Hill  to  procure  some  law  l)ooks  to  qualify  himself, 

voted    for  Aaron   Burr,  whilst   Willis  Alston,  "  You   do  not  need    any  such  aid,"  said  Lord 

Nathaniel   Macon,  Richard   Stanford,  Richard  Mansfield.        "Go    to    your    post;    hear  both 

Dobbs  Spaight,  David  Stone,  and  Robert  Wil-  sides  patiently,  and    then   decide  with  energy 

Hams,  supported  Thomas  Jefferson.     Mr.  Hen-  imd  firmness,  according  to  your  own  views;  but 

derson  was  a  decided  federalist,  and  was  able  Ri^'t^  few  or  no  reasons  for  your  opinion." 

and   eloquent      But,  alth... ugh  he  shone  as  '-a  It   has   been    said   that   one  of   the   best  at- 

biight,  peculiar  star  "  in  politics,  this  was  not  ^Mge  A.  D.  Miu-phey. 


1 


182  WHEELER'S    KEMINISCENCES. 

torney -generals    the    state    ever    had,    never  the  circuit  courts,  was  established  to  be  held 

opened  a  law  book  until  he  had  been  appointed.  1)3'  the  same  judges  twice   a  year,  at  Rnleigh, 

By  his  marriage  with  Sarah,  daughter  of  Wil-  in  the  intervals  of  the  ridings  of  the  superior 

liam   Alexander,  and    the    sister  of  Governor  courts,  this  was    called  the  court   of  confer- 

Nathanial    Alexander,    Mr.    Henderson    had  ence.      Two  vacancies  occurred,  occasioned  by 

Archibald  and    Mrs.    Boyden,   the    relict    of  the  death  of  Judge  McCay  and  the  elevation -, 

Honorable  Nathaniel  Boyden;  he  died  October  of  Judge  Stone  to  the  office  of  governor;  to 

21,  1822,  and  in  the  Lutheran  church  yard, in  one  of  these  Mr.  Hender.son  was  elected.     He 

Salisbury,  an  appropriate  monument  marks  his  discharged    the    duties  of  judge  in  a    manner 

grave,  erected  by  the  members  of  the  bar.  highly  creditable   to  himself  and  satisfactory 

Leonard  Henderson,  born  1772,  died  August  to  the  public  for  eight  years,  then  he  resigned, 

\_^         12,  1883,  was  the  third   son  of  Richard    and  doubtless  because  of  the  laborious  duties  and 

~^"^'"    Elizabeth  Keely;  he  was  not  the  least  talented,  meagre  compensation   received,  only  §1,600  a 

and  in  many  respects  the  most  distinguished,  year  was  paid. 

even  more  than  his  able  brother,  of  whom  In  1810,  the  legislature,  ap[ireciating  the  evils 
we  have  just  written.  He  was  born  Octo-  of  this  judicial  sj'steni,  and  the  inadequate 
her  6,  1772,  on  Nutbush  Creek,  in  Granville  compensation  to  the  judges,  organized  the  pre- 
County.  He  lost  his  father  when  a  youth,  sent  supreme  court,  with  its  present  powers 
and  his  mother  survived  her  husband  only  and  more  liberal  salaries.  On  December  12, 
live  3'ears.  It  is  stated,  as  an  evidence  of  the  1818,  John  Hall,  Leonard  Henderson  and  John 
simplicity  and  frugality,  as  well  as  of  the  in-  Lonis  Taylor  were  elected  to  this  bench, 
dustry,  of  the  matrons  of  that  dajs  that  his  These  were  the  right  n)en  in  the  i-ight  place, 
mother  taught  her  sons,  as  well  as  her  daught-  It  was  peculiar}' the  sphere  in  which  Judge 
ers,  to  card  and  spin.  Henderson  was  destined  to  achieve  his  great 
The  early  education  of  Judge  Leonard  Hen-  reputation.  He  possessed  unquestionably 
derson  was  obtained  in  the  country  schools,  genius  of  the  highest  order;  above  all  he  had 
He  read  the  Latin  and  Greek  classics  under  an  honest  as  well  as  a  strong  mind.  Ilis 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Patillo,  a  Presbyterian  knowledge  of  the  great  principles  of  jurispru- 
elergyman,  who  married  a  sister  of  Robert  dence  was  deep  and  clear,  in  all  his  opinions 
Goodloe  Harper,  and  with  this  limited  stock  of  a  search  for  tlie  truth  seemed  to  be  the  pre- 
learning,  which  was  as  much  as  his  finances  dominant  idea.  He  was  impatient  when  he 
would  allow,  he  commenced  the  stud}-  of  the  found  himself  opposed  by  precedents,  Avhich 
law  with  his  relative,  Judge  John  Williams,  to  his  mind  were  not  supported  by  principle, 
whose  sister  his  paternal  grandfather  had  His  maxim  was  "  inveirimn  out  faciam  vium," 
married.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  held,  that  is,  if  he  could  not  find  a  straight,  clear 
for  several  years,  the  place  of  clerk  of  the  dis-  path,  leading  to  truth,  he  would  mnke  one. 
)  trict  court  at  Hillsboro,  a  position  of  much  "  This,"  says  Judge  Battle,  who  was  his  pupil 
dignity  and  emolument.  At  this  time,  the  and  friend,  and  from  whose  admirable  mem- 
state  was  divided  into  few  districts,  and  in  oir,  I  extract  these  memoranda,  "  was  tlie  only 
each  district  court  was  held  twice  a  year.  In  fault  he  had  as  a  judge."  He  had  for  years  a 
1806,  this  s^'stem  was  abolished,  and  a  su-  law  school  where  many  listened  with  pleasure 
perior  court  was  held  in  each  county  twice  a  and  profit  to  his  lucid  and  learned  teachings.  In 
year;  these  were  divided  into  six  circuits.  A  early  life  his  mind  had  been  tinctured  with 
court    of  appellate  jurisdiction,  distinct   from  infidelity,  but  a  short  time  before   his  death 


GRANVILLE  COUNTY. 


3  83 


he  professed  a  belief  in  Jesus,  as  the  saviour  of 
sinners.  He  died  at  his  residence  near  Wil- 
liamsboro,  in  Aus^ust  13,  1833.  A  widow,  nee 
Farrar,  a  niece  of  Judge  WilUianis,  and  five 
children  survived  him. 

L  Archibald  Erskiue,  (since  dead,)  married 
Anne,  daughter  of  Richard  Bullock. 

II.  Dr.  William  Farrar  Henderson,  married 
Agnes  Hare,  of  Williamsboro. 

III.  John  Henderson,  died  unmarried. 

IV.  Fanny,  married  Dr.  William  V.  Taylor, 
who  lived  in  Memphis. 

V.  Luc}',  married  Dr,  Richard  Sneed. 
John    Lawson  Henderson,  son   of  Richard 

and  Elizabeth,  born  1778,  died  about  1844, 
was  the  youngest  son,  iind  if  equally  gifted  as 
his  distinguished  brothers,  acquired  less  fame 
as  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  although  more 
liberally  educated.  He  graduated  at  the  uni- 
versity in  1800,  in  the  same  class  with  Wil- 
liam ChtuMW,  senator  from  Bertie.  lie  studied 
law,  but  from  his  retiring  temper,  modest 
demeanor  and  indolent  dis['Osition,he  did  not 
succeed  in  the  practice.  He  was  blessed  with 
a  clear,  discriminating  mind,  high  and  gene- 
rous impulses. 

He  represented  Salisbury  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  1816,-'16,-'23,  and  "24. 

In  1827,  he  was  elected  the  comptroller  of 
the  state,  and  subsequently,  the  clerk  of  the 
supreme  court,  in  which  office  he  died,  at  Ra- 
leigh, 1844.     He  was  never  married. 

Robert  Ballard  Gilliam,  born  1805,  died  Oc- 
tober 17,  1870,  was  born,  lived  and  died  in 
Granville  County. 

He  was  the  son  of  Leslie  Gilliam,  who  was 
a  worthy  and  respectable  citizen,  and  for  a  long- 
time the  sheriff  of  this  county. 

He  was  liberally  educated,  and  graduated 
at  the  university  in  1823,  in  the  same  class 
with  Daniel  W.  Courts,  George  F.  Davidson, 
Isaac  Hall,  Richmond  M.  Pearson,  Alfred  M- 
Scales,  and  otliers.  He  read  law,  and  com- 
menced I  he  practice  at  a  bar  composed  of  gen- 


tlemen of  great  power  and  eloquence.  Among 
these  were  the  late  Chief  Justices  Ruffin  and 
Nash,  Governor  Iredell,  George  E.  Badger, 
Willie  P.  Mangum,  Samuel  Hillman,  William 
H.  Haywood,  Hugh  Waddell,  and  others.  In 
this  galaxy  of  talent  and  learning,  Mr.  Gilliam 
shone  conspicuous. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  in  1835, 
the  most  distinguished  body  of  statesmen  ever 
assembled  in  the  state. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  commons  in  1836,- 
'38  and  '40,  and  again  in  1846,-'48  and  1862, 
was  elected  speaker  of  the  house.  In  1863,  he 
was  elevated  to  the  bench,  where  he  remained 
till  the  close  of  the  late  war  between  the 
states.  Upon  the  restoration  of  the  Federal 
authority,  he  was  again  placed  on  the  bench, 
where  he  remained  until  1868. 

A  few  months  before  his  death,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  congress,  (October  17, 
1870,)  but  before  he  took  his  seat  he  died.  As  a 
statesman,  he  was  a  pure  and  patriotic;  as  a  law- 
3'er,  he  was  learned  and  able,  and  liis  ability 
was  only  equalled  b}'  the  kindly  qualities  of 
his  heart.  Such  were  the  conspicuous  traits 
of  his  character,  which  endeared  him  to  all  who 
knew  him.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to 
Miss  Noble,  of  Virginia,  and  second  to  Miss 
Kittrell,  but  left  no  issue. 

Abram  Watkins  Venable,  born  1799,  died 
1876,  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Venable,  and  the 
nephew  and  name  sake  of  Abram  B.  Venable, 
who  was  a  member  of  congress  from  Virginia, 
1791  to  1799,  and  United  States  senator  1803 
and  1804;  was  detailed  by  the  Jeftersonian 
party,  on  account  of  his  financial  abilities,  to 
be  the  president  of  the  Bank  of  A-^irginia.  He 
perished  in  the  burning  of  the  Richmond 
Theatre,  December  26th,  1811. 

A.  W.  Venable  v.'as  born  in  Prince  Ed- 
ward County,  Virginia,  October  I7th,  1799. 
His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Judge  Carring- 
ton.  Educated  at  Hampden  Sydney  College, 
where  he  graduated  in  1816,  he  studied  medi- 


184  WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES.  , 

cine  for  two  years,  and  then  went  to  Princeton,  failed  to  pass.    Such  had  lieen  the  course  of  the 

where  hej^raduated  in  1819.     He  then  studied  banks  that  great  prejudice  existed  against  them 

law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1821.  amongst  the  people.  Air.  Potter  was  elected  to 

He  settled  in  Oxford,  and  in  1832  was  elec-  the  Twentieth  Congress  the  next  year,  and  re- 
tor  on  the  Jackson  ticket,  and  again  in  1836  elected  to  the  Twenty-second  Congress.  But 
on  the  YanBuren  ticket,  with  Nathaniel  Ma-  this  brilliant  career  was  brought  to  an  ignom- 
con  and  others.  This  was  the  last  public  act  inous  close  b}'  P<jtter  himself.  He  committed 
of  Macon's  long  and  eventful  career  in  politics,  a  brutal  mayhem  upon  two  of   his  wife's  rela- 

Mr.  Venable  was  elected,  in  1847,  a  member  tions,  for  which  he  was  fined  and  imprisoned, 

of  congress,  over  Judge   Kerr;  and  again  in  He  then  went  to  Texas  and.  there  was  killed 

1849,  elected  over  Henry  K.    Nash,    and    re-  in  a  private  brawl, 
elected  in  April,  1851.  Memucan    Hunt  was  born  in  this  county. 

He  was  again  a  candidate    for  congress  in  He  served  in  the  provincial   congress   at  New 

1853,  but  from  some  dissatisfaction  of  his  party  Berne,  August  25,  1774,  and  at  Halifax,  April 

as  to  Cuba  and  other  questions,  another  demo-  4,  1776,  and  November  12,  of  that  year.     He 

crat  (Lewis,)  was  put  in  nomination,  and  Hon-  was    treasurer  of   North   Carolina  froin  1777 

orable  Sion  H.  Rogera  was  elected.  to   1787,  senator  in   the    legislature  in    1788, 

During  the  civil  war,  Mr.  Venable  was  a  and  was  a  man  of  distinction  and  much  useful- 
member  of  the    confederate   congress;  when  ness. 

this  closed  he  retired  from  public  life.     His         William  Hunt,  his  son,  a  distiriguished  offi- 

health  had  for  some  time  failed,  and  he  died  cer  in  the  revolution,  was  appointed  major  in 

at  Oxford,  February  24th,  1876,  leaving  a  son.  Colonel    Philip    Taylor's    regiment    of    state 

Major  Thomas  B.  Venable,  and  other  children,  troops.     He  was  the  father  of  Memucan  Hunt, 

to  inherit  his  fame  and  virtues.  who  was  sent    by  the  Republic  of  Texas    as 

Robert  Potter  was  a  resident  of  Granville  Envoy  to  Washington  city. 
County.     In   early  life  he  was  a  midshipman         There  are  many  other  names  connected  with 

in  the  navy,  from  which  he  resigned;  studied  Granville  wortlij'  of  mcmorj'    and  record,  as 

law  and  entered   the  legislature  in   1826,  as  a  Amis,    Bullock,  Eatons,   Hargrave,  Hillmaii, 

member  from  Halifax,  and  in  1828  he  was  elec-  Hunt,  Littles,  Littlejohn,  Pnlliam,    Robards, 

ted  from  Granville.     His  course  in  the  legisla-  Sneed, Taylor,  Wyche,  Yancey,  and  others;  but 

ture  was  marked  by  a  violent  and  vindictive  want  of  sufficient  material  to  form  a  sketch, 

assault  on  the  banks  of  the  state,  which  he  and  the  limits  of  our  work,  compel  us  to  leave 

■pursued  with  such  adroitness,  that  his  bill  to  this  pleasing  task  to  some  son    of  Granville, 

to  raise  a  committee  to  prosecute  the  banks  was  who    will  gather  up  the    rich    memorials    of 

carried  by  one  vote,  but  the  speaker,  Thomas  this  grand  old  county,  and  present  her  sons  in 

Settle,  sr.,  voting  with  the  minority,  the  bill  their  true  light  to  the  admiration  of  posterity. 


'^^^J^.-r^s 


GREENE  AJS^D  GUILFORD  COUNTIES.  185 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

GREENE  COUNTY. 

General  Jesse  Speight.  b(irn  September  22,  Congress;  then  he  declined  a  re-election,  and 
1795,  died  1847,  was  a  native  of  Greene  removed  to  Columbus,  Mississippi. 
County.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Seth  Speight,  He  here  entered  again  the  political  arena,  with 
a  Methodist  preacher.  His  education  was  not  brilliant  success.  He  was  sent  to  the  legisla- 
thorough,  but  his  career  in  all  the  vicissitudes  ture,  elected  speaker,  and  in  1844  was  made 
of  public  life,  proves  that  books  are  not  alone  senator  in  congress,  which  post  he  occupied  at 
indispensible  for  success.  He  jiossessed  great  the  time  of  his  death:  this  occurred  at  Col- 
shrewdness  of   character,    ambition,   and   un-  umbus,  Maj'  1,  1847. 

tiring    perseverance,  united    to    a    warm    and  Without  an}'  extraordinarj'  endowments  of 

generous  heart,  to  these  qualities  wei-e  added  mind,  or  advantages  of  liberal  education,  his 

a    commanding    and    comely  person,   (he  was  brilliant    success     was    due     to    his     simple- 

the  tallest   man  I  ever  saw.)      He  entered  the  hearted  honesty,  his  energy  of  character, and  his 

House  of  Commons  when  in  the  prime  of  life,  devotion  to  the  principles  of  the  constitution, 

(the  twenty-seventh  year  of  his  age,)  the  uBj^t  Joseph   Dixon  was  Ijorn   in  Greene  Ci)unty 

year,  1823,  he  \\'as  elected  senator  in  thel/gis-  April  29,  1828,  and  rejire.sented  the  cou.-.ty  in 

lature,  of  which  he  was  s[ieaker  in  1828, and  in  th(;  legislature  in  1868.  On  the  death  of  David 

this   he  continued  until  1829,    when   he    was  Heaton,  (who  died  June  25,  1870.)  Mr.  Dixon 

elected  a  member  of  the  Twenty-first  Congress,  was  elected   to  serve  the    unexpired  term   in 

1837,    and    served    until    the   Twenty-fourth  the  Forty-tirst  Congress,  1869,-'71. 


GUILFORD  COUNTY. 

In  this  county   one  of  the  most  important  western    Carolina.      These    were   met  at  the 

battles  of  the  revolution  was  fought,  March  King's   Mountain,   October    7,  1780,  and    de- 

15,  1780,  important  in  its  consequences,  for  it  feated,  then  came  the  glorious  victory  of  the 

formed  a  link  in  the  chain  of  events  that  led  Cowpens,  of  Morgan  over  Tarleton,  with    the 

to  the  linal  independence  of  our  country.  flower  of  the  British  army,  (January  17, 1781,) 

At    this    time   the    English    authority   was  these,  with  the  battle  of  Guilford,  in   March, 

supreme  in    the  south.     Georgia  was  in  their  all  presaged  the  final  defeat  and  surrender  of 

undisputed  power,  Charleston  had  surrendered,  Cornwallis   at   Yorktown,    October  19,  1781. 

Gates  had  been  defeated   at   Camden,  (1780)  This  triad  of  victories  sealed  the   fate  of  the 

and    Lord    Cornwallis   advanced  in  "all    the  royal  power  of  England  in  America,  for  had 

pride,  pomp  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war,"  either  terminated   differentlj',   difierent,  [ler- 

and  had  taken  position  at  Cliarlotte;  here  he  haps,  had  been  the  fate  of  our  country's  liberty, 

held  his  headquarters.     He  had  dispatched  an  An  official  report  of  the  battle  of  Guilford, 

experienced  and  approved  officer  with  a  strong  by    Lord    Cornwallis,    and    also   by    General 

force  to  intimidate  and  subdue  the  people  of  Greene,  have  been  published,  and  will  repay  a 


186 


WI-IEELER'S   REMIlSriSCENCES. 


careful  perusal,*  they  are  too  long  to  be  re- 
published here;  but  it  may  be  well  to  present 
some  sketches  of  the  lives  and  services  of 
those  who  figured  so  prominently  on  that 
occasion. 

From  an  authentic  work  we  extract  the  fol- 
lowing :t 

"Earl  Cornwallis,  (viscount  Brome)  was 
born  in  Governor  Square,  London,  December 
31,  1738,  and  died  October  5,  1805. 

"  He  was  educated  at  Eton.  While  at  col- 
lege playing  at  hockey,  he  received  a  blow, 
which  produced  ii  slight  init  permanent  obli- 
quity of  vision.  The  hay  who  accidently 
caused  this  was  Shute  Barrington,  afterwards 
Bishop  of  Durham.  After  finishing  his  edu- 
cation he  chose  the  army  as  his  profession. 
His  first  conmiission  as  Ensign  in  the  Foot 
Guards,  is  dated  J3ecember  8th,  1756.  His 
first  lesson  in  war  was  as  aid  to  the  Alarquis  of 
Grandby,  in  the  contest  between  England  and 
France  in  1761.  He  had  been  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  parliament  from  Eye,  and  upon  the 
death  of  his  father  the  following  year,  took 
liis  seat  in  the  House  of  Lords.  When  in  par- 
liament he  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  scheme 
of  taxing  America,  bait  when  the  war  came,  as 
an  officer  of  the  army,  he  accepted  active  em- 
p>loynient  against  t!ie  colonists.  In  February 
10th,  1776,  he  ernliarked  for  America  in  com- 
mand of  a  division." 

To  all  human  sagacity  this  war  at  first  would 
appear  to  prove  but  a  holiday  excursion,  con- 
sidering the  paucity  of  the  forces  engaged. 
Lord  Cornwallis  gives  the  following  as  the 
force  of  the  two  armies: 


British. 
August,  1776  .  .  .  24.000, 
November,  1776  .  26,900, 
December,  1776  .  27,700, 


Americans. 
16,000, 
4,500, 
3,300.+ 


He   u'as    at    the    battle  of   Brandywine,  in 
1777,  where  he  displayed   much  coolness  and 


*Whee]er's  History  of  Korth  Carolina,  II.,  175. 

tCorrespondence  of  cluu'tes,  first  rnarquis  of  <'orn- 
wallis.  by  C.  Koss  in  thrcR  volnnies,  London,  1859. 
All  accurate  likeness  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  in  m  posses- 
sion, shows  tldf  defect.  I  have  heard  old  men  say, 
who  had  known  Lord  Cornwallis,  'that  he  was  bliiid 
in  one  eye." 

jCornwallis'  Correspondence,  I  ,  29. 


bravery,  and  Avas  then  sent  south,  and  there 
defeated  General  Gates  at  Camden,  August 
15,  1780. 

The  battle  of  Guilford  was  his  last  general 
engagement,  for  he  was  compelled  by  Wash- 
ington, to  surrender  at  Yorktown,  October 
19th,  1781. 

He  returned  to  England,  and  his  mischances 
in  America-did  not. seem  to  lessen  his  reputa- 
tion, for  he  was  appointed  Governor  of  the 
Tower,  and  in  1786,  he  was  sent  to  the  East 
Indies  as  Governor  and  as  commander-in-chief. 
Here  he  was  distinguislied  for  his  gallantry  in 
the  war  against  the  Sultan  of  M^'sore,  and  on 
his  return  to  England,  in  consequence  of  his 
faithful  and  honorable  services,  he  was  made  a 
pirivy  counsellor,  created  a  marquis,  appointed 
master-general  of  ordnance,  and  sent  as  lord 
lieutenant  to  Ireland.  He  was  made  min- 
ister plenipotentiary  to  France,  and  as  such 
signed  the  treaty  of  Amiens.  In  1804,  he 
succeeded  the  Marquis  of  Wellesly  as  Gov- 
ernor General  of  India;  in  this  situation  he 
died,  to  Ghazepoore,  October  5th,  1805. 

Colonel  Banastre  Tarleton,  born  1754,  died 
1833,  accompanied  Lord  Cornwallis  in  his 
campaign  in  the  south,  and  commanded  the 
twenty -first  regiment  of  dragoons. 

Ho  was  born  in  Liverpool,  August  21,  1754. 
Studied  law,  but  on  the  revolt  of  the  colonist 
of  America,  joined  the  array.  He  was  dis- 
tinguished for  his  daring,  intrepidity,  indomi- 
table energy,  and  sanguinary  disposition.  The 
ardor  of  his  temper  received  a  severe  check 
at  the  Cowpens,  from  General  Morgan.  He 
surrendered  at  Yorktown,  and  released  on 
parole  he  returned  to  England.  lie  mari'ied, 
1798,  Priscilla,  the  natural  daughter  of  the 
Duke  of  Ancaster,  but  he  lived  for  some  time 
with  Perdita,  (Mrs.  Robinson,)  the  former  mis- 
tress of  the  Prince  of  Wales;  from  whom  he 
received  considerable  sums  of  money. 

He  was  a  member  of  piarliament  from  Liver- 
pool, from  1790    to    1806,    and    from    1807  to 


GUILFORD   COUKTY. 


187 


1812.  He  was  notorious  for  his  criticisms  on 
military  matters.  In  one  of  his  works  sev- 
erely blamed  Lord  Cornwailis  for  the  fail- 
ure of  the  British  arms  in  America,  and  he 
assumed  to  criticise  the  military  character  of 
the  Duke  of  Wellington. 

He  died  January  25,  1833,  without  issue.* 

On  the  field  of  Guilford, fell  Colonel  Wilson 
Webster,  one  of  the  most  gallant  and  efficient 
officers  in  the  British  army.  He  came  to 
America  with  Lord  Cornwailis,  and  was  very 
active  in  the  operations  in  New  Jerse_y  in  1777. 
In  1779,  he  commanded  at  Verplanek's  Point, 
and  resisted  successfully  the  attack  of  General 
Robert  Howe.  He  ctmimanded  the  right  wing 
of  the  Britisli  army  at  the  battle  of  Camden, 
South  Carolina. 

He  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Guilford,  and  died  a  few  days  afterward,  at 
Elizabeth  town,  in  Bladen  Countj^  where  he 
was  buried.  His  remains,  a  few  3'ears  ago, 
were  disinterred;  of  this  event  an  interesting 
account  was  given  at  the  time,  from  tlie gifted 
pen  of  Mrs.  Hugh  Waddell. 

His  father  was  an  eminent  physician  of 
Edinboro,  Scotland.  The  following  letter  to 
his  father,  from  Cornwailis,  does  justice  to  his 
merits,  and  credit  to  head  as  well  as  the  heart 
of  the  writer: 

"'  Wilmington,  North  Carolina, 
"  Ajyril  28d,  1781. 
"  My  Dear  Sir: 

■'It  gives  me  great  concern  to  undertake  a 
task,  which  is  not  only  a  bitter  renewal  of  my 
grief,  but  must  be  a  violent  shock  to  an  affec- 
tionate parent. 

"You  have  for  your  suiiport  the  assistance 
of  religion,  good  sense,  and  an  experience  of 
the  uncertainty  of  all  human  happiness.  You 
liave  for  your  satisfaction  that  your  son  died 
nobly  for  the  defense  of  his  country,  honored 
and  lamented  by  his  fellow  soldiers,  that  he 
led  a  life  of  honor  and  virtue,  wliich  must 
secure  him  everlasting  happiness. 

*Oorn\vaIlis'  Correspoudence.  54  I  have  a  perfect 
gem  of  art  ia  a  full  length  portrait  of  this  olHcer,  by 
Sir  John  Keynolds.  copied  by  Sully  from  the  original 
in  London. 


"  When  the  keen  sensibilities  of  the  pistons 
begin  a  little  to  subside,  these  considerations 
will  give  you  real  comfort. 

"  That  the  Almighty  may  give  you  fortitude 
to  bear  this  sevei'est  of  trials,  is  the  earnest 
wish  of  your  companion  in  affliction,  and  your 
faithful  servant, 

"  CORNWALLIS." 

David  Caldwell,  D.  D.,  born  1725,  died  1824, 
was  so  patriotic  and  so  distinguished  "  in  his 
day  and  generation,"  that  he  richly  deserves 
our  remembrance  and  gratitude. 

He  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania;  born  in 
Lancaster  County,  March  22,1725. 

His  early  education  was  neglected,  his  father 
having  apprenticed  him  to  learn  the  trade  of 
a  house  carpenter,  and  this  he  followed  for 
four  years  after  his  term  of  apprenticeship  had 
expired.  He  was  moral,  studious,  and  early 
became  a  member  of  the  Presliyterian  church. 
He  resolved  to  become  a  minister  of  tb.e gospel, 
and  after  being  prepared  for  college,  he  entered 
Princeton,  where  he  graduated  in  1761.  He 
was  sent  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  in 
1765,  to  North  Carolina  as  a  missionary,  which 
was  to  be  tlie  field  of  his  labors  and  usefulness; 
he  settled  in  this  county.  He  was  a  sincere 
patriot  and  so  decided  in  the  cause  of  his 
adopted  home,  that  he  was  severely  persecuted 
by  the  tories  and  the  British  in  1781.  They 
ravaged  liis  farm  and  burned  his  houses. 

He  studied  medicine  and  combined  the  two 
characters  of  tlie  divine  and  the  phj'sician.  In 
the  unhappy  times  of  the  Regulation  troubles, 
he  did  all  in  his  power  to  alleviate  the  op- 
pressions imposed  on  this  impoverished  people 
by  the  hands  of  cruelty  andj extortion.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  provincial  congress  at 
Halifax,  which  formed  the  state  constitution, 
and  of  the  convention  at  Hillsboi'o,  called  to 
consider  the  Constitution  of  the  United  St  ites, 
July  21, 1788.  These  were  the  onl\'  oflicies  he 
ever  held  of  a  political  nature.  For  years  he 
conducted  at  his  house  a  classical  school,  at 
which  some  of  the  first  men  of  this  age  were 


188 


WHEELEE'S  REMINISCENCES. 


educiited.  Jiuly'e  Murphe^-,  Judge  McCay, 
Governor  Morelieiid,  and  otliers,  received  fVom 
this  excellent  teacher  their  early  education. 

He  married  in  1765,  Eachel,  the  third 
dangliter  of  Kev.  Alexander  Craighead,  of 
Mecklenhurg  Count}'.  Alter  a  long  life  of 
usei'uliiess  and  honoi-,he  died  August  25,1824. 

Alexander  Martin,  died  in  1807,  who  for  a 
long  time  resided  in  this  county,  was  born  in 
New  Jersey.  He  was  liberally  educated.  His 
brother,  Colonel  James  Martin,  who  resided  in 
Stokes,  was  a  colonel  in  the  revolution,  and- 
the  father  of  the  late  Judge  James  Martin  of 
Salisbury,  who  moved  to  Alabama  and  there 
died.  Another  brother,  Thomas,  was  an  Epis- 
copal minister,  a  graduate  of  Princeton,  and 
taught  school  in  Virginia.  Another  brother, 
Samuel,  was  a  captain  in  the  re\'olutionary 
war,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Eataw.  He 
married  in  Charlotte,  where  he  died. 

Alexander,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  moved 
to  Virginia,  and  thence  to  Guilford  County; 
in  1772,  he  was  its  re[iresentative  in  the  col- 
onial assemblj-. 

He  \Nas  a  member  of  the  first  provincial 
congress  that  met  at  New  Berne,  1774,  in 
opposition  to  the  royal  government,  and  again 
in  1775.  The  provincial  congress  that  met  at 
Halifax,  (April  4,  1776)  appointed  him  col- 
onel of  the  second  regiment  in  the  conti- 
nental service,  vrith  John  Patton  as  lieutenant- 
eol(.>nel.  He  joined  the  grand  army  of  the 
north,  under  General  Washington.  He  was 
at  the  battles  of  Brand\'wine,  September  11, 
1777,  and  at  Germautown,  October  4,  1777, 
where  his  brigade  commander,  Nash,  was 
killed.* 

*Tlj.e  following  is  extracted  from  the  Universitj'  Mag- 
aziiiC,  V  ,  363: 

"  Oiir  b  igade  f rom  North  Carolina  ^Y:ls  inspected; 
the  fceven  regiments,  which  had  been  two  years  in  ser- 
V  ce.  were  ascertained  to'be  too  small  for  their  comiile- 
ment  of  otiicers.  the  brigade  was  reduced  to  three  regi- 
ments, t  e  surplus  olH' ers  were  dischar.ed  and  sent 
home.  The  first  regiment  was  conmauded  bj^  -houias 
Clarke,  of  Hanover  to  which  the  6th  was  attached;  the 
second  wiis  commanded  by  Colonel  Fatten,  to  which 
the ■4th  regiment  was  attached;  the  third  rigiment  was 


This  battle  terminated  his  military  career. 
Degraded  hy  the  court  martial,  he  returned 
home,  and  the  magazine,  from  which  we  have 
quoted,  adds  that  "  these  officers  who  wero 
dismissed  proved  very  useful.  On  their  re- 
turn they  found  the  state  in  great  confusion; 
t(jries  were  very  abundant;  robberies  and 
murders  frequent.  These  officers  used  their 
influence  and  expierience  in  quelling  and  tak- 
ing these  tories  prisoners  and  hanging  many 
of  them;  thus  proving  themselves  in  tbeirown 
state  more  useful  than  they  could  liave  been 
to  the  country  had  they  been  retained  in  the 
arni3'." 

This  sentence  of  the  court  martial  did  not 
affect,  as  it  is  shown  by  subsequent  events,  the 
chiU'acter,  usefulness  or  popularit\'  of  Colonel 
Martin,  for,  in  1779,  he  was  elected  senator 
from  Guilford,  and  re-elected  in  1780,-'81,-'82, 
1787,-'88,  and  was  chosen  speaker  of  the  sen- 
ate during  all  these  yeai's. 

On  the  capture  of  Governor  Burke,  1781,  by 
the  tories,  under  David  Fanning,  at  Hills- 
boro,  then  the  seat  of  government,  a?  speaker 
of  the  senate,  he  became  ex-offiAo  governor 
of  the  state,  and  exercised  the  functions  of 
that  office. 

In  1782,  and  again  in  1789,  he  was  elected 
governor  of  the  state,  and  was  senator  in  con- 
gress from  1793  to  1799. 

Governor  Martin,  \iy  bis  support  of  .John 
Adams  and   the   alien   and    sedition  laws,  lost 

commanded  by  Jethro  Sumner,  to  which  the  .oth  regi- 
nu  nt  was  wttached.  The  oldest  captain  of  each  regi- 
ment, that  was  broken  up  was  retained  in  t  e  new  regi- 
ment, ^^'ith  the  priviledge  of  select  ng  the  men  who 
should  compose  their  company  from  the  regiment 
to  which  they  first  belonged. 

"Alexander  Martin,  colonel  of  t'  e  second  regiment, 
at  the  battle  of  Germautown,  seeing  a  soldier  slip  into 
a  hollow  of  a  gum  tree,  ordered  him  out,  threatening  to 
run  him  through  with  his  sword.  The  soldier  obeyed, 
and  our  gallant  colonel  took  shelter  from  danger  by 
getting  into  his  place.  This  was  proved  r.ext  d.yiu 
court-martial,  and  he  was  sent  home  to  i.illsboro  w  tli 
a  wooden  sword. 

'■At  the  same  court  General  Stevens,  of  the  Virginia 
line,  was  sentenced  to  go  luune  to  Ids  plantation  also 
with  a  wooden  sword,  for  drunkenness  and  disobedi- 
ence, and  to  never  appear  again  in  the  American 
service."' 


GUILFORD  COUNTY.                                                      189 

his  long  enjoyed  popularity,  and  was  defeated  manded  the   left  wins;  in  the  bt^ttle  of  Talla- 

for  the  senate  by  Jefferson  Franklin,  of  Surry,  hatchie,    Novenaber  3d,  1813,  where  lie   dis- 

Governor  Martin  had  been,  theretofore,  uner-  played  much  valor  and  skill. 

ring  in  his  cainpaigns  in  that  perception  of  the  He  was  elected  twice  a  member  of  congress 

politic  and  prudent  course  to  pursue;  but  here  from  Tennessee,  and  served  from  181-1  to  1817, 

he  made  a  political  blunder,  which  Talleyrand  and  from  1819  to  1823. 

pronounced  worse  than  a  crime.     lie  lingered  He  was  appointed   by  Monroe,  one  of  the 

about    like    some    superfluous    actor    of    the  commissioners  to  treat  with  the  Chickasaws  in 

stage,  wlien   his  day  had  passed,  and  he    no  1819.     He   was   Governor  of  Tennessee  from 

more  had  the  "  honors  and  troops  of  friends,"  1835  to   1839,  and  died  at  Nashville   on  Sep- 

he  once  enjoyed.  tember  29th,  1841.     He  was  a  man   of  great 

Such  long,  laborious  and  continued  services  purity  of  character;  of  strong  common  sense 

in  the  political  field  should  condone  any  errors  and  of  indomitable  courage, 

in  his  military  career.  He  married  the  eldest  daughter  of  General 

He  was  fond  of  literature,  and  was  for  awhile  James    Wellborn,  of   Wilkes  County,  whose 

at  Princeton  College.     He  was  one  of  the  most  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Hugh  Montgoni- 

active    and   useful  trustees  of  our  university  ery,  of  Rowan. 

from  1790  to  the  date  of  liis  death.  As  gov-  General  James  Wellborn  wag  a  member  of 
ernor,  in  his  messages,  lie  warmly  advocated  the  state  senate  from  Wilkes  Coimty  for 
the  claims  of  the  institution  to  the  patronage  many  years,  from  1796  to  1829. 
of  the  state.  He  was  vain  of  his  literary  at-  He  was  active,  patriotic,  and  useful  in  tbe 
tainments.  His  ode  on  the  death  of  General  legislature,  and  often  spoke  on  various  ques- 
Nash,  in  1777,  and  his  euhig}'  on  the  death  of  tions,  always  with  great  vehemence  and  earn- 
Governor  Caswell  (Xovoinber  10,  1789j  have  estness.  He  was  blest  with  a  stentorian  voice, 
been  printed,  and  may  be  considered  as  more  and  when  excited  used  it  with  great  force.  "In 
patriotic  than  poetic.  He  died  at  Danbury,  the  legislature  of  1805,  says  Moore  in  his  bis- 
on the  Dan  River,  in  1807,  unmarried.  tory,  (page  116,)  the  most  remarkable  feature 

Newton  Cannon,  born  1781,  died  September  of  this  session  was  General  James  Wellborn's 

29th,  1841,  soldier  and  statesman,  at  one  time  proposition  for  the  state  to  construct  a  great 

governor  of  Tennessee.     He  was    a  native   of  road   from  Beanfort  to  the   mountains.     Tlie 

Guilford  Cnuiity,  removed  to  Tennessee.  senator  from  Wilkes  ('ounty  was  prophetic  in 

Hisgrandfathei',  Richard  Thompson,  was  the  his  fore   cast    and   entitled  to  be  considered, 

first  man  who  fell  at  Alamance,  (in  the  battle  the  first  to  propose  the  great  railway  inaugu- 

between  the  regulators  and  Governor  Tryon,  in  rated  in  1848. 

1771.)    Mr.  Thompson  was  also  the  ancester  of  John  Motley  Morehead,  born  July  4,  1796, 

Robert    Cannon,  of  Shelbyville,  Jacob  Wrigh,  died  August  27,  1866,  son  of  John   Morehead 

of  Rutherford    County,    John    Thompson,  of  and  Obedience  Motley,  was  born  in   Pittsyl- 

Davidscn,  and   Andrew   Hynes,of  Nashville.*  vania  County,  Virginia.     He  was  educated  at 

He  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  of  Ten-  the  school  of  Dr.  David  Caldwell,  and  at    the 

nessee,  1811,-'12,  and  of  the  state  constitu-  university,*   where  he  graduated    in    1817  in 

tionai  convention  of  1824.  — ;—       ^      .    ,.        i.      ,.      i,    ,-*       /i  „i.„,.o«f^v 

*.JiKlge  Kerr  in  his  oration  "  on  the  life  and  cliaiacter 

In  1813,  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  a  regi-  of  Governor  Morehead  at  Wentworth,"  states  that 

^     ,.   ,p                               ,     ,      -J,             1  "Governor  Morehead  gave  evidence  of  his  future  emi- 

ment  ot    iennessee   mounted   rifles,  and  com-  nence  by  tlie  laurels  he  won  in  competition  with  such 

class  mates  as  John  Y.  Mason,  of  Virginia,  and  .James 

*Caruther's  Life  of  David  Caldwell,  p  153.  K.  Polk."    They  were  never  classmates. 


190  WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES" 

the  same  class  with  Richard  H.  Alexander,  a  knowledge  of  their  modes  of  action  and 
Hardy  P).  Groom,  and  others.  After  leaving  the  thought.  His  clients  leaned  ou  hiin  for  ad- 
university,  he  studied  law  with  Judge  Archi-  vice,  for  support,  and  for  comfort.  He  com- 
bald  D.  Murphey,  and  came  to  the  bar  in  1819.  bined  brilliant,  genius,  labor  and  tact,  together 
He  was  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1821  as  a  with  an  energy  and  force  that  made  liim  in- 
member  from  Rockingham,  and  after  one  evitably  successful.  He  rarely  lost  a  casein  the 
year's  service,  he  removed  to  Greensboro,  civil  docket,  and  although  employed  in  every 
where  he  spent  his  long.useful  and  eventful  life,  important  case  he  never  had  a  client  capitally 

In  1826,  he  was  elected  to  represent  Guil-  executed.  Other  advocates  l:ad  doubtless 
ford  County,  as  also  in  1827.  It  was  here  my  a  deeper  knowledge  of  the  law,  but  none  had 
good  fortune  to  become  well  acquainted  with  greater  success.  In  the  force  and  "  the  very 
him,  for  we  were  members  of  the  same  body,  whirlwind  of  his  passion  "  he  often  would  vio- 
on  the  same  committees,  and  lived  in  the  late  some  rule  of  rhetoric  or  grammar;  but  it 
same  hotel.  He  had  an  open  hearted  and  was  amply  supplied  by  the  power  of  his  logic, 
open  banded  manner  that  was  magical  and  the  point  and  force  of  his  illustration,  and  his 
irresistible.  His  person,  then  in  the  prime  of  impassionate  elocution.  Such  was  Mr.  More- 
life,   was    commanding   and    symmetrical,  his  head  as  an  advocate. 

conversational      powers      were      unequalled,         But  so  devoted  was  he  to  his  profession,  that 

abounding  in  humor,  and  anecdote,  as  well   as  he  avoided  the   enticements  of  politics.     Dur- 

in  kindness  and   sense.      Such   was  his  keen  ing    the  pei'iod    in    which   he   practiced    law, 

sense  of  the  ludicrous  that  he  (twenty-one  years,)  he  had  consented  to  rep-  + 

"  Was  wont  to  set  the  table  in  a  roar,"  resent  the  people  only  three  tinses.     His  pro- 

and  was  the  charm  of  our  little  circle,  which  fession  was  his  idol,  and  to  this  he  devoted  all 

•even  to  this  day  is  remembered   with   mourn-  his  time  and   all  the  powers  of  his  intellect, 

ful  pleasure,  for  not  one  of  that  party   (save  and  he  was  richly  rewarded,  for   he   achieved 

one)    is  left:   Bailey,  Meares,  Croom,  Eccles,  distinction   in    that  high    science,  which  Coke 

Iredell,  Walker,  Morehead  and  Owen  all  gone,  pronounces  "  the  perfection  of  reason." 

After  serving  two  years  in    the   legislature         Circumstances,  howev<^r,  so  ruled  his  destiny, 

he  declined  to beagain  a  candidate;  hisprivate  that   he  was  frequently    forced   to    become  a 

and  professional  duties  demanding  all  his  time  prominent  actor  in  the  field  of  politics.  In  1840, 

and  attention,  and    trul^y    in    that    profession,  he  was  nominated  for  governor,  and  many  will 

there  were  giants  in  those  daysat  the  Guilford  recollect,  and  all  ha\'e  lieard  of  "the  log  cabin 

bar,  and  with  them  he  had  to  wrestle  for  fame  campaign."  The  quiet  state  of  North  Carolina 

and  fortune.     Strong    in    intellect,   astute    in  was  jarred  to  her  very  foundations,  vras  shaken 

perception,  they  were  ver}'  athletes  in  their  with  unexampled  excitement  fVon.i  the   ocean 

efforts;  it  was  no  holiday  excursion  to  encoun-  to  the  raonntaiiis.     From  his  attention  to  his 

ter  in  the   legal    tournament   such   knights  as  profession,  Mr.  Morehead  was  not  as  well  ver- 

Bartlett  Yancey,  James  Martin, Thomas  Settle,  sed  in  political  history  as  his  astnte  and  prac- 

Sr.,AVm.  A.  Graham, Richmond  Pearson,  Hugh  tical   opponent,  Romulus   M.  Saundeis,  whose 

Waddell,  and  others.     To  ivin  laurels  in  such  life  had  been  spent  in  legislative  and  congres- 

corapetition  was  no  light   dut}'.     The  forte  of  sional    duties,  and  to  whom   every  point  and 

Mr.  Morehead  lay  in  his  great  amount  of  sound  guard  of  political  warfare  was  familiar.     This 

common  sense,  familiarity' with  the  people,  his  was  an  occasion  of  great  interest.     Crowds  of 

sympathies  with  their  troubles  and  trials,  and  people  met  them  at   every  appointment,  from 


GUILFORD  COUA^TT.  191 

the    sandy    shores    of  Currituck,  to    the  blue  raihwHcI   interest    of  tlie  state,   and    received 

mountains   of    Cherokee,    to    witness     these  much   vituperation  from  those  opposed  to  his 

gladiatorial  contests.     Both  were  in  the  prime  energetic  and    vigorous    views.     He  was  the 

of  life — iioth  ambitious.     Saunders  was  dex-  first  president  of  the  JN'orth  Carolina  railroad; 

terous  and  well  informed;  ^Jorehead  was  apt  under  his  auspices  it   was  put  into  operation 

to  perceive,  quick  to  learn,  and  always  ready;  as  and   conducted    successfully  for    many  years. 

Gavin  Hogg  said  of  him  on  this  occasion,  "he  He  retired  from  its  pi'esideney  in  1855. 

learned  faster  than  any  man  he   ever   knew,"  In  1848,  he  presided  over  the    convention 

and  he  was  elected  over  his  able  and   inde-  that  nominated  General  Taylor  for  the  presi- 

fatigable  oppi^nent  b^-  al:>out    8,000   majority,  dency;    in  1858,  he  was  elected  to  the   com- 

The  manner  in  which  he  discharged  the  mons,  and  in  1860,  he  represented  Guilford 
duties  of  the  executive  office  has  passed  into  County  in  the  senate,  with  Cyrus  P.  Menden- 
history.  He  has  written  his  name  in  characters  hall,  C.  E.  Shober  and  J.  J.  Gorrell  as  col- 
more  durable  than    monumental    brass  in  the  leagues  in  the  commons. 

institutions  of  the  state.  Every  engine  as  it  The  first  national  position  which  Governor 
shrilly  sounds  in  its  progress  along  the  iron  Morehead  ever  filled,  was  that  of  a  delegate 
pathway,  aniu)unces  his  zeal  for  the  cause  of  fron^  iSTorth  Carolina,  to '' the  peace  congress," 
internal  improvement.  Every  school-house  which  assembled  at  Washington,  early  in 
that  decks  our  hills  or  valleys,  preserves  his  1861,  with  George  Davis,  Thomas  Ruffin, 
memory  as  the  friend  of  education,  and  the  David  S.  Reid,  Daniel  il.  Barringer  as  col- 
stately  charities  near  our  metropolis  proclaim  leagues.  The  hope  of  peace  was  delusive,  and 
his  name  as  the  protector  and  the  friend  all  efforts  were  idle.  He  went  there  the  de- 
of  tlie  deaf  and  dumb,  and  of  the  unhappy  voted  friend  of  the  union,  and  left  the  cou- 
insane.  vention  ready  to  follow  the  destinies   of  his 

He  was  a  candidate   for  governor  a  second  state, 

time  and  was  opposed  by  the  learned  and  elo-  When  the  southern  cotifederacy  was  estab- 

quent  Louis  D.  Henry;  but  the  liealth  of  Mr.  Ushed,  he  was  chosen  by  the  legislature  of  the 

Henry  w.is  feeble,  and  although  he  made  an  state  to  represent  his  district  in  the  provisional 

able    canvass,   lie  was  defeated   by  Governor  congress,  but  he  had  approached 

Morebead.  " The  seai  and  j-ellow  leaf  of  life  " 

After  bis  second   term  as  governor  had  ex-  The  desolating  effects  of  the  war  had  seri- 

pired,  he  returned  to  the  quiet    comforts    of  ously  injured  liis  estate.     He  not  only  lost  his 

Blandwood,    i;s    his    home    was    called    near  slaves,  of  which  he  had  a  great  number,  but  a 

Greensboro,  determined  to  devote  himself  to  considerable  amount  invested  in  confederate 

private    pursuits,  for    he  could   not    be   idle,  bonds,  nor  were  these  all  the  saddening  effects 

He   bad  erected,  before  entering  political  life,  of    the    war    on    Governor    Morehead.      His 

commodious    and    extensive    buildings    for    a  health   gave   way;  and   with   the   hope  of  re- 

fcmule  seminary  which  he  called  "  Edgewood,"  storing  his  shattered  constitution,  he  repaired 

from  which  educated  and  accomplished  young  to  the  Rock  Alum  springs  of  Virginia,  where 

ladies  were  sent  forth    annually.     His  energy  he  died  on  August  27,  186(3,  full  of  years,  and 

and    cnterjirise    established    large   cotton   fac-  loved  and  regretted   by  the  people   of   North 

tories,  thus  competing  with  the  Lowells  of  the  Carolina.                                                                           ^      > 

north.                           ^  He    married    in     1822,    Eliza,    the     eldest      ^ 

He  wa;  also  largely  engaged. in   the  various  daughter  of  the  late  Colonel  Robert  Lindsay. 


192 


WHEELEE'S  REMINISCENCES. 


He  left  the  following  issue- 

I.  Letitia,  who  married  Walker. 

II-  John  M.,  who  married  Evans. 

III.  Louisa,  who  married  W.  W.  Avery. 

IV.  Another  daughter,  married  Rufus 
Patterson. 

V.  Emma,  who  married  .JuHiis  A.  Gray. 

VI.  James  Turner. 
^  JVII.  Eugene. 

George  C.  Mendenhall  was  a  native  and 
resident  of  this  county,  well  connected  and 
highly  esteemed. 

He  was  a  lawyer  by  profession,  patient, 
persevering,  and  sl^ilful  in  the  practice;  faith- 
ful and  honest  in  all  his  dealings. 

He  represented  this  county  in  the  legisla- 
ture in  1828,-'29,  and  '30,  and  again  in  1840 
and  ^41. 

He  opposed  Honorable  Edmund  Deberr^-  for 
congress,  and  was  defeated  by  a  small  majority. 

His  death  was  unexpected  as  sad.  On  his 
return  home  from  Stanly  superior  court, 
in  February,  1860,  in  an  attempt  to  cross  at 
Fuller's  ford,  on  the  Uharee  river,  which 
had  been  swollen  by  recent  rains,  he  was 
drowned. 

John  M.  Dick  was  also  a  native  and  resi- 
dent of  this  county.  He  was  born  about  1791, 
studied  law,  and  represented  this  county  in  the 
legislature  in  the  senate  in  1819,-'20,-'29,  and 
'31,  and  in  1882  was  elected  one  of  the  judges 
of  the  superior  courts  of  law  and  equity,  which 
he  held  until  his  death,  this  occurred  while 
he  was  riding  the  Edenton  circuit,  at  the 
house  of  Abram  Reddick,  in  Hertford  County. 

His  character  as  a  judge  was  distinguished 
for  integrity  and  patience;  he  was  the  father 
of  Robert  Paine  Dick,  now  judge  of  the  United 
States  district  court  for  western  North  Caro- 
lina. He  is  a  native  and  resident  of  this 
county,  born  October  5th,  1823.  He  was  liber- 
ally educated,  and  graduated  with  the  second 
honors  of  his  class  at  the  university  in  1843, 
in  the  same  class  was  John  L.  Bridgers,   Fhilo 


P.  Henderson,  John  W.  Lancaster,  Thomas  D. 
McDowell,  S.  J.  Person,  and  others. 

He  read  law  with  his  father,  and  George  C. 
Mendenhall,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1845. 

He  was  appointed  United  States  district 
attorney  by  President  Pierce,  in  1853,  which 
position  beheld  until  1861. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  democratic  na- 
tional convention,  at  Charleston  and  Balti- 
more, in  April  and  June,  1860,  and  acted  with 
the  union  democrats  after  the  state  delegates 
had  seceded.  He  was  elected  without  be- 
ing a  candidate  to  the  state  convention.  May 
20th,  1861,  and  used  his  efforts  to  have  the 
ordinance  of  secession  submitted  to  a  vote  of 
the  people. 

He  was  a  memberof  the  state  senate,  (1864) 
and  was  active  in  advocating  peace  measures 
In  1865;  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Johnson,  judge  of  the  United  States  dis- 
trict court  of  North  Caroliiui;  but,  as  he  could 
not  take  "the  test  oath,"  declined.  He  was 
also  appointed  provisional  judge  by  Governor 
Holden,  which  he  declined.  He  w-as  a  member 
of  the  state  convention  of  1865,  and  assisted 
in  framing  a  constitution,  which  was  rejected 
by  a  popular  vote. 

In  1868,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  justices 
of  the  supreme  court  of  the  state;  and  when 
the  United  States-  court  for  the  western  dis- 
trict North  Carolina  was  created,  Judge  Dick 
was  appointed  by  President  Grant  to  the 
position  of  judge  therein.  In  1848,  Judge  Dick 
married  Mary  E.  Adams,  of  Pittsylvania 
County,  Virginia. 

John  A.  Gilmer,  born  November  4, 1805,  died 
May  14, 1868,  was  a  native  of  Guilford  County. 
His  family  were  of  Scotch-Irish  decent.  His 
father.  Captain  Robert  Gilmer,  was  a  man  of 
simple  habits,  of  e.\celleut  common  sense  and 
inflexible  integrity.  He  was  a  wheelwright  by 
trade;  b^'  his  wife  Anne,  ?(6'e  Forbes,  he  liad 
twelve  children^  of  wliomthe  subject   of  our 


GUILFORD    COUiS'TY. 


193 


sketch  was  the  oldest.  His  early  education 
was  such  as  could  be  imparted  by  the  county 
schools  and  his  own  application;  for,  until  he 
was  seventeen,  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm 
in  the  summer,  and  attended  school  in  the 
winter.  He  entered  the  grammar  school 
taught  by  Rev.  Eli  W.  Caruthers,  who  was  the 
successor  of  Rev.  Dr.  Caldwell,  wiiere  he  con- 
tinued for  two  years.  His  progress  was  rapid, 
and  he  became  a  good  scholar  in  the  ordinary 
branches  of  an  English  education,  and  in  the 
higher  branches  of  mathematics,  also  well 
versed  in  Latin  and  Greek.  He  went  then  to 
Laurens  County,  South  Carolina,  where  he 
taught  the  Mount  Vernon  Grammar  School 
for  three  years. 

In  December,  1829,  he  returned  home  and 
studied  law  with  Judge  Murphey;  and  1833, 
was  licensed  as  counsellor  and  attorney  at  law. 
With  no  friends  to  advance  his  fortunes,  with 
no  capital  but  industry  and  good'  habits,  and 
surrounded  by  such  legal  luminaries  as-  John 
M.  Morehead,  William  A.  Gi'aham,.  Settle, 
Nash,  Mendenhall,  and  others,  his  prospects 
were  gloomy  and  progress  paiwful  and  slow. 
But  by  energy  aftd  perseverence  he  was  soon 
among  the  most  successful,  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years  was  considered  a  leader  of  the 
profession. 

Fame  and  fortune  followed  his  footsteps. 
Because  of  his  abilities  and  his  genial  disposi- 
tion he  waspopularwith  the  people.  In  1846  was 
elected  to  the  legislature  as  senator  from. Guil- 
ford County,  and  continued  without  any  suc- 
cessful opposition  to  1851.  His  course  in  the 
legislature  was  liberal,  patriotic,  and  philan- 
throphic. 

He  was  the  advocate  of  the  construction  of 
the  insane  asylum,  and  as  also  of  a  liberal 
system  of  internal  improvements. 

In  1856,  he  was  the  whig  candidate  for  gov- 
ernor, but  was  defeated  by  Governor  Bi'agg, 
whose  majority  was  over  13,000.  In  1857,  he 
was  elected  a  membe.r  of  the  Thirtj'-fifth  Con- 


gress, 1857,-'59,  and  re-elected  to  the  Thirty- 
sixth  Congress  in  1859,-'61,  in  which  he  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  elections.  On 
the  accession  of  Lincoln  he  was  offered  a  seat  in 
the  cabinet  as  secretary  of  the  treasury,  but 
declined. 

Although  at  all  times  opposed  to  the  doc- 
trine of  secession,  yet  when  the  state  seceded 
and  the  war  came,  he  went  with  his  state,  and 
embraced  the  cause  of  the  south  with  all  his 
native  force  of  character,  and,  like  Abraham, 
he  offered  up  his  onh'  son  upon  the  altar  of 
his  country,  and  sent  him  forth  to  battle,  his 
only  injunction  being,  to  discharge  all  the 
duties  of  a  soldier  with  energy  and  tidelitj"; 
nobly  did  that  son  obey  this  mandate. 

He  succeeded  .James  Robert  McLean  as  a 
member  of  the  confederate  congress,  and  sat 
until  its  termination. 

His  son,  John  Alexander  Gilmer,  has  re- 
cently been  aiipointed  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  superior  courts,  and  '■  wins  golden  opini(Uis 
from  all  sorts  of  men,"  by  his  learning,  pa'- 
tience,  and  fidelity..  He  was  born  about  183'j 
or  1837;  graduated  at  the  university  in  1858; 
read  law  with  his  father,  and  practiced  witli 
success.  Of  his  war  record  we  have  but  little 
information,  but  we  know  that  he  was  in  the 
army  and  nobly  did  his  duty;  that  after  the 
war  closed  he  returned  to  his  practice,  and  on 
the  death  or'  Judge  Kerr,  (December  7th, 
1879,)  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor 
judge  of  the  superior  court.. 

He  married  a  daughter  of  Joseph  II.  Lind- 
say. 

The  father  married  on  January  3d,  1832, 
Juliana,  daughter  of  Revei'cnd  William  Parish, 
and  thegrandaughter  of  Colonel  John  I'aisley, 
an  ofHcer  of  the  revolution,  as  also  of  Genei'al 
Alexander  Mebane,  whose  sketch  will  be 
found  in  the  Northampton  County  section.. 

He  died  at  Greensboro,,  on  May  14th,  1868. 
The  melancholy  effects  of  the  unhappy  intes-- 
tine  war  preyed,  heavily  on   his  spirits^  natur.- 


194  WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 

ally  elastic,  and  on  his  robust  constitution,  and  John  A.  Lillington,  Judg-e  Shipp,  and  otliers. 

so  brought  his  life  to  a  premature  close.  He  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice. 

John  Henry  Diliard,  born  1825,  late  one  of  In   1850,  he  was  elected   a  member  of  the 

the  associate  justices  of  the  supreme  court  of  House  of  Commons,  and    atrain   in   1852,  and 

the  state,  resides  in  this  county.     He  was  born  was  elected  by  the  legislature  superintendent 

in  Rockingliam  County,  in    1825.      He  was  a  of  common  schools  for  a  term   of  two  years, 

student  at   the   university,  where   he  finished  Ho  was  so  approved  in  his  high  and  important 

his  sophomore  year,  and  then  he  went  to  the  position  that  he  was  re-elected  six  times. 

William  and  Mary,  Virginia,  where  he  gradu-  In  1856,  he  was   licensed   to  [ircach  by  the 

ated.     After  studj'ing  lavv',  and  being  admit-  Orange  Presbytry. 

ted  to  practice  in  North  Carolina,  he  settled  So  efficient  was  the  system  he  inaugurated, 

in  l-'atrick  County,  Virginia.     In  a  few  years,  that  the  schools  were  kept  in  regular  operation 

he  returned  to  Rocki".ghani  and  devoted  him-  during  all  of  our  long  and  bloody  civil  war. 

self  to  his  profession.     He  was  elected  count}^  His  literary  labors  are  "Alamance;   or,  the 

attorney,  and  was  remarkable  for  his  diligence  Great  and    Final    Ex[ierimeut,"  published  by 

and  accuracy  in  the  forms   he   used.     He   was  Harpers  in  1847,  which    described  the  stirring 

appointed  clerk  and  master,  \vhich  position  he  scenes  in  this  region    in  1776,  and  was  a   very 

was  well  calculated  to  make  him  an  admiralde  successful  book. 

equity  draftsman,  foi'  \vhich,  in  his  practice,  he  In  1850,  he  published   "  Roanoke;  or,  where 

became  distinguished.  is  Utopia?"  likewise,  an  historical  novel,  pub- 

His  war  record  is  short.  He  was  captain  in  lished  by  Peterson.  He  published,  in  1851, 
a  compan3'  in  the  45th  North  Carolina  regi-  "  the  North  Car<dina  Reader,"  which  work 
meat,  and  did  his  dutj'  faithfully.  After  the  is  admirably  calculated  to  make  our  state  bet- 
war  was  over,  he  renewed  the  practice  of  his  ter  known  and  our  own  people  more  familiar 
profession  with  such  success  that  he  was  pro-  with  our  glowing  history, 
nounced  by  Chief  Justice  Pearson  "  to  be  the  In  1863,  during  the  war,  he  published,  at 
ablest  equity  lawyer  in  North  Carolina."  He  Greensboro,  "  Scriptual  Views  of  National 
removed  from  Rockingham  County  to  Greens-  Trials."  Mr.  Moore,  in  History  of  North  Caro- 
boro  in  1868,  and  became  one  of  the  firm  of  lina,  says  of  Mr.  Wile\,  that  his  achieved 
Dilhird,  Rutlin  and  Gilmer.  success  as  an  author  is  more  than  excelled  by 

In  connection   with   Judge  Dick,  he  estab-  his  great  efforts  in  the  cause  of  public  ednca- 

lished  a  law  school,  \\-hich  supplied  the  vacancy  tioii. 

occasioned  by   the  closing  of  the   one  so  long  Albion  W.  Tonrgee,  who  resided  in  Greens- 
carried  on  by  the  late  Chief  Justice  Pearson.  boro,  is  prominent  as  a  politician,  writer  and 

He   married   Anna   J.,  daughter  of  Colonel  advocate.     He  came  to  this  state  from  Ohio, 

Martin,  of  Henry  County,  Virginia.    He^'asan  and  as  Moore  say.'^,  is  " ''>ne  of  the  few  whose 

elder  of  the  Pi-esbytermn  church,  and  a  faith-  advent    has    been    beneficial    to    his    adopted 

ful  fi)llov/er  of  its  exemplary  teachings.  state."     He  is  a  luwj-er  liy  profession,  learned 

^        ^     Cah'in  H.  Wiley,*  was  l)orn   in  in  Guilford  and  laborious,  and  as  a  [lolitician,  active  and 

County,  .Tanuary  2,  1819,  and  graduated  at  the  able. 

university  in  1840,  m   same  class  with  Judge  He    was  a  member    of  the    convention    of 

David  A.  Barnes,  Governor  Tod  R.   Cad  well,  i868,  Calvin  J.  Cowles,  president,  and,  in  1870, 

Jolm     W.    Cunningham,    William    Johnston,  succeeded    D.    G.    Fowle    as  a  judge    of  the 

i'From  tlie  Living  Writers  of  tlie  Soutli.  superior  courts.     IJisjudicial  appointment  was 


GUILFORD  COUKTY. 


195 


opposed  by  Governor  "Worth,  who  alleged 
some  damiigiiig  evidence  against  him,  but  his 
career  as  ajiidge,iu  spite  of  abundant  cahimny, 
redowned  to  his  credit.  His  literary  gifts  are 
of  a  high  order,  and  much  respected. 

He  had  for  some  time  previons  been  chair- 
man of  tiio  r.jpuhlican  central  committee  of 
the  state,  and  is  now  secretary  of  the  national 
republican  committee,  and  ardent  and  active 
in  sup[)ort  of  the  republican  party.  Perhaps 
few  men  have  been  more  soundly  berated  by 
his  political  opponents,  and  none  who  seemed 
to  care  less  for  such  abuse. 

Governor  Worth,  in  a  letter  to  General 
Ganby  protesting  against  the  appointment  of 
Judg  Tourgee  said: 

"  I  do  not  know  Tourgee  personall}',  but 
know  that  he  was  a  delegate  to  a  political 
convention  he'd  in  Philadelphia,  in  1866,  and 
his  speech  reported  in  the  New  York  lieraldj 
enlightening  the  north  as  to  the  temper  of  the 
people  among  whom  he  had  settled,  speaking 
of  the  loyal  men  selling  everything  tliey  had 
at  a  nominal  value,  and  that  twelve  hundred 
of  these  men  have  been  driven  from  the 
state." 

"  I  was  told,"  said  Tourgee,  "  hy  a  rpiaker  in 
Korth  Carolina,  as  I  was  coming  here,  that  he 
had  seen  the  bodies  of  1,500  nmrdered  negroes 
taken  from  one  pond."  Moore  says  in  his  his- 
tory (II.,  323)  "that  time  has  not  changed 
the  drift  of  his  feelings,  as  his  late  work  of 
fiction,  '  the  Ftjol's  Errand,'  is  conceived  in 
the  san:ie  spirit  of  misrepresentation  of  the 
people  of  Korth  Carolina." 

Junius  Ir^^'ing  Scales  resided  in  Greens- 
boro, Imt  is  a  native  of  Rcjckingham  County. 
He  was  born  June  1,  1832;  educated  at  Chapel 
Hill,  and  graduated  in  1853,  in  the  same  class 
with  Vine  A.  Allen,  William  II.  Battle,  B.  A. 
Capeheart,  DeBrutz  Cntlar,  John  W.  Holmes, 
Alexander     Mclver,    Walker    Aleares,    John 


Wheeler  Moore,  J.  L.  Morehead,  Solomon 
Pool,  and  others. 

He  read  law  with  Judge  Pearson;  Manicd 
EiSe,  daughter  of  Colonel  A.  Henderson;  rep- 
resented Alamance  County  in  1857;  removed 
to  Mississippi  in  1861,  and  entered  the  army 
from  that  state;  wr.s  elected  colonel  of  the  30th 
Mississippi;  was  wounded  at  Chicaraauga,  and 
imprisoned  at  Johnson  Island  until  1865.  This 
faniilj'  did  yeoman's  service  in  the  war,  for 
there  Vv'ere  six  brothers,  and  three  lirothers- 
in-law  in  the  field,  and  of  these  the  roost  fell 
by  wounds  and  exposure.  He  returned  to 
North  Carolina  after  the  war,  ai:d  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  state  senate  in  1876.  He 
died  of  heart  disease  on  July  11,  ISrO,  in  the 
Presb^vterian  Hospital,  New  York.  His  last 
hours  were  soothed  by  the  attention  of  kind 
friends  and  relatives;  among  them  was  his 
afl'ectionate  brothei',  Ilonoral.ile  A.  M.  Scales. 

John  Norman  Staples  resides  in  Greensboro. 
He  is  a  native  of  Yirgip.ia,  born  in  Patrick 
County,  June  13,  1846.  He  ^\•as  educated  at 
the  Franklin  Institute,  Montgomery  Count}-, 
Alabama,  and  at  Trinity  College.  He  left 
college  to  join  Cumming's  battery,  13t'i  North 
Carolina,  and  served  in  it  until  the  end  of  the 
civil  war.  He  then  studied  law  and  was 
licensed  to  practice  in  1868. 

He  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Commons  in 
1875,-'76,  and  acquired  prominence.  He  was 
chairman  of  committee  on  the  insane  a-ylum; 
active -in  the  advocacy  of  the  Morganton 
and  colored  asjdum.  He  has  been  an  ener- 
getic and  useful  member  of  every  district  and 
state  democratic  convention  since  1870,  and 
has  gathei-ed  laurels  in  the  literary  as  well  as 
the  political  field.  His  addi'esses  before  the 
Methodist  centennial  in  1876,  and  on  educa- 
tional, and  other  topics,  have  won  for  him  an 
enduring  reputation  as  an  orator  and  scholar. 


196 


WHEELER'S   EEMINISCEXCES. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
HALIFAX   COUNTY. 


The  Count}-  of  Halifax,  in  its  earl}-  liistoiy, 
is  (listinguislied  foi-its  devotion  to  lil)erty,and 
for  the  patriotism  of  her  sons. 

Among  the  most  active  and  useful  men  in 
the  early  times  of  this  comity  was  Willie 
Jones. 

The  progenitor  of  this  large  and  patriotic 
famly  was  Rohin  Jones.  He  married,  first, 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  Allen;  sec- 
ond, Miss  P]aton  of  Halifax.  He  had  four 
children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

I.  Allen,  born  1739,  married,  first,  Mary 
Haynes,  and  had  three  children:  Rebecca 
Edwards,  Martha  and  Sarah;  second,  Rebecca 
Edwards,  and  had  three  children:  Robin, 
Rebecca,  Robert;  third.  Miss  Eaton,  had  no 
issue. 

II.  Willie,  married  Mary  Montford,  and 
had  five  children:  Sally,  Martha,  Anne  Maria, 
Willie  and  Robert. 

III.  Elizabeth,  married  Thomas  Gilchrist, and 
had  Grissy,  who  married  Colonel  Thomas  Polk. 

JV.  Mary,  married  Governor  Williams,  and 
had  two  children:  Allen  and  Willie. 

Fi'om  these  four  liranches  have  sprung  one 
of  the  largest  families  of  the  state,  the  mem- 
bers of  which  have  been  distinguished  for  their 
courage  in  the  field,  their  sagacity  in  council 
and  their  virtues  in  domestic  life.  With  much 
care  a  genealogical  table  has  been  collected, 
which  is  reliable  for  its  accuracy.  Written 
history,  tradition,  and  the  results  of  Colonel 
Caldwallader  Jones,  of  Rock  Hill,  South  Caro- 
lina, have  been  called  into  requisition  in  its 
compilation. 

Of  Robin  Jones,  the  ancestor  and  founder  of 
this  famil}',  we  regret  that  so  little  at  this  day 
is  known.     When    the  dust  of   more  than   a 


century  has  covered  the  grave  of  an}'  one,  it 
is  difficult  to  collect  extensive  information. 

I  found  among  the  colonial  records  in  the 
Rolls  Ofiice  in  London,  page  22,  the  following: 
'■■  1689,  instructions  for  Colonel  Cadwallader 
Jones,  our  governor  of  Providence  and  the 
rest  of  the  Bahama  Island,"  also  the  follow- 
ing despatch  of  Governor  Dobbs: 

"  March  20,  1761.  Thomas  Falkner,  ap- 
pointed by  order  of  the  king  and  council, 
secretary  and  clerk  to  the  crown,  vice  Henry 
McCullock;  and  Robert  Jon«s,  Jr.,  attorney- 
general,  vice  Childs." 

"  1766,  Mr.  Marmaduke  Jon«s,Mr.  Charlton 
and  Mr.  Dewey,  appointed  judges " 

"April  21.  The  Tuskaroras  will  move  from 
Bertie  this  week  to  New  York  on  in  vitation 
of  Sir  William  Johnson,  to  unite  with  his 
people.  Mr.  Jones,  the  attorne3'-geueral,  ad- 
vanced £1,200  to  aid  in  buying  wagons  and 
provisions,  on  the  credit  of  their  land." 

The  legislature  in  1802  enacted,  that  as  the 
Indian  Chief  Sacarusa,  and  others  of  the 
Tuscaroras  of  Bertie  County,  had  requested 
the  concurrence  of  the  assembly  in  the  leases 
they  had  made  preparatory  to  their  depart- 
ure, the  legislature  consented.  General  Drtvie, 
for  the  United  States,  made  a  treaty  with 
them,  and  just  ninety-eight  years  after  the 
creation  of  their  reservation,  the  descendants 
and  people  of  old  King  Blount  left  their 
ancient  hunting  grounds  and  joined  their  kins- 
men, the  Iroquois  or  Six  Nations  of  New  York. 
A  small  renmant  of  the  Tnscaroi-as  j'et  sur- 
vive, and  under  their  chief,  Mount  Pleasant, 
live  on  their  reservation  near  Niagara  Falls. 

The  present  King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands 
is  the  grandson  of  Sacarusa,  under  whose  lead 
the  exodus  of  1802  was  accomplished. 


HALIFAX  COUiS-TY. 


197 


"  1767,  p.  162,  Governor  Tiyon  informs  the 
board  of  trade  of  the  death  of  Robert  Jones, 
on  October  2nd,  and  that  he  had  appointed 
Marmaduke  Jones,  who  had  long  been  a  resi- 
d  ent,  of  the  first  credit  and  capacity,  about 
forty  years  old;  educated  in  England,  and 
cousin  to  Sir  Marmaduke  Wyvil." 

From  these  records  (p.  165)  it  appears  that 
this  family  was  at  this  early  day  highly  reputed, 
and  from  Willie  and  Allen  being  sent  to 
England  for  their  education,  must  have  been 
of  considerable  wealth. 

The  tradition  of  the  family  is  that  Robin 
Jones  came  to  Norfolk  from  Wales,  England, 
in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  as  the 
boatswain  of  a  man-of-war;  that  while  at  Nor- 
folk he  fell  in  love,  and  failing  to  get  a  dis- 
charge from  service,  as  the  ship  sailed  out  of 
the  harbor,  he  leaped  overboard  as 

'' Leander  swam  the  Ilelle-fpout, 

His  true  love  for  to  see.'' 

The  lady  reciprocated  his  affection  and 
rewarded  his  daring  adventure  with  her  hand. 
This  wedded  couple  survived  only  about  a 
3'ear,  when  both  died  leaving  a  son,  called  for 
his  father  Robin.  Thus  friendless  and  un- 
protected, he  relied  on  his  own  exertion,  and 
by  good  manners  and  industrious  habits,  ac- 
quired the  means  of  education.  When  quite 
a  youth  he  returned  to  England,  studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  By  good 
fortune  he  gained  the  esteem  of  Lord  Gran- 
ville, one  of  the  Lords  Proprietors  of  North 
Carolina,  who  appointed  him  his  agent  and 
attorney.  He  settled  at  Occaneeche  Neck, 
on  the  Roanoke.  By  means  of  his  profession 
and  this  agency  he  soon  reaped  fame  and 
fortune. 

Of  the  patriots  of  the  revolution,  none  were 
more  distinguished  than  Willie  and  Allen 
Jones,  sons  of  Robin  Jones.  Together  they 
acted  in  defence  of  the  rights  of  the  people, 
and  together  were  the  active  opponents  of 
oppression. 

Willie,  educated    at    Eton,    England,   was 


more  distinguished  as  a  writer  than  as  an  ora- 
tor; of  his  legislative  talent  it  is  recorded  that 
he  could  draw  a  Ijill  in  better  language  than 
any  other  man  of  his  da^'.  He  was  the  presi- 
dent of  the  committee  of  safety  for  the  whole 
state,  and  as  such  was  virtually  the  governor 
in  the  interval  between  the  retreat  of  Governor 
Martin,  and  the  inauguration  of  Governor 
Caswell.  lie  succeeded  his  brother  Allen  as 
member  of  the  continental  congress  in  1780, 
and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  convention 
that  formed  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States,  (1787)  but  declined  the  appointment, 
and  Dr.  Hugh  Williamson  received  the  same. 

He  v/as  a  member  of  the  convention  that 
met  at  Hilisboro,  July  21, 1788,  to  deliberate 
on  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  and 
by  which  conventi.)n  the  constitution  was  re- 
jected. He  was  its  decided  opi'onent,  and 
with  r>r.  Caldwell,  General  Joseph  McDowell, 
and  others,  defeated  its  adoption,  although  it 
was  advocated  b}'  such  able  men  as  General 
Davie,  Governor  Johnston,  Judge  Iredell,  and 
others.  It  was  rejected  by  one  hundred  ma- 
jority in  the  votes. 

Willie  Jones  was  often  a  member  of  the 
legislature  from  Halifa.Y,  from  1776  to  1780, 
and  in  1788. 

He  married  a  daughter  of  Colouel  Montford, 
and  died  in  1801,  near  Raleigh,  where  he  was 
buried. 

Mrs.  Jones  survived  her  husband  for  many 
years;  and  died  in  1823.  She  combined  great 
brilliancj^  of  mind  with  exquisite  beauty  of 
person. 

Many  anecdotes  are  narrated  of  her  wit  and 
amiability. 

"  When  the  British  army  was  en  route  to 
Virginia,  in  1781,"  says  Mrs.  Ellet,  in  her 
'  Women  of  the  Revolution,'  "they  remained 
several  days  on  the  banks  of  the  Roanoke,  and 
the  English  ofiicers  were  quartered  among  the 
families  of  the  neighborhood.  A  passage  oi' 
wit    occurred   between   Airs.   Jones   and  the 


198  WHEELEE'S  REMINISCENCES. 

celelirated  Colonel  Tnrleton,  who  was  severely  tary  services.  He  married  INIiss  Edwards,  the 
cut  1)3' the  sabre  of  William  Washington.  On  sister  of  Isaac  Edwai'ds,  the  secretary  of  the 
Tarletou  expressing  in  her  presence  some  op-  colon}'  under  Governor  Tryou.  He  was,  like 
prohrious  remarks  as  to  Washington,  that  he  his  distingaished  brother,  educated  at  Eton, 
was  an  illiterate  fellow,  hardly  able  to  write  in  England,  and  like  him,  devoted  to  the 
his  name.  '  Ah!  colonel,  you  ought  to  l-:now  cause  of  his  country.  He  was  appointed  a 
better,  for  you  bear  proof  on  your  person  that  brigadier-general  by  the  legislature  iii  1776, 
at  least  he  knows  very  well  how  to  make  his  and  a  nienjber  of  the  continental  congress  at 
mark.'  Tai'leton  concealed  his  mutilated  hand  Philadelphia,  1779,-'80.  From  1781  to  '87,  he 
and  changed  the  conversation."  represented  Northampton  County  in   the  sen- 

The  daring  and  cei'ebrated  John  Paul  Jones,  ate  of  the  state,  and  in  the  next  year  he  was  a 
whose  real  name  was  John  Paul,  of  S<20tland,  member  of  the  convention,  that  met  at  Hills- 
wheii  quite  young  visited  Mr.  Willie  Jones  at  boi'o,  tO'  consider  tlie  constitution.  On  this 
Halifa.x,  and  became  so  fascinated  with  him  occasion,  and  in  political  matters,  he  difiered 
and  his  charming  wife,  that  he  adopted  this  from  b.is  brothei-,  he  inclining  to  the  federal 
family's  name.  In  this  name  (John  Paul  Jones)  pai'ty,  and  advocating  a  strong  federal  gov- 
he  offered  his  services  to  congress,  and  was  ernment,  while  W^illie  was  the  sturdy  advo- 
madea  lieutenant,  December  22d,  1775,  on  the  cate  of  state  rights;  he  died  in  1798. 
recommendation  of  Willie  .Jones.  He  became  Cadwallader  Jones,  for  a  long  time  a  resi- 
so  highly  distinguished  that  he  was  soon  dent  of  Ilillsboro,  was  the  son  of  Cadwallader 
placed  in  command  of  a  man-of-war,  and  did  Jones  and  Mary  Pride,  of  Virginia.  He  mar- 
great  damage  to  the  English  fleets  and  coast-  ried  Kebecca  Edwards  Long,  daughter  of  Luns- 
ing  trade.  In  one  of  his  encounters,  whilst  ford  Long,  the  son  of  Nicholas  Long,  and  the 
commanding  the  "  Bou  Homme  Eichard,"  he  granddaughter  of  Allan  Jones,  son  of  Eobin. 
attacked  "  The  Serapis"  and  captured  her.  He  was  universally  beloved  for  his  kindly 
after  one  of  the  most  sanguinary  sea  battles  on  disposition  and  generous  bearing.  Although 
record.  Congress  voted  him  a  gold  medal  popular,  he  seemed  to  have  avoided  the  en- 
for  his  services,  and  the  French  King,  Louis  tieements  of  politics,  as  I  do  not  find  his  name 
XVI.,  invested  him  with  military  orders  and  among  the  members  of  the  legislature  or  of 
a  sword.  congress,    and  yet   from  his  abilities  and  ac- 

He  was  born  in  Scotland,  1717,  and  died  in  quirements,  he  woidd  have  been  an  orr,ament 
Paris,  1792.  to  either  bod^'. 

"  The  star  spangled  banner"  of  our  nation  In  his  younger  days  he  served  as  a  midship- 
was  first  displayed  by  Jones,  on  the  "Alfred,"  man  in  the  United  States  Navy,  and  was  on 
in  the  Delaware,  and  to  North  Carolina  be-  board  the  Chesapeake  when  she  was  attacked 
longs  the  honor  of  bringing  his  merits  and  by  the  Leopard,  which  brought  on  the  war  of 
genius  into  tfe  service  of  our  navy.*  1812  with  England.     He  exchanged  the  navy 

General  Alhm.  Jones,  who  lived  at  Mount  for  the  army  and  attained  the  rank  of  major. 
Gallant,  in  Northampton  County,  near  Gas-  After  the  war  he  devoted  himself  to  agri-. 
ton,  was  a  brother  of  Willie  Jones,  and  was  culture,  and  was  useful  to  the  state  as  a  mem- 
distinguished  for  his  civil   as  well  as  his  mill-    her   of  the  board  of  internal  improvements. 

Mr.    Cadwallader    .Jones,  jr.,    was    born    at 

wS:inS^,!:^:^i^XMj^"5:iLeJrili^     Mount  Gallant,  in    Northan.pton   County,  and 
and  by  A.  S.  Mackensie,  1S45.  '    ■     '     was  liberally  educated.     He  graduated  at  the 


HALIFAX  COUNTY.                                                        199 

university  in    1832,    in    the  same    class  with  career,  he  joined  the  "  Army  of  the  Xorth  "  as 

Thomas  S.  Ashe,  now  one  of  the  justices  of  a  volunteer. 

the  supreme  court,  General  Thomas  L.  Cling-  The  campaign  being  over,  he  again  returned 

man,  James  C.  Dobbin,  and  others.     He  died  to  college  and  graduated  in   1776   with  high 

on  February  5th,  1861.  honors.     He  then  returned  to  North  Carolina, 

His  son,  Cadwallader,  who  now  lives  at  Rock  and  aided  in  raising  a  troop  of  liorse,  of  which 

Hill,  South  Carolina,  v/as  distinguished  as  a  he  was  elected  lieutenant.     His  commission  is 

statesman  and  politician.     He  was  in  the  leg-  signed    by   Richard   Caswell,    governor,    and 

islatnre    from    Orange  County,  in  1840,  with  dated  April  5,  1779. 

Judge  Mangum  and  Governor  Graham,  as  col-  It  would  exceed  the  limits  of  our   work  to 

leagues;  re-elected  in  1842,-'48,  and  '50.  record  the  militaiy  career  of  General  Davie, 

He  was  elected  solicitor  of  the  fourth  cir-  from  the  battle   of  Stono  (in  1779,  where  he 

cuit,  and  served    his  native    state  faithfully,  commanded  the  right  wing  of  Lincoln's  army. 

For  fourteen  consecutive  years  he  was  in  her  and  was  severely  wounded,)  to  Ivocky  Mount 

councils.     He   moved  in   1857  to  South  Caro-  Hanging    Rock,    Charlotte,    and     elsewhere, 

lina,  where    he   now   resides,  and    whe-re    he  He  accompanied  General  Greene  in  liis  whole 

lived  when  the  civil  war  broke  out.     He  en-  campaign   in  the  south,  and    was  present    at 

tered    the    military    service    of   his   adopted  the    battle    of  Guilford  court-house,   (March, 

state,  and  was  in  the  tight  at  Hilton  Head,  1781,)  Ilobkirk's  Mill,  and  the  evacuation    of 

in   1861,  and  in  the  seven  days'  light  around  Camden. 

Richmond.     His  health  failing,  lie  was  forced  The  records  of  the   country  abound  in  evi- 

to  resign,  but  he  left  four  sons  in  his  place,  dence  of  the  brilliant  career  of  General  Davie, 

two  of  them  in   the  ranks,  one  of  them  was  The  war  being  over,  and  the  country  liberated, 

severely  wounded.     On  his    return    home  he  General  Davie  returned  to  his  legal  studies, 

w^as  elected  state  senator  from  the   Y"ork  dis-  If  his  success   as  a   military  man    had    been 

trict,  South  Carolina.  great,  his  professional  career  M'as  even  more  so. 

He  represented  South  Carolina  in  the  Rich-  The  courts  at  that  time  were  so  arranged  that 

mond    convention    of   1860,  and    in    the   ta.v  a  lawyer  could  attend  every  superior  court  in 

paying  convention  of  1864.  the  state.     This  was  an  arduous  duty,  and  in- 

John     Sitgreaves,    who     married    Martha,  volved  great  personal  inconvenience  and  labor; 

widow    of  Allen  G.  Green,  has  been    alread\'  General  Davie  was  employed  in  every  case  of 

noticed.*  importance.     He  was  elected  to  the  convention 

William  Richardson  Davie,  born  1756,  died  which  met  at  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1787,  but 
1820,  who  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Allan  was  called  home  before  the  close  of  its  labors, 
Jones,  was  a  native  of  Egremont,  in  England,  and  therefore  his  name  does  not  appear  upon 
When  quite  young  his  father,  Archibald  the  federal  constitution  there  adopted.  He 
Davie,  brought  him  to  America,  and  he  was  was  a  member  of  the  state  conventi(}n  at  Hills- 
adopted  by  his  maternal  uncle,  William  Rich-  boro,  1788,  to  consider  this  paper,  and  he  was 
ardson.  His  early  education  was  conducted  its  ardent  and  able  advocate. 
at  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  and  he  entered  He  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
Princeton  college.  But  the  war  for  a  time  1785,  1786, 1787,  1789,  1791,  and  1798. 
closed  the  halls  of  that  institution,  and  with  His  efforts  in  the  legislature  for  the  ad- 
that  ardor,  so  conspicuous  in  his  subsequent  vancement  of  the  state,  especially  in  the  cause 

*Seepage  140.  of  education,  wei'e  constant.     "  I  was  present," 


200 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCEIS^CES. 


saiil  .ludge  Marphey,  "  in  the  House  of  Com- 
raons  when  Duvie  addressed  the  house  for  a 
loan  of  money  for  the  university,  and  although 
thirty  years  have  elapsed,  I  hs.ve  a  most  vivid 
recnllectiou  of  the  greatness  of  his  manner, 
and  the  power  of  his  eloquence.  In  the  House 
of  Commons  he  had  no  rival.  His  eloquence 
was  irresistable." 

He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
and  as  a  grand  master  of  the  masons,  he  laid 
the  corner-stone  of  the  university;  to  the  day 
of  his  death  he  M'-as  its  steady  friend  and  bene- 
factor. In  1798,  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier- 
general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  and 
prepared  "  a  system  of  cavalry  tactics,"  which 
was  printed  and  used  in  the  service.  In  Au- 
gust of  this  year,  he  was  elected  to  the  legis- 
lature, and,  in  December  following,  elected 
governor  of  the  state. 

The  next  year,  June,  1799,  he  was  appointed 
with  Oliver  Ellsworth,  then  chief  justice  of 
the  supreme  court,  and  Mr.  Murray,  (vice  Pat- 
rick Henry,  declined,)  embassadors  to  France, 
and  in  ISTovember  of  that  year  they  sailed  in 
the  frigate  "  United  States,"  on  this  mission. 

He  remained  abroad  two  years.  He  was  ap- 
pointed by  Mr.  Jeiierson,  in  June,  1801,  to 
negotiate  with  the  Tuscarora  Indians  as  to  the 
treaty  between  them  and  the  state  of  North 
Carolina.  By  this  treaty  the  Indians  extended 
theirleases  until  1816, at  which  time  their  title 
ended,  and  their  lands  revei'ted  to  the  state. 

He  was  a  candidate  for  congress  in  1803,  and 
was  defeated  by  Honorable  Willis  Alston. 

He  removed  in  1805  to  Landsford,  South 
Carolina,  Avhere  he  died  in  1820,  leaving  three 
sons  and  three  daughters. 

In  the  old  grave  yard  at  Halifax  there  are 
many  graves  of  the  distinguished  dead  of 
North  Carolina. 

Among  them  we  copy  the  following  four: 

"  Sarah  Davie,  daughter  of  General  Allen  Jones,  born 
September  23,  1762,  married  William  R.  Davie,  April 
11,  1782,  died  1802,  leaving  three  sons,  Allen  Jones, 


Hj'der  A.,  and  Frederick  William,  and  among  others 

these  three  daughters:  M;iry,  Sarah  and  Rebecca." 
"Thomas  Amis,  died  Kovember  25,  1797.     Erected 

by  his  friend,  Ricliard  Bennenhan,  of  Orange."  *  *  * 
"John  Sitgi  eaves,  judge,  &c  ,  died  March  4th,  1802." 
"  John  Boylan  of  Kew  Jersey,  died  October  7,  1799, 

erected  by  his  affectionate  brother,  William  Eoylan.'' 

Hutchins  G.  Burton,  who  marrietl  Sail}'', 
daughter  of  \Yillie  Jones  and  Mary  Montford, 
and  the  granddaughter  of  Robin  Jones,  was  a 
native  of  Granville  County.  He  studied 
law,  and  settled  at  Charlotte,  Mecklenburg 
Countj%  which  county  he  represented  in  1810, 
and  by  this  legislature  was  elected  attorney- 
general  of  the  stace.  He  then  moved  to  Hali- 
fax, and  in  1817  was  elected  to  the  legisla- 
ture from  that  count3'. 

In  1819,  he  represented  this  district  in  the 
Sixteenth  Congress,  and  was  re-elected  in 
1821  to  the  Seventeenth  Congress.  In  1824, 
he  was  elected  governor,  and  in  1826,  he  was 
nominated,  by  John  Q.  Adams,  as  governor  of 
Arkansas;  but  this  appointment  was  not  con- 
firmed by  the  senate. 

He  was  of  social  and  genial  manners,  and 
wherever  he    went  was    universally   popular. 

He  died  in  Iredell  County  in  1836,  and  lies 
buried  in  the  Unity  church  yard,  near  Beat- 
tie's  ford. 

Andrew  Joyner,  who  married  the  widow  of 
Governor  Burton,  was  born,  reared,  and  died 
in  Halifax  County.  His  son,  "  an  old  school 
gentleman,"  was  much  esteemed,  and  of  great 
popularity. 

He  represented  this  county  in  the  senate, 
from  1835  to  1852. 

John  W.  Eppes,  who  married  Martha, 
daughter  of  Willie  Jones  and  Mary  Montford, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia.  She  was  his  second 
wife,  his  first  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson. He  was  a  representative  in  congress 
from  1808  to  1811;  and  again  from  1813  to 
1815,  and  a  senator  from  1817  to  1819,  when 
he  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health;  he  died 
near  Richmond,  September,  1823,  age  fifty. 

Pride  Jones,  son  of  Caldwallader  Jones,  re- 


HALIFAX  COUNTY. 


201 


sides  in  llillsboro,  much  esteemed  as  a  gentle- 
man and  a  scholar;  has  often  been  in  the  leg- 
islature, and  served  in  the  confederate  service 
as  lieutenant -colonel. 

His  son,  Halcot  Pride,  did  good  service  \n 
the  war  as  captain  of  cavalry. 

He  has  been  twice  married;  first  to  a  daugh- 
ter of  Judge  John  A.  Cameron;  and  second, 
to  a  daughter  of  William  Cain,  Esq. 

William  Polk,  born  July  9th,  1758,  died 
January  14th,  1834,  who  married  Grizzie  Gil- 
christ, tlie  daughter  of  Robin  Jones,  was  born 
in  Mecklenburg  County,  North  Carolina.  He 
early  drew  lessons  of  patriotism  from  that  ar- 
dent and  devoted  people,  and  has  testifie  d 
that  he  was  a  spectator,  (as  the  Reverend 
Hampton  Hunter  has  also  testified,)  at  the 
convention,  assembled  on  May  20th,  1775,  at 
Charlotte,  which  declared  their  independence 
of  all  allegiance  to  the  British  crown. 

The  files  of  the  Pension  Bureau,  at  Wash- 
ington, presents  his  declaration  for  a  pension, 
and  it  tells  in  his  own  simple  and  unadorned 
language  of  his  military  services  and  sufterings 
endured  to  obtain  the  liberty  we   now  enjoy. 

Colonel  Polk  represented  the  county  of 
Mecklenburg  from  1787  to  1791. 

He  was  appointed,  in  1812,  a  general  in  the 
United  States  army,  but  age  and  other  causes 
compelled  him  to  decline. 

He  removed  to  Raleigh,  and  was  for  a  long 
time  president  of  the  bank  of  the  state.  He 
was,  grand  master  of  the  free  mason  lodges  of 
the  state,  and  died  January  14th  1834,  pos- 
sessing the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him. 

Extracted  from  the  declaration  of  Colonel 
William  Polk,  on  file  in  Pension  office,  Wash- 
ington, ]).  C.  Ho  was  born  on  July  9,  1758, 
(seventy-five  years  old  on  July  9th,  1833.) 

He  entered  into  service  in  war  of  the  rev- 
olution, in  April,  1775,  as  second  lieutenant  of 
a  company  commanded  by  Captain  Ezekiel 
i'olk,  third  regiment  of  South  Carolina  State 
Troops   of  Mounted   Infantry,   Colonel    Wil- 


liam Thompson,  Major  Mason,  commanding; 
rendezvoused  at  York,  South  Carolina,  and 
marched  to  Ninty-six  to  oppose  the  tories, 
thence  to  Dorchester,  and  thence  to  Granby. 
An  engagement  took  place  at  Canebrake,  o": 
December  22nd,  1775,  where  he  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  left  shoulder,  from  which  he 
was  confined  eight  or  nine  months  and  from 
the  ett'ects  of  which  he  still  suiters. 

On  November  26th,  1776,  he  was  elected  by 
the  Provincial  Congress  of  North  Carolina, 
Major  of  the  Ninth  North  Carolina  Continen- 
tal Battalion,  and  joined  his  regiment  at  Hali- 
fax. He  did  duty  by  command  of  General 
Moore,  at  Charleston.  South  ^Carolina,  and  at 
Wilmington.  This  regiment  was  under  com- 
mand of  Colonel  John  Williams,  John  Luttrel 
being  Lieutenant-Colonel.  From  absence  of 
these  oflicers,  the  command  of  the  regiment 
devolved  on  himself,  and  he  marched  with  the 
regiment  to  Georgetown,  then  in  Maryland, 
now  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  thence  to 
Trenton,  where  his  regiment  joined  the  grand 
army  under  General  Washington;  was  iu  the 
battle  of  Brandywiue,  September  10,  1777, 
and  Germantown,  October  4,  1777,  where  he 
was  wounded  \)y  a  musket  ball  in  the  cheek. 
He  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Valley  Forge, 
when  the  regiment  was  reduced,  and  he  re- 
turned to  North  Carolina  to  superintend  the 
recruiting  service  for  the  purpose  of  filling  up 
the  regiments.  In  the  fall  or  winter  of  1780, 
he  was  appointed  a  lieutenant-colonel  by  John 
Rutledge,  Governor  of  South  Carolina,  and 
had  command  of  the  Fourth,  and  then  the 
Third  regiment  of  the  State.  He  first  must- 
ered his  regiment  under  General  Thomas 
Sumter,  on  Broad  river,  South  Carolina.  The 
first  active  service  was  an  attack  on  a  block- 
house near  Granliy,  on  the  Congaree,  which 
was  carried  by  his  and  Colonel  Wade  Hamp- 
ton's regiment;  was  at  the  siege  and  reduc- 
tion of  Forts  Mott  and  Orangeburg.  He  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  Eutaw  Springs,  Sep- 


202  WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 

teinber  8,   1871,  (where  his  hor.se   was  killed  T.  Robin,  dieil  in  3'onth.     (See  Uiii.   Mag.) 

under  him,  and  where  his  br.)ther  wasicilled)  II.     Martha,    niari-ied    first,    James     Green, 

at  tlie  reduction  of  Matthas  Fort,  and  battle  second,  Judge  John  Sitgreaves;  third,  Ezekiel 

of  Quinby.     lie  held  the  rank  of  lieutenant  Hall,  born  1762,  died  1803. 

colonel  at  the  close  of  the  war.     He  served  in  III.  Sarah,  married  William  R.  Davie,  born 

1779,  as  volunteer  aid  to  Governor  Caswell  in  1756,  died  1820.     (See  his  sketch.) 

battle  of  Camden,  August  16,  1780.     Colonel  IV.  Rebecca  Edwards  Jones, born  1770,  only 

Polk  died  at  Raloigh,  January  14,  1834.  daughter  by  his  second  wife,  married  Lunsford 

General  Lucius  J.  Polk,  son  of  William  J.  Long,  son  of  Nicholas  Long,  who  was  com- 
Polk,  and  his  wife,  Mary  Long,  was  a  galJant  Fiissary  general  of  the  North  Carolina  forces 
officer  in  the  late  civil  war.  He  was  born  at  in  the  revolution;  in  state  senate,  1784, 
Salisbury,  on  July  10th,  1833.  lie  entered,  1785  and  1787;  in  the  provincial  C(mgress  of 
the  army  as  a  private  in  Genera}  Cleburne's  North  Carolina,  1774,-75;  married  first,  Mary 
command,  and  was  soon  made  a  first  lieuten-  McKinny,  1794;  second,  Mary  Copeland,  1799. 
ant,  and  as  sucfi  was  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  Issue  to  the  above  as  follows: 
where  he  received  a  wound  in  the  face.  He  IV.  ()()  Rebecca  Edwards  Long,  born  1795, 
was  promoted  to  be  a  brigadier-general  under  married  Colonel  Cadwalladei'  Jones,  son  of 
Cleburne,  and  joined  his  brigade  in  time  for  Major  Cadwallader  Jones,  aid  to  Lafaj^ette, 
the  fight  at  Murfreesboro,  where  his  command  a  grandson  of  Peter  Janes  for  whom  Peters- 
made  a  brilliant  charge  on  the  enemy.  burg  is  named,. and  Mary  Pride,  of  A'irginia; 

He  was  complimented   in   General  Bragg's  resided    in    Hiilsboro,   in    the  United  States 

report    of  this    battle.     He    was   engaged   in  nav3  ,  and  in  the  armj^  as  major,  (1812,)  died 

many  other    battles,   at    Ringgold    Gap,    and  1861,  (b)  Mary  Lunsford  Long,  married   Dr. 

Kennesaw    Mountain,   where    he    was    badly  W.  J.  Polk. 

wounded  by  a  cannon    ball,  which  eft'cctualJy  II.   {c)    Allen  Jon,-es  Green,  married   Lucy 

disabled  him  from  future  service  in   the  field.  Pride  Jones,  sister  of  Colonel   C.  Jones. 

He  married  his  cousin,  Sail}-  Polk,  and  re-  III.     (a)    Allen   Jones  Davie,  perished  en 

sides  in  Maury  County,  Tennessee.  route    to  California;  (b)  Hyder  Ali,  married 

We  have  now  finished  the  sketches  of  tiiis  Betsy  Jones;   (c)   Sarah,  married  William  F. 

extensive  and  distinguished   family  who  for  DeSaussure,    of    South    Carolina;    (d)    Mary 

generations  have  proved  our  assertion   at  the  Haynes;  (c)  Rebecca,  married  Churchill  Jones; 

commencement  of  this  sketch,  as  being  "the  (/)  Frederick  William  married  first,  Octavia 

most    active    and    useful    men    in   those  early  DeSaussure,  and  second.  Mar}'  Frazier. 

times  of  the  country. "  Issue  to  the  above  as  follows: 

Genealogy  of  the  Jones  family.  II.   («)  had  issue  following:    Mary,  married 

Allen,  son  of  Robin  Jones,  born    1739,  died  Walter    Izard;    fifth,    Allen,    married    Sallie 

1807,    married    first,     Mary    Ilaynes,    second,  Scott;  si.xth,  Ilalcott  married  Virginia  Taylor; 

Rebecca  Edwards,  and  third,  Eaton;  educated  seventh,  Lucy ;  eighth,  John  Sitgreaves  Greene 

at  Eton,  England,  lived  at   Mt.   Gallant,  near  of   Columbia,    South    Carolina;    ninth,   Fred. 

Gaston,  Northampton  County,  North  Carolina;  Lafayette  married  Virginia  Colelough. 

member  of  provincial  congi'css  1774,  1775, and  IV.   («)  had  issue  following:   First,  Allen  C, 

1776;    brigadier-general    in   revolution,   1776;  lives  at  Greensboro,  Ala.,  Colonel  in  civil  war, 

continental  congress,  1779  and   1786;   eonven-  married  r'atheriue  Erwin;  second  Cadwallader, 

tion  1788.     Issue  as  follows:  married    Annie   Isabella  Iredell,  daughter  of 


HALIFAX  COUNTY.                                                       203 

Governor  James  Iredell,  to  these  last  were  born  Mary,  married    to    I'bilip   Boiling;  (/*)  Sarah, 

(«)  Frances  Iredell,  married  to  G-eorge  Erwin  married  to  E.  W.  Ilivbba-rd,  in   congress  from 

of  Alabama;  (b)  Iredell  married  (first,)  Ellen,  Virginia,,  from  1841  to  1847;  (c)  Willie,,  mar- 

daughtev  of  Governor  Adams;   (second)' Laura  ried  (first,)  Cox,  (second,).  Joyner;  (rf)  John, 

McMahon;    (c)  Cadwallader   married    Emma,  died  unmarried. 

daugliteroflJr.  Charles E.  Johnson;  (d)  Alle-n,  To  "Wilhe  Jones  and  Mary  Montfort  were 
married  Augusta  Port;her;  (f)  Johnston,  also  born:  («)  Anne  Maria, married  to  Joseph 
attorney  general  af  North  Carolina,  married  B.  Littlejohn;.  (6)  Willie^  died  single;  (c) 
Elizabeth  Vv^atte-rs  Miller;  (/")  Annie  Isabella;  Robert  A.,  died  single;  legislature  18:20. 
married  Dr.  Thomas  C.  Robei'tson,  of  South  Martha,  daughter  of  Robin  Jones,  married 
Carolina;  (g)  Willie;  (/()  Ilalcot  Pride;  [i)  Judge  Thomas  Gilchi'ist;.  issue^  G-riselda  Gil- 
Helen,  married  J.  Strieker  Coles.  ehrist,  who  married  Colonel  William.  Polk,  of 
IV.  («)  also  hiid  issue,  third,  Dir.  Pride  Jones,  Raleigh,  to  whom  were  born,  ('<);  General 
married  first,.  Mary  E.  A.  Cameron,  daughter  of  Thomas  G.  Polk,  married  Mary  Eloise  Trotter; 
Judge  John  Cameron;  and  second,  Martha  {.b)  Dr.  William  J.  Polk,  who  married  Mary, 
Cain;  fourth,  Miiry  Rebecca,  married  to  P.  B.  daughter  of  Lundsford  Long  and  Rebecca 
Rutfin;  fifth,, Robin,  married  Sarah  Polk, killeil  Edwards.  To  General  Thomas  G.  Polk  were 
in  battle  of  Brandy  Station;  sixth,  Sarah  born,  («)  Jane,  married  to  Dr.  Bouchelie;  {b) 
Rebecca,  married  to  Josiah  Collins,  ji-.  Mary,  who    was  the  first  wife  of  Honorable 

IV.  (6)  had  issue  following:  First,  Griselda,  George  Davis,  of  Wilmington;   (e)    William:; 

married  to  Judge  Russell  Houston,  Louisville,  (t?y)  liicliard;  {c}  Emily;  (,/)  Thos..  G.. 

Kentucky;second,  Allen  Jones,  born  1824^mar-  Colonel    William    Polk   married  a    second 

ried  first,  Clendinin;  second,  Anna  L.   Fitz,-  time,    Sarah  Hawkins,   issue-     (-.-)    Lucius  J. 

hngh, Helena,  Ai'ks;  third,  Thomas  G.,  married  Polk;   (J)   Bishop  Leonidas    Polk;  (e)    Mary, 

Lavinia  Wood,  in  1825;  fourth,  Mary  Jones,  wife  of   Ilonorahle    George   E.   Badger;    (/) 

born    1831,   at    Salisbury,  married   to  Joseph  RufusK.  Polk;  (A)  Alex.  Hamilton;  (<)  George 

Branch,  brother  of  General  L.   O'B.  Branch,.  W.  Polk;  (J)  Su.-^an,  wife  of  Honorable  Kenneth 

General  Lucius  J.,  born  1833,  at  Salisbury;  fifth  Rayner;   (/.:)  Andrew  J. 

enlisted  as  private,  became- General  [C.  S.  A.,]  Elizabeth   Eaton,   oidy    daughter  of  Robin 

married  Sally  I'olk  and  lives  in  Maury  (Jounty,  Jones  by  Ins  sei-ond   wife,  married  Governor 

Tennessee;  sixth,  Cadwallader  of  Helena  Aiik,  Benjamin   Williams,  of  Moore  County,  Gov- 

married  Carrie  Lowry;  seventh, RnfuSjborii in  ernor   of  North  Carolina  in   1799'   and  1807; 

Tennessee,  1839,  married  Cynthia  Martin.  issue: 

Willie,  son  of  Robin  Jones,  married  Mary  I.  Allen  AVilliam,  educated  at  Eton., 

Montfort,  educated  at  Eton,  England;  presi-  The  Chowell    famil.y.- 

deut  of  council  of  safety,  1776;  in  legislature.  It    has  been    truly  observed  that   truth    is 

1776  to  1779;  continental  congress,  1780;  con-  stranger  than  fiction., 

vention  at  Hillsboro,  1788;  died  at  Raleigh  in  After  the  death  of  Cromwell,  and   the   ac- 

1801,  had  issue  as  follows:  cession    of    Ch-.irles   II.,   fearing    prosecution 

I.  Sally,  married  (first,)  Governor  11.  G.  from  the  cro-wn,  John_and  Edward,  two  of 
Burton;  (second,)  Colonel  Andrew  Joyner,  the    brothers    of  the   Protector,  in  the  same 

II.  Martha,  married  to  John  W.  Eppes,  year,  left  England  for  America.  They  settled 
(whose  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  first  in  Woodbridge,  New  Jersey.  On  their 
JeiFerson,)  to  the  last  named  were  born,  [a)  voyage,  more  efl'ectually  to  avoid  the  storm 


204 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


impending,     the}',     with     much     solemnity, 
changed  their  name  toCrowell.* 

John,  who  emigrated  from  New  Jersey  to 
Halifax,  married  a  Miss  Lewis.  He  died 
early  leaving  several  children.  Josepli,  one  of 
his  sons,  married  Miss  Barnes.  One  of  his 
daughters  married  Colonel  Monfort,  whose 
daughter  was  the  wife  of  Willie  Jones,  llis 
sketch  we  have  already  presented.  A  son  of 
Edward,  the  other  brother,  settled  in  Georgia, 
and  married   a   sister  of  Governor  Rayburn. 

Another   son   of  Edward,  Sanmel,  married' 
Miss  Bnidford,  daughter  of  Colonel  Bradford 
of  the  British  army.     He  (Samuel)  was  in  the 
revolutionary    war,    and    served    as   a   major, 
under  General  Greene. 

He  lived  on  Flint  River,  in  retirement,  and 
was  distinguished  for  his  modest,  unobstrnsive 
character.  He  had  several  children;  among 
them  Colonel  John  Crowell,  who  was  a  dole- 
gate  in  congress,  when  the  territory  of  Ala- 
bama was  established  in  1817,  and  when  the 
state  constitution  was  formed;  was  the  first 
representative  in  congress  from  that  state, 
serving  till  1821.  Soon  after  he  was  appointed 
agent  for  the  Creek  Indians,  then  occup)ying 
large  portions  of  Alabama  and  Georgia,  until 
they  were  removed  west  of  t4ie  Mississippi  in 
1836.  He  died  near  Fort  Mitchell,  in  Ala- 
bama, June  25th,  1846. 

John  Baptista  Ashe,  (horn  1758,  died  1802,) 
lived  and  died  in  Halifax.  He  was  son  of 
Governor  Samuel  Ashe,  born  in  1745;  was  a 
captain,  at  the  battle  of  Alamance,  in  Gov- 
ernor Tryon's  ai-my,  1771,  and  with  John 
Walker  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  regulators. 

He  was  at  the  battle  of  Moore's  Creek 
Bridge,  a  captain  in  CoilUonel  Lington's  regi- 
ment. 

He  was  promoted  to  rank  of  lieutenant  col- 


*IIt're  in  tlie  quiet  retreats  of  North  Carolina,  the 
restless  and  aspiring  blood  of  Cromwell  found  repose, 
and  the  exquisite  lines  of  Gray  were  realized: 

" Some  mute  inglorious  Milton  liere  may  rest — 

Some  Cromwell  guiltless  of  his  country's  blood," 


onel  under  General  Greene,  and  was  in  the 
battle  of  Eutaw  Springs,  which  decisive  battle 
closed  his  military  career. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1786, 
and  of  the  continental  congress  in  1787,  and 
in  the  First  Congress,  1790,  and  re-elected  to 
the  Second  Congress,  1791,-'93. 

In  1795,  he  was  a  member  of  the  legislature 
from  Halifax  town.  On  November  20,  1802, 
he  was  chosen  governor  of  the  state,  but  died 
on  27th  of  November,  of  the  same  year  before 
his  inauguration.  One  son,  Samuel  Porter 
Ashe  survived  him,  who  died  near  Browns- 
ville, Tennessee,  leaving  three  children,  John 
Ashe,  of  Mississippi;  Shepard  Ashe,  of  Ten- 
nessee; and  a  daughter,  who  married  Holmes. 

Willis  Alston  was  born,  reared,  and  died  in 
Halifax  County.  He  was  distinguished  as  a 
politician,  and  entered  public  life  as  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Commons  in  1790,  and  served 
till  1792,  he  became  senator  in  1794,  serving 
until  1796.  He  was  elected  to  the  Sixth 
Congress,  1799,  and  served  till  1815,  and 
in  the  Nineteenth  Congress  from  1825  to 
1831.  During  the  war  he  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  of  ways  and  means;  at  that  time 
a  most  important  position.  Without  great 
abilities,  he  was  a  man  of  consummate  tact,  and 
successful  in  all  of  his  enterprizes.  He  was 
consistent  and  uniform  as  a  statesman.  He 
died  April  10,  1837. 

John  Haywood  was  born,  reared  and  lived 
in  this  county.  He  was  the  son  of  Egbert 
Haywood,  who  represented  the  county  in  the 
provincial  congress  in  November,  1776,  at  Hal- 
ifax, which  adopted  the  state  constitution,  and 
in  the  house  of  commons  in  1777,  and  1778. 

From  the  distracted  condition  of  the 
country  at  this  time,  the  opportunities  to  ac- 
cpiire  education  were  few;  but  3'oung  Hay- 
wood entered  the  profession  of  the  law,  in 
which  he  was  destined  to  become  distin- 
guished, under  many  disadvantages.  To 
the  want  of  a  systematic  intellectual   culture, 


\ 


/       V 


HALIFAX  COUNTY.  205 

was  added  an   ungainly    person,  and  an   un-  nal   History  of  Tennessee,"  and    tlie   second, 

pleasant  harsh   voice.      But    possessing  great'  "The  Civil  and  Political  History  of  Tennessee, 

determination  of  character,  an  ardent  love  of  from  its  Earliest   Settlement  to   1796."     The 

stud}',  and  a  lofty  ambition, he  overcame  those  style  of  these  works,  however,  is  not  elegant, 

disadvantages,  and  soon  rose  to  the  head   of  and  the  reading  is  uninteresting.     It  is  chiefly 

his  profession.      His   success  was  manifested  upon  the   fact  of  his  being  one  of  the  most 

by  his  election,  in  1791,  by  the   legislature  sis  learned  and  profound  lawyers  of  the   nation, 

attorney  general,  the  successor  of  Avery,  Ire-  that  the  fame  of  Judge  Haywood  rests, 
dell  and  Moore,  all  shining  lights  in   the  law.         He  married  earl3-  in  life  Martha  Edwards, 

lie  held  this  oiRce  until  1794,  when  he  was  from  which  union  have   sprung  numerous  de- 

elccted    one    of   the  judges    of  the   superior  scendents,   many   of  whom   live  in   Alabama 

courts,  in  place  of  Judge   Spencer,  deceased,  and  Tennessee. 

Such  was  the  estimate  of  his  associates,  that         Wh«n  in  North    Carolina  he   resided  on  a 

Judge  Hall  decided  in  18-8,   (in   Spier's  case,  farm  he  owned,  about  si.x  miles  north  of  Louis- 

Devereux   496,)    as  follows:  "With  no  disre-  burg,  in  Franklin  County, 
spect    to   the  memory  of  the  dead;  or   to  the        John  Henry  E:iton,  (born  1787,  died  1856.) 

pretensions  of  the    living,  a  greater   criminal  senator  in  congress,  secretary  of  war,  governor 

lawyer,  than  Judge  Haywood  never  sat   upon  of  Florida,  and  envoy  to  Spain,  was  a  native 

the  bench  in  North  Carolina."  of  Halifax  County      He  was  educated  partly 

In  1809,  he  resigned  the  ofHce  of  Judge,  to  at  the  university,  but  never  graduated.  After 

defend    James    Glasgow,  against  the   charge  leaving    the  university,  he  studied  law,  and 

of  fraud  in  issuing  land  warrants  while  he  was  emigrated    to    Tennessee.      Here    he   entered 

secretary  of  state.  successfully  into  politics,  and  so  became,   at 

The  defendant  was  convicted,  and  Mr.  Hay-  the  early  age  of  thirtj'-one,  by  selection  of 
wood  incurred  a  degree  of  odium,  for  his  the  governor,  one  of  the  senators  in  con- 
course in  defending  him,  that  induced  him  to  gress  from  Tennessee,  which,  position  he 
leave  the  stiitc.  He  sought  new  fields  of  ser-  held  from  1818  to  1829.  During  the  first  ses- 
vice  in  Tennessee.  Here  betook  rank  with  sion  of  his  service,  the  invasion  of  Florida  by 
tlie  ablest  advocates,  and  soon  was  elevated  General  Jackson,  was  an  important  and  excit- 
to  the  supreme  court  bench,  in  the  place  of  ing  question.  The  communication  of  the 
Judge  Cooke,  and  where  he  remained  until  president  on  the  subject,  was  referred  to  a 
his  death,  in  December,  182'o.  committee,  upon  which  was  Mi'.  Eaton,  Mr. 

In  addition  to  his  labors  at  the  bar  and  on  King,  of  New  York,  Mr.  Forsyth,  of  Georgia, 
the  bench.  Judge  Haywood,  while  in  this  state,  and  a  member  from  Pennsylvania.  The 
prepared  "  A  Treatise  on  the  Duty  and  Office  majority  of  this  committee  submitted  a  repoi't 
of  Justices  of  Peace,  Sheriffs,  &c.,"  "A  Man-  strongly  condemning  Jackson,  from  which  re- 
nal of  the  Laws  of  North  Carolina,"  and  two  port  Eaton  and  KiUiC  dissented.  Eaton  never 
volumes  of  reports;  all  works  of  high  merit.  during  his  life  for   a   moment  swerved   in    his 

He  also  published    several  theological    and  devotion  and  fidelity  to  "  the  Hero  of  New  Or- 

historical  works.     He  was  a  firm   believer  in  leans."     His    letters,   signed  "  AVyoming,"   in 

ghosts,  and  of  the   re  appearance  of  departed  favor  of  Jackson   were  considered   models   of 

spirits —the  great  weakness  of  a  great   mind,  classical  diction,  and  cogent  reasoning.    These 

He  published  in    1823,  two   volumes  of  his-  contributed  much  towards   elevating   Jackson 

tory.     The  first,  "On  the  Natural  and  Aborigi-  to  the  presidency.     He  further  signalized  his 


206 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


attfichment  to  him,  by  writing  :ind  publishing 
an  elaborate  and  volumiaons"  life  of  Jackson." 
On  the  accession  of  this  chief  to  the  presi- 
dency, Eaton  was  appointed  secretary  of  war, 
which  position  he  held  from  1829  to  1831, 
until  his  marriage  with  Mrs.  Timberlake,  the 
"  the  fair  and  fast  "  widoAv  of  Purser  Tim- 
berlake  of  the  navy.  Thei-e  was  scandal  con- 
nected with  this  lady.  The  wives  of  Calhoun, 
Ingham,  Branch  and  Berrien  refused  to  call 
on  her;  Jackson  took  her  part,  and  a  dissohi- 
tion  of  the  cabinet  was  the  result.  Mr.  Eaton 
was  governar  of  Florida,  183t,-'36,  and  envoy 
to  Spain  from  1836  to  1840. 

Governor  Eaton  was  of  commanding  pre- 
sence; his  literary  abilities  respectable,  his 
elocution  graceful,  and  bis  voice  remarkabij'^ 
fine.  He  was  social  and  generous  in  his  inter- 
course with  his  friends,  and  much  esteemed. 

He  died  in  Washington  City,  November, 
1856.  His  widaw  married  again,  and  recently 
died  in  Washington. 

J.  J.  Daniel,  born  1783,  died  1848,  one  of  the 
justices  of  the  supreme  court.  Born,  reared  and 
died  in  Halifax.  His  early  education  was  de- 
fective; he  studied  lav/  under  General  William 
R.  Davie. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1807 
and  again  1812. 

In  1816,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  superior  courts,  which  he  held  until  1832, 
when  he  was  elevated  to  the  supreme  court 
bench;  which  exalted  position  he  occupied 
until  his  death,  February,  1848. 

Judge  Daniel  was  remarkable  for  his  deep 
and  varied  knowledge  of  his  profession,  and  his 
accurate  and  extensive  stores  of  historical  in- 
formation. These  were  never  ostentatiously 
displayed,  for  he  was  as  artless  as  innocence 
itself.  The  appropriate  language  of  his  associ- 
ate, Judge  Ruffin,on  the  occasion  of  his  death, 
describes  his  character  in  true  and  vivid  col- 
ors: 

"Judge  Daniel  served  his  country  through 


a  period  of  nearly  thirty  years  acceptably, 
ably,  and  faithfully.  He  had  a  love  of  learn- 
ing, an  inquiring  mind,  and  a  memory  uncom- 
monly tenacious;  he  acquired  and  retained  an 
exten.sive  and  varied  stock  of  knowledge,  es- 
pecially in  the  history  and  principles  of  the 
law;  he  was  without  arrogance  or  ostenta- 
tion— even  of  his  learning.  He  had  the  most 
unaffected  and  charming  simplicity  and  mild- 
ness of  manners,  and  had  no  other  purpose 
thau  "to  execute  justice,  and  maintain  truth," 
therefore  he  was  patient  in  hearing  argument, 
laborious  and  earnest  in  investigation,  candid 
and  instructive  in  consultation,  and  impartial 
and  firm  in  decision." 

So  appropriate  an  eulogium  from  so  compe- 
tent a  source  was  well  deserved. 

He  married  Maria  Stith,  whom  he  survived, 
and  by  whom  he  had  several  children. 

John  R.  J.  Daniel  was  a  native  of  Halifax. 
He  was  educated  at  the  universitj,  wiiere  he 
graduated  in  1821, in  the  same  class  withHon- 
orable  Anderson  Mitchell  and  others,  taking 
the  first  honors.  He  read  law  and  practiced  with 
much  success.  In  1831,  he  entered  political 
life  as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
and  served  till  1834,  at  which  session  he  was 
elected  attorney  general  of  the  state,  which 
position  beheld  till  1841,  when  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  Twenty-seventh  Congress,  and 
re  elected  continuously  till  the  Thirty-second 
Congress  (1851.)  For  many  years  he  was  the 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  claims,  for 
which  his  unquestioned  integrity,  clear  and 
discriminating  mind  and  patient  industry, 
rendered  him  a  model  chairman.  After  leav- 
ing congress, he  removed  to Shreveport,  Louis- 
iana, where  he  died  in  1868. 

Junius  Daniel,  born  June  27,  1828,  killed 
in  battle  May  12,  1S64,  son  of  the  preceeding, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Halifax.  His  early 
education  was  conducted  by  J.  M.  Lovejoy, 
Raleigh.  He  entered  the  military  academy  at 
West  Point  in  1846.  After  graduating,  he 
was  ordered  to  Newport,  Kentucky.  In  1852, 
he  went  to  Mexico,  where  be  remained  four 
years  repressing  the  Indians,  with   whom  he 


HALIFAX  COUNTY. 


•207 


had  frequent  skirmishes.  On  his  return  from 
New  Mexico,  his  father  havino;  purchased 
lands  in  Louisiana,  induced  him  to  resign  his 
commission  in  the  army  and  aid  in  cultivating 
the  soil.  He  was  thus  engaged,  when  Sumter 
fell.  His  military  education,  and  liis  exem- 
plary character  induced  the  authorities  of 
Louisiana  to  offer  him  a  command,  hut  he  pre- 
ferred serving  his  own  state.  He  came  to 
North  Carolina  and  tendered  his  services  to 
Governor  Ellis,  they  were  promptly  accepted, 
and  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  fourth, 
afterwards  fourteenth,  regiment  of  North  Car- 
olina troops,  with  which  he  remained  until 
the  expiration  of  the  twelve  months  term  of 
service.  He  was  then  elected  colonel  of  the 
forty-third  and  also  of  the  forty-iiftli  regi- 
ments, both  of  which  had  enlisted  for  the 
war,  and  about  the  same  time  he  was  tend- 
ered the  command  of  the  second  cavalry. 
He  accepted  the  command  of  the  forty- 
tifth  regiment.  lu  October,  1862,  he  was 
commissioned  brigadier.  As  a  disciplin- 
arian he  had  no  superior;  in  attention  to  the 
comforts  and  wants  of  his  men,  and  handling 
his  troops  in  action,  as  was  proved  at  Gettys- 
burg, and  Spottsylvauia,  he  was  the  equal  of 
any  officer  in  the  army.  His  brigade  con- 
sisted of  the  thirty-second  regiment,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Brabble,  who  was  killed  at 
Spottsylvania;  the  forty -third,  commanded  by 
Keenan,  who  was  wounded  and  captured  at 
Gettysburg,  and  afterwards  by  Cary  Whita- 
ker,  killed  at  Petersburg.  The  forty-fifth, 
commanded  fir.st  by  Morehead,  (who  died  at 
Martinsburg,)  and  then  by  Boyd,  who  was 
wounded  and  captured  at  Gettysburg,  and  was 
exchanged,  to  be  killed  at  Spottsylvania;  the 
fifty-third  by  W.  A.  Owens,  killed  at  Win- 
chester, and  the  twent3'-second  North  Caro- 
lina battalion,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Col- 
onel Andrews  who  was  killed  at  Gettysburg. 
What  a  sad  record!  How  loudly  does  it  speak 
of  the  heroic  gallantry  of  these  devoted   men! 


General  Daniel  spent  the  fall  of  1862,  witli 
his  brigade  at  Drury's  Blufi',  and  in  Decem- 
ber of  that  year,  he  was  ordered  to  North 
Carolina,  under  General  D.  H.  Hill.  Shortly 
after  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  he  was 
transferred  to  Lee's  army,  Rhodes'  division, 
attached  to  Ewell's  corps,  during  the  Pennsyl- 
vania campaign,  the  division  being  the  advance 
column.  When  Carlisle,  the  extreme  point  of 
advance,  was  reached.  General  Ewell  made  an 
address  to  his  men,  congratulating  them  on 
their  success.  Turning  to  Daniel's  brigade, 
recently  attached  to  his  corps,  said:  "They 
have  shown  themselves  so  obedient  to  all  or- 
ders, so  steady  and  regular  in  their  march,  that 
he  entrusted  to  them  the  charge  of  bearing  the 
corps  flag,  confident  that  its  honor  would  Tiot 
suft'er  while  in  the  keeping  of  such  troop^;."' 
The  conduct  of  General  Daniel  at  Gettysburg, 
the  first  real  opportunity  he  had  had  to  dis- 
play his  military  skill,  won  for  him  the  esteem 
and  admiration  of  his  associates  in  arms.  His 
brigade  never  faltered  a  moment  on  that  dis- 
astrous field,  but  moved  with  the  precision  of 
a  machine.  We  have  to  pass  the  intervening 
period  to  the  closing  scenes,  the  battles  of  the 
Wilderness,  and  Spottsylvania  Courthouse. 

The  morning  of  May  oth,  1864,  was  an  au- 
spicious day  in  General  Daniel's  career.  He 
was  then  in  the  reserve,  supporting  the  Stone- 
wall and  other  brigades.  General  Jones  was 
killed,  and  all  gave  way  before  the  impetuous 
charge  of  the  enemy.  At  this  critical  mo- 
ment, when  to  hesitate  was  to  be  lost,  Daniel 
ordered  his  brigade  to  charge,  and  he  drove  the 
enemy  back.  On  the  same  night,  (May  5th, 
1864,)  Daniels  brigade  was  ordered  to  the  ex- 
treme right,  and  was  kept  constantly'  engaged. 

Grant  had  driven  Johnson  from  his  posi- 
tion, Ramseur  and  Harris  had  gone  to  retake 
the  works;  the  enemy  were  trying  to  break 
Lee's  second  line,  pushing  the  right  of  Daniel's 
brigade  heavily.  He  was  a  feiv  paces  in  the 
rear  of  the  Forty -fifth  regiment;  while  giving 


208 


WHEELER'S   EEMINISCENOES. 


orders  to  one  of  his  couriers  he  was  struck  in 
the  abdomen  by  a  niinic  ball,  which,  in  a  few 
hours,  proved  his  death  wound. 

A  short  time  before  his  dissolution  the  doc- 


He  studied  law  with  Judge  John  Haywood, 
but  he  never  pursued  the  profession.  He  pre- 
ferred the  more  exciting  ciireer  of  politics,  in 
which  he  was  eminently  successful.     His  first 


tors  informed  him  that  he  was  dying,  and  asked  appearance  in  public  life  was  in  1811,  as  sena- 

if  a  minister  of  the  gospel  might  be  called  in;  tor  in   the   legislature  from  Halifax   County. 

he  readily  assented,  and  a  minister  was  sent  He  was  elected  continuously  until  1817,  when 

for.     All  knelt  down  in  prayer;  after  prayer  he  he  was  chosen  governor  of  the  state, 

was  very  quiet,  and  requested  to  be  raised   up  After   serving  the  constitutional  term,  he 

in  bed;  that   being  done  ho  breathed  once  or  was  again  elected  a  senator  in  the  legislature, 

twice  freely.     "Now   lay  me  down,"  he  said,  in  1822,  and  the  next  year  he  was  elected  sen- 

and  folding   his  hands  across  his  breast,  and  ator  in   the    Congress   of  the  United  States, 

closing  bis  eyes,  on  May  13th,  1864,  the  spirit  and  re-elected  to  the  same  distinguished  post 

of  Junius   Daniel    departed   for  another  and  in  1827.     He   resigned   on   being  selected    by 

better  world.  General  Jackson  as  secretary  of  the  navy. 

His  remains  were  taken  to  the  place  of  his  On  the  dissolution  of  the  cabinet  in  conse- 
birth;  he  was    buried    under    venerable  oaks 


in  the  old  church  yard  at  Halifax,  where 
many  of  his  honored  relatives  sleep,  "  that 
sleep  that  knows  no  waking." 


quence  of  affair  of  Mrs.  Eaton,  alread}^  refer- 
red to  in  the  sketch  of  Governor  Eaton,  Gover- 
nor Branch  returned  to  his  home,  and  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  house  of  representa- 


He  left  no  children.     His  affectionate  wife,    tives  in  1831.     In  1834,  he   was  as;ain  elected 


Ellen,  the  daughter  of  the  late  John  J.  Long, 
still  survives  to  cherish  with  dovated  atiection 


to  the  state  senate,  and  in  1835,  a  member  of 
the  convention   to   revise  the    constitution  of 
his  stainless  reputation,  his  daring  valor,  and    the  state.     In   1838,  he   was    the  democratic 


his  devoted  patriotit^m. 

Benjamin  MeCullock,  also  a  native  of  Hali- 


candidate    for    Governor  of   North    Carolina, 
and  was  defeated   by  Governor  Dudley.     In 


fax,  was  killed  in.  the  battle  of  Elkhorn.     He     1843-,    he     was    appointed    by   the    president 
was  the  grandson  of  a  man  by  the  sanie  name;     Governor   of  Florida,  after  which  he  retired 
these  names  are  frequently  mentioned  in  the     fVom  the  arena  of  public  life. 
Colonial  History  of  North  Carolina. 

Henry  MeCullock  was,  by  order  of  the  King, 
appointed  seeretary,  vice  Rice,  deceased.  His 
difficulties  with  Governor  Johnston  for  sev- 
eral vears  created  s:veat  confusion   in  the  col- 


ony. 


John    Branch,   born  1782,   died   1863,    was 


He  died  at  Enfield,  on  Januarj- 4th,  1863. 
By  his  first  wife,  NHss  Fort,  he  raised  a  large 
and  lovely  famih\  He  married  a  second  time 
Mrs.  Bond,  of  Bertie  County,  {7Jee  Jordan,) 
who  did  not  long  survive  her  distinguished 
husband. 

James  Grant,  of  Iowa,  was  born  and  reared 


born,  raised,  and  died  in  Halifax  County.  His  in  Halifax  County.  His  grandfather  emigrated 
ancestors  were  of  true  revolutionary  stock,  from  Scotland.  His  father,  whose  name  he 
He  was  born  November  4,1782;  educated  at     bears,  was  born  in  same  county   (17!:*1.)     He 

was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature  in 
1814,  and  in  1827,  comptroller  of  the  state. 
He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Matthew 
C.  Whitaker,  who  represented  Halifax  in  the 
state   senate    in    1807    to    1810.     He    died  in 


the  university,  wliere  he  graduated  in  1801,  in- 
the  same  class  with  Thomas  G.  Amis,  Thomas 
D.  Bennehan,  Francis  Little  Dancy,and  John 
Davis  Hawkins. 


^Board  of  Trade  ;  KoUs  Olflce,  12. 


HALIFAX   COUNTY.  209 

1834,  leaving  four  sons,  of  whom  James,  the  Nash  County,  one  of  the  most  gifted  l:nvvers 
subject  of  our  present  sketch,  ^vas  the  eldest,  of  his  day,  and  was  licensed  in  1823.  He  set- 
After  his  academic  course,  he  entereil  the  tied  first  in  Nashville,  and  tlien  removed  to 
university,  and  graduated  in  1831,  in  the  same  Halifax,  u'here  he  resided  for  many  years,  un- 
class  with  Giles  Mebane,  Calvin  Jones,  Jacob-  til  he  moved  to  R:deigh,  where  he  lived  until 
Thompson,  De  B.  Hooper,  and  others.     As  a  his  death. 

scholar,  young  Grant  was  among  the  first  of  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature 
his  class;  and  gave  early  presage  of  that  high  in  1836,-'40,'42  and  '44.  He  was  defeate:!  by 
order  of  ability  which  has  since  achieved  for  one  vote,  in  1838,  in  consequence  of  the  sup- 
him  friends,  fortune- and  fame.  port  he  had  given  to  aid  in  the  construction  of 
He  read  law,  and  with  that  enterprise  which  the  Wilmington  and  Weldon  railroad.  In 
marks  his  character  he  left  his  native  state,  1846,  he  declined  being  a  candidate,  and  never 
and  sought  his  fortunes  in  the  growing  west,  again  appeared  as  a  politician.  His  course  in 
He  first  settled  in  Illinois,  and  subsequently'  the  legislature  was  marked  liy  intelligence,  in- 
removed  to  Iowa,  whilst  it  was  yet  aterntory.  dependence,  and  iritegi'ity.  Never  did  thy  state 
In  1846,  he  aided  in  organizing  tlie  constitution  have  a  more  devoted  and  selfsacrificing  citi- 
of  the  embryo  state,  and  thus  liecame  identi-  zren.  A  mere  politician  he  never  was.  Clearin 
tied  with  its  history.  Here- he  pursued  with  his  convictions  of  right,  outspoken  in  his  views, 
energy,  integrity,  and  success,  a  career  of  pro-  and  firm,  decided  and  fearless  in  his  o[)inions, 
fession-;d  labor  and  attained  the  highest  lie  was  little  fitted  for  politics.  Highly  as  he 
judicial  honors,  he  has  alsi>  amassed  a  princely  appreciated  the  confidence  and  regard  of  his 
fortune.  He  now  occupies  a  professional  posi-  countrymen,  he  never  courted  popular  ap- 
tion  second  to  no  lawyer  in  the  great  north-  plausc  at  the  expense  <if  [)rlnciple3.  This  was 
west.  During  the  troubles  of  the  civil  war  a  popularity  that  followed  him,  but  never  was 
his  generous  character  was  shown  in  coutribut-  pursued  by  him.  Therefore,  in  the  law  and  its 
ing  to  the  comfort  and  relief  of  the  unfort-  study,  his  great  faculties  f  luud  anqde  and 
unate  confederate  prisoners.  At  the  late  appropriate  exercise,  and  in  its  practice  he 
commencement  he  gave  to  his  Alma  mater  sulj-  had  no  superior.  His  reputation  was  fixed  on 
stantial  proofs  of  his  munificent  liberality,  a  high  and  permanent  foundation  by  a  brief 
He  delivered,  at  the  commencement  of  1878',  tiled  in  the  case  of  8tate  y.  Will,  (1st  Devereux 
an  address  before  the  Alumni  society,  dis-  and  Battle.)  That  argument,  then,  was  with- 
tinguished  fur  its  ability,  research,  pathos  and  out  a  superior  in  the  legal  history  of  the  s.ate, 
eloquence.  and  so  stands  to  this  day.     It  is,  indeed,  a 

Bartholomew  Figures  Moore,  born  January  model  without  a  rival. 

29, 1801,  died  November  29, 1878,  was  a  native  In  May,  1848,  he  was   appointed  by   Gov- 

of  Halifax;  born  near  Fishing  Creek,  in  the  ernor  Graham,  attorney  general  of  the  state, 

upper   part  of  the  county;    the   fifth   son  of  (and  in  Decembei',  he  was  elected  to  the  posi- 

James  Moore,  a  revolutionary  soldier.  tion  by  the  legislature)  which  he  resigned  in 

Having    been    prepared  for  college,  he   en-  consequence  of  being  app  linted  on  a  commis- 

tered  the  Sophomore  class,  and  gradnated  in  sion  "  to  revise  the  statute  laws  of  the  state." 

June,  1820.  in  the  same  class  with  William  H.  His  associates  in  this  work  was  Asa  Biggs 

Battle,   Bishop    Otey,    Archibald    G.    Carter,  and  K.   M.   Saunders.      They  performed  this 

and  others.  duty  in  an  able  manner   and  submitted  their 

He   read    law    with    Thomas   N.  Mann,   of  work  to  the  legislature  of  1854 -'55. 


210 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


Mr.  Moore  was  the  outspoken  and  fearless 
friend  of  the  union,  and  the  bitter  opponent 
of  the  doctrine  of  secession.  These  opinions 
he  expressed  openly,  under  all  circumstances. 
Man}'  differed  from  him  in  these  views,  but 
all  respected  his  sentiments  for  they  believed 
in  the  purity  of  his  convictions. 

Immediately  after  the  war  closed,  Mr. 
Moore,  with  Governor  Swain  and  William 
Eaton  were  invited  by  the  president  to  Wash- 
ington for  conference  and  consultation  as  to 
the  best  mode  of  restoring?  North  Carolina  to 
the  union.* 

No  Roman  tribune  stood  forth  more  fearless 
and  bold,  than  did  Mr.  Moore  on  this  occasion, 
for  the  rights  of  the  people  and  the  citizen. 
His  sagacious  advice,  had  it  been  followed  l>y 
Mr.  .Johnson,  would  have  saved  much  anxiety 
and  suffering  to  the  country;  but  it  was 
unheeded.  Mr.  Moore  subsequently  in  (1867,) 
when  negro  suffrage  was  forced  on  the  South 
strongly  opposed  it,  and  he  predicted  the  very 
calamities  of  which  its  friends  now  complain, 
and  suffer.  He  also  opj'osed  the  military  rule 
imposed  by  congresa  on  the  south,  maintain- 
ing that  the  people  ought  to  be  allowed 
to  choose  their  own  rulers,  and  be  governed 
by  their  own  laws,  not  inconsistent  with 
the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  United 
States. 

Profound  as  was  Mr.  Moore's  reverence  of 
the  law,  and  his  respect  for  its  ministrations, 
his  spirit  of  justice  and  the  instinct  of  his 
nature  opposed  any  official  interference  of  the 
bench  with  popular  rights. 

On  the  enforcement  of  the  Canby  constitu- 
tion, which,  by  "general  orders  from  these 
headquarters,"  set  up  governors  and  iud"-es 
appointed  members  of  the  legislature,  and 
displaced  others,  duly  elected,  in  defiance  of 
popular  will,  political  excitement  throughout 
the  state  was  intense.  The  judges  of  the 
supreme  court  openly  took  part  in  the  cau- 
*See  sketch  of  Governor  Swain,  p,  59 


vass.  It  was  against  such  participation  that 
Mr.  Moore  took  a  bold  stand.  He  drew  up  a 
protest  signed  by  many  prominent  members 
of  the  bar  throughout  the  state,  which  was 
the  foundation  of  the  notorious  "  contempt 
proceedings,"  in  1869.  The  ermine  of  the 
highest  legal  tribunal  in  the  state  received  a 
stain  from  which  that  court,  as  it  then  existed, 
never  recovered. 

Although  Mr.  Moore  held  no  oiiicial  posit- 
ion, for  he  never  sought  it;  yet,  from  his  long 
and  eventful  life,  his  opinion  had  much  weight 
and  it  needed  no  official  place  to  give  his 
opinions  power  with  the  people  of  North 
Carolina.  His  ability,  his  acquirements,  his 
unblemished  reputation  and  the  candor  of  his 
conduct,  his  fearless  courage  in  declaring  and 
maintaining  his  opinions,  gave  him  a  strong 
hold  on  the  confidence  and  regard  of  his 
country. 

The  state  may  well  place  him  high  on  her 
roll  of  illustrious  dead,  as  he  was  for  a  long 
while  one  of  her  purest  patriots. 

Mr.  Moore  was  the  devoted  friend  of  educa- 
tio!i.  In  his  will  he  bequeathed  five  thousand 
dollars  to  the  university,  one  thousand  dollars 
to  the  Oxford  orphan  asylum,  and  the  same 
sum  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  North  Carolina. 
His  devotion  to  the  union  is  eloquently  ex- 
pressed in  his  will,  for 

"  E'en  in  his  ashes  lived  their  wonted  fires," 
his  will  speaks  thus: 

"I  had  been  taught  under  deep  conviction 
of  my  judgement  that  there  could  be  no 
reliable  liberty  for  my  state,  without  the 
union  of  the  states;  and  being  devoted  to  m^- 
state,  I  felt  that  I  should  desert  her  whenever 
I  should  aid  to  destroy  the  union.  I  could 
not  imagine  a  more  terrible  spectacle  than 
that  of  beholding  the  sun  shining  on  the  broken 
and  dishonored  fragments  of  states,  dissevered, 
discordant  and  belligerent,  and  a  land  rent 
with  civil  feuds  and  drenched  in  fraternal 
blood. 

"  I  was  truly  happy  when  I  saw  the  sun  of 
peace  rising  with  the  glorious  promise  to  shine 
once  more  on  states  equal,  free,  honored  and 


HALIFAX  COUNTT. 


211 


united.  Although  the  promise  has  been  long 
delayed  by  an  unv>'ise  policy,  and  I  myselt' 
may  never  live  to  see  the  full  orbed  sun  of 
libertj'  shine  on  mj-  country  as  once  it  was, 
yet  I  have  stron'^  hopes  that  my  countrymen 
will  yet  be  blest  with  that  glorious  sight." 

Over  his  remains,  one  who  knew  him  long 
and  knew  him  well,  uttered  these  eloquent 
and  truthful  words: 

"  Hero  lies  one  who  reposes  after  a  long 
feast,  where  much  love  has  been.  Here 
slumbers  in  peace  and  patience,  a  veteran, 
with  all  his  wounds  in  front,  and  not  a  blot 
on  this  scutcheon,  after  four  score  years  of 
duty  well  done  in  the  fierce  and  ceaseless 
campaign  of  life."* 

Mr.  Moore  was  twice  married.  In  1828, 
he  married  Louisa,  the  daughter  of  George 
Boddie,  of  Nash,  and,  in  1835,  Lucy,  another 
daughter  of  the  same. 

Lawrence  O'Bryan  Branch,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Susan  O'Bryan  Branch,  was  born  in  the 
village  of  Enfield,  Halifax  County,  North  Car- 
olina, on  November  28,  1820.  His  grand- 
father was  a  distinguished  patriot  of  the  revo- 
lution of  1776,  and  the  hitstory  of  his  state  af- 
fords evidences  of  his  daring  and  patriotism. 
His  father  was  a  gentleman  in  affluent  circum- 
stances, who  died  earlj-.  His  uncle  and  guard- 
ian had  been  the  governor  of  North  Carolina, 
senator  in  congress,  secretary  of  the  navy  un- 
der General  Jacksoii.and  governor  of  Florida. 

With  him  3'oung  Branch  went  to  Washing- 
ton city,  and  his  early  education  was  conducted 
by  S.  P.  Chase,  afterwards  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  then 
a  teacher  in  Washington.  On  his  return 
to  North  Carolina,  his  studies,  preparatory  for 
college,  were  directed  by  that  well  known 
teacher,  W.  J.  Bingham,  in  Orange  Count}'. 
In  January,  1835,  he  was  martriculated  at  the 
university  of  the  state,  and  passed  with  great 


*Much  of  the  material  of  this  sketch  is  from  an  able 
article  in  the  Observer  at  Baleigh  publiaiied  at  the 
time  (jf  his  death. 


credit  through  the  freshman  class;  but  from 
some  difSculties  in  which  his  brothers  became 
involved  at  college,  he  was  withdrawn  by  his 
guardian,  and  sent  to  Nassau  Hall,  Priticeton, 
where  he  graduated  in  September,  183S,  v/ith 
the  first  honors,  in  one  of  the  first  classes  of 
that  renowned  institution.  He-  delivered  at 
this  commencement  the  English  salutatory  ad- 
dress, being  then  only  eighteen  years  old. 

He  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  with 
John  Marshall,  at  Franklin,  Tenneesee.  During 
the  period  of  his  studies,  the  political  cam- 
paign, so  well  known  as  the  "■  Log  Cabin  Cam- 
paign,'' opened;  and  it  is  believed  that  his 
mind  and  pen  were  more  active  in  the  exciting 
scenes  of  politics  than  in  the  grave  studies  of 
the  law.  He  early  commenced  political  life, 
the  firm  advocate  of  state  I'ights,  and  never 
for  a  moment,  under  any  circumstances, 
swerved  from  such  teachings. 

After  his  studies  of  the  law  were  comrileted 
he  settled  at  Tallahassee,  Florida;  but  not 
being  of  age,  such  were  the  genial  manners  of 
the  youthful  stranger,  that  the  legislature  of 
Florida  passed  a  special  act,  allowing  him  to 
be  examined,  and  if  pronounced  qualified  on 
examination  by  the  judges,  to  allow  him  to 
practice.  He  was  admitted,  and  practiced 
with  great  success  during  the  years  of  1841,- 
'42  and  '43. 

He  early  evinced  a  fondness  for  military 
life,  and  served  as  aid  to  General  Leigh  Reed, 
in  a  campaign  in  Florida  against  the  Seminole 
Indians. 

He  married  in  April,  1844,  Miss  Nancy  H. 
Blount,  only  daughter  of  General  William  A. 
Blount,  of  North  Carolina;  and  this  and  other 
circumstances  caused  his  removal  to  that  state, 
and  he  settled  at  Ealeigh.  His  merits  were 
soon  appreciated  here.  He  was  selected  as  &■ 
member  of  the  literary  board,  director  of  the 
bank  of  the  state,  elector  on  the  presidential 
ticket  (Pierce  and  King,)  and  in  1852,  presi- 
dent of  the  Raleigh  and  Gaston  railroad.- 


212  "WHEELER'S  EEMINISCEXCES. 

It  would  exceed  tlie  limit  prescribed  fortius  as  unquestioned   and  reliable  anthoritj-  on   a 

sketch,  to  detail  the  aliility  and  fidelity  with  subject,   wbicli   in  the  future,  niaj-   again    be- 

which    he    discharged     all     these     important  come  an  important  question   in    national  poli- 

trusts.     But  justice  to  truth  and  unparalleled  cics.     Such  a  powerful   sentinel    at    our  very 

energ}'  compels   t!ie  oljservation,  that  to  him  post — gate,  should,  bj'  either  stratagem,  force 

does  the  country  owe  the  usefulness,  if  not  the  or   purchase,    be    brought    within    our    lines, 

existence   of  this  railroad,  so  important,  and  Loved    by    many    and   respected     by    all    of 

then  so   vital   to  the    state,  as  the  only  one  his    associates    in    congress,  his   influerice    in 

leading  to  the  capital.     It  had  become  dilapi-  the  house    was    unbounded.      Such    was    his 

dated;  it   had   injured   the  state,  and   ruined  stern  sense  of  justice,  his  unsuspected  integ- 

many    of  its    innocent    stockholders.      Und-er  rity      and      vigilant      sagacity,     that      those 

Lis  active  superintendenc}',  it  sprung  at  once  twin  Cerebus  of  the  treasury,  John    Letcher 

into  activit}',  usefulness  and  profit,  while  his  and  George  W.  Jones,  often  asked  his  advice, 

genial    and    frank    manners.,   his   prompt    and  heeded  his  opinion  and   followed  his   counsel, 
stern  sense  of  right,  won   the  respect  and  af-         On  the   death    of   Aaron   V.  Brown,  post- 

foction  of  all  with  whom  its  multifarous  con-  master-general  in  Mr.  Buchanan's  cabinet,  he 

cerns  brought  him    in    contact.     Here   he  felt  was  telegraiihed  as  to  his  inclinations   to   oc- 

and  thought  was  the  appropriate  sphere  of  his  cupy    that    important   dejjartment,  Init   being 

usefulness.  from  home,  no  answer  was  returned.     On  the 

But  the  congressional   district   had  become  resignation  of  Honorable  Howell  Cobb,  as  sec- 

disoi'ganized.     Private  feud  and  personal  am-  retary  of  the  treasur}^  he  was,  on  December  2, 

bitioii  had  lost  to  our  national  councils  a  rep-  1860,  appointed   by  the   president  to  succeed 

resenti\-e  from  the  metropolitan  district,  who  him.     Tiiis  was  also  declined.     The  clouds  had 

reflected  the  voice  of  a  majority  of  the  people,  become  dark  and  heavy  in    our  southern  sky, 

AVithout    any    solicitation    on    his    part    and  and  Mr.  Branch  had  resolved  upon  his  course, 

against  his  inclinations,  he  was  nominated,  in  He  joined  the  standard  of  the  south  as  a  pri- 

1855,  as  a  candidate  for  congress.    The  oppo-  vate  in  the    ranks  of  the  Ealeigh  volunteers, 
sitiou  was  well  organized  and  run  their  strong-         The  governor  of  the  state  solicited  him  to 

est  man,  who  was  well  and  favorably  known,  of  take  the  position  of  qnartermaster   and  pa}^- 

acknowledged   genius,    and    of    indefatigable  master-general  of  the  North   Carolina  forces, 

energy.     Mr.  Branch  was  -elected    by   a  hand-  These  troublesome  and  intricate  duties  he  dis- 

sc^me  majority.     Such  was  the  acceptability  of  charged    with    energy  and    fidelity.     But  he 

bis  conduct  that  he  was  again  elected  in  1858,  preferred    more    active  service,  and    was    ap- 

without  opposition,  and  again  m  1859,  by  an  pointed  colonel  of  the  thirty-third  regiment; 

overwhelming  majority-.  and  after  organzing it  with  great  energy,  went 

Did  the  limits  of  this  sketch  allow,  ample  at  its  head  into  the  Held.  He  was  soon  pro- 
material  is  afforded  by  the  records  of  the  moted  by  the  president  to  the  command  of  the 
nation,  to  show  his  industry,  ability,  fidelitj'  4tli  brigade,  in  the  confederate  army,  and  as- 
and  usefulness,  as  a  member  of  the  national  signed  to  duty  at  New  Berne.  Here  on  ALarch 
councils.  Important  and  delicate  positions  14,  18G2,  with  an  inadequate  force,  some  of 
were  occupied  by  him.  Asa  member  of  the  them  raw-militia,  with  hastily  and  ill-con- 
committee  on  foreign  affairs,  his  celebrated  structed  fortifications,  he  withstood  for  more 
.report  on  Cuba  marked  him  as  one  of  the  than  four  hours  the  well  appointed  and  fully 
statesmen  of  the  age,  and  is  referred  to  now  equipped  foi-ces,  under  General  Bnrnside,  more 


HALIFAX  COUNTY.                                                        213 

than  double  bis  numbers,  inflicting  heavy  loss  These  terrible  scenes  were  only  added  to  by 
on  them,  and  retiring  in  good  order  with  his  the  fact  that  the  population  itself  was  more 
command.  This  was  far  from  impairing  his  equally  divided  in  their  adherence  to  the 
military  reputation;  for,  with  his  Ijrigade,  he  crown,  or  to  the  'cause  of  colonial  indepen- 
was  ordered  to  the  battle  iields  of  A^irginia.  dence,  than  in  any  of  the  other  provinces,  and 
The  battles  of  Hanover  Court-house.  Mechan-  this  brought  about  a  mutaal  aniniodty  and 
icsville,  Cold  Harbor,  Fraser's  Farm,  Malvern  deadly  hate  terrific  to  contemplate  ;  .such 
Hill,  Cedar  Run,  Manassas,  Fairfax  Court-  scenes  are  always  supp'ised  to  accompany  civil 
house,  Harper's  Ferry  and  Sharpsburg.  attest  wars,  but  on  this  occasion,  owing  to  the  pro- 
the  valor  of  the  brigade- and  the  chivalric  tracted  struggle,  they  became  a  systematic 
bearing  of  its  chief.  More  than  fifteen  1:iattle  series  of  assassination,  rapine,  and  externiina- 
fields  have  been  stained  b}'  their  blood — their  tion.  Xeigld^oi's  were  arraigned  against  neigh- 
force  reduced  more  than  a  third  in  killed  and  bors,  brothers  against  brothers,  and  even 
wounded.  For  its  bravery  at  the  battle  of  fathers  against  sons.  When  a  distinguished 
Hanover  Court-house,  it  received  the  ap[>ro-  man  was  slain,  it  was  proven  by  the  size  of  the 
bation  of  tlie  general  Commanding-general,  missile  and  the  direction  in  which  it  sped, 
Robert  E.  Lee,  and  the  gallant  bearing  exactly  who  slew  him,  and  the  boast  was  made 
of  C4eneral  Brancli  was  particularly  alluded  to.  according!}-. 

It  was  the  first  ])ody  of  troops  that  crossed  But  if  the  war  of  the  south  was  blackened 
the  Chickahominy,  and  engaged  the  heavy  in  its  aspect,  and  the  conduct  thereof  carried 
forces  of  the  enemy,  dro\'e  them  Ijack  and  (jn  with  an  ardor  and  urged  by  a  force  inci- 
took  the  first  battle  flag  from  them.  Of  its  dent  to  a  southern  passion,  yet  there  were  not 
five  colonels,  two  fell  on  the  field  of  battle,  tWi>  wanting  many  instances  of  individual  proiv- 
wounded,  the  other  taken  prisoner;  audits  gal-  ess,  of  partisan  valor  and  of  heroic  enterprir-e. 
lani  general  was  killed — for  at  Sharpsburg^  on  To  present  an  aecui-ate  sketch  of  Marion's  and 
September  19,  1862,  after  the  heat  of  this  se-  Sumter'.s  plots  and  counter-plots;  frecpiently 
vere  liattle  was  nearly  over,  General  Branch  [lassing  into  those  deep  itud  dreary  soiitudes, 
was  struck  by  a  minie  ball  in  the  head,  and  in-  whore  it  was  as  useless  as  it  was  dangerous  for 
stantly  died,  falling  into  the  arms  of  his  aid.  an  enemy  to  pursue;  but  where  the  opportu- 
The  ferocity  and  bloodthirsty  disposition  nity  presented  itself,  flashiug  upon  the  enemy 
displayed  by  the  commandei's  of  various  de-  like  a  meteor  from  the  skies,  with  a  sudilen- 
tachments  in  the  southern  campaigns  of  the  ness  in  their  movements  which  astonished  and 
revolutionary  war,  has  been  often  remarked;  confounded;  and  with  a  desperation  in  the 
this  has  been  accounted  for  in  man}-  ways,  valor  displayed  which  could  seldom  be  re- 
more  or  less  rational.  The  population  was  sisted.  A  combination  of  rare  and  valiant 
small  and  widely  scattered,  and  whilst  the  qualities  that  repeatedly  gained  a  victory  over 
British  commanders  seemed  to  be  determined  forces  tenfold  the  number  under  tiiis  command, 
to  crush  resistance  by  every  means  available.  The  daring  exploits  of  these  twin  "  gods  of 
j-et  they  seemed  also  desirous  to  terrify  Ijy  the  war,"  wouL.l  make  a  picture  that  the  pencil  of 
atrocit}-  of  those  means.  And  3'et,  on  the  fiction  itself  could  not  surpass, 
other  hand,  some  movements  and  engage-  If  we  place  opposite  the  names  of  Marion 
ments  of  Marion,  Sumter,  and  others,  might  and  Sumter  for  skill  and  bloody  deeds,  the 
fairly  be  ofi:'set  against  the  terrible  massacre,  of  names  of  Tarleton  and  Ferguson,  we  must  add 
Tarleton  and  Ferguson.  and    make    heavy  ;ind    exceedingly  dark   the 


214 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


lines  to  represent   rapine,  robbery,  and  cold-  high  living.      He    enjoyed  the  respect  of  all 

blooded  butchery  in  the  pen  portraits  of  the  parties,  and  was  of  a  generous,  kind  disposition, 

two  last  named.  Against  this  picture  we  set  the  character  of 

We  therefore  turn  to  characters  moving  in  a  William  Richardson  Davie.     None  were  more 

higher  plane,  and  at  the  bare  mention  of  John  distinguished    for    gallantry    and    enterprise. 

Hamilton's  name  we  have  brought   before   us  He    was  tall,  well    made,  and  remarkable  for 

on  the  camera  a  character  noted  for  brave  ac-  his  manly  beauty  and  the  dignity  of  his  mau- 

tion  in  the  field,  generosity    to    a    foe    when  ners.     He  was  studious  in   his  habits,  and  of 

fallen,  and  all  the  nobler  qualities  typical  of  a  most  refined  tastes.     He  was  a  typical  soldier 

soldier,  although  he  was  a  loyalist  and  so  fre-  of  the  southern  patriots.     He  excelled  in  feats 

queutly  denounced  for  serving  against  the  lib  of  horsemanship,  and  his  eloquent  and  sonor- 

erties  of  his  adopted  colony.  ons  voice,  so   distinct   in   articulation  .  and  so 

Moore  tells  us  (History  of  North  Carolina,  commanding  in  delivery,  could  be  heard  over 
I.,  249,)  that  after  the  battle  of  Moore's  Creek  a  wide  field.  So  heartily  did  he  espouse  the 
the  tories  no  longer  dared  open  emljudiment,  cause  of  liberty  that  in  organizing  his  com- 
but  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  Hamilton,  a  mand  for  the  field,  he  expended  the  whole  of 
scotch  merchant,  late  of  Halifax,  repaired  to  his  patrimonial  estates.  To  his  daring  cour- 
St.  Augustine,  in  Florida,  and  established  a  age,  his  extreme  vigilance,  and  unrelenting 
camp,  where  a  regiment  of  ku^alists  was  organ-  activity,  the  cause  of  American  independence, 
ized.  He  soon  raised  a  disciplined  force^  is  deeply  indebted.  The  terror  with  which 
which  proved  to  be  a  formidable  aid  to  the  he  inspired  the  tories  prevented  their  forming 
royal  arms  in  America.  Colonel  Hamilton  i"  any  considerable  bodies,  until  Lord  Corn- 
had    seen    much    military    service.       He   had  wallis  approached    the    Mecklenburg   section, 


fought  at  Culloden;  a  man  of  large  fortune 
and  of  fine  social  qualities,  he  was  beloved 
by  his  troops,  and  respected  by  his  opponents, 
to  whom  he  was  generous  and  humane. 
Even     Governor     Burke    acknowledged     his 


and  his  lordship  found  in  Colonel  Davie  and 
his  gallant  command,  as  obstinate  an  enemj' 
as  he  met  in  any  of  his  campaigns.  Many  are 
the  incidents  of  his  gallantry  in  the  field, 
and  the  graphic  description  of  the  defence  of 


kindness  to  him   while   a   prisoner.      Li    the  Charlotte,  Septumber  26,  1780,  where,  with 

attack  on  Savannah,  December  2fi,  1778,  he  bis  celebrated   corps,  he  checked  the  advance 

was  confronted  by   General  Howe,  gallantly  "f  the  whole  of  Cornwallis' army,  has  so  fre- 

sustaining  the  brunt  of  this  battle,  and  Howe  quently   been   recited  as  to  become  "familiar 

was  defeated.  as  household  words."*     It  was  b}'  such  heavy 

He  came  to  North  Carolina  at  the  same  time  hl'>ws  as  this  that  he  severely  crippled   the 

with  James  Frazer,  who  settled  at  Frazer's  enemy,  and  made  their  march  so  tedious  and 

Cross  Roads,  in  Hertford  County,  and  who  had  irksome  as  to  break  the  spirit  of  their  troops 

served  under  him  as  captain,  at  Culloden,  and.  arid  make  the  subjugation  of  North  Carolina 

they  were  life  long  friends.  Dr.  G.  C.  Moore  an  impossibility.     Not  the  creature  of  circum- 

states  that  he  knew  Colonel  Hamilton,  who  was  stance,    but    an    elegant    soldier,    ever   brave 

for  a  long  time  after  the  war  the  British  consul  in  the   defence  of  his  country's   liberty,  was 

at   N"orfolk,   Virginia;    that    he  was  a  short,  William  Richardson  Dave, 

red    faced   man,    full   of  gaiety,  and  fond  of  *Wheeler's  History  of  jSTorth  Carohna,  II..  195. 


HERTFORD   COUNTY. 


215 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


HKRTKORD   COUNTY. 


The  year  i  "j^T,  says  Moore  in  his  chronicles  of 
Hertford  County,  saw  the  nucleus  of  a  beautiful 
village,  perched  on  the  lofty  banks  of  the  Meher- 
rin  River,  in  this  county.  For  years  previous,  it 
had  been  a  favorite  shipping  point,  from  which 
Captains  Meredith  and  Anderson  had  conducted, 
in  their  own  vessels,  a  steady  and  lucrative  trade 
with  different  foreign  sea-ports.  In  1 768  the  Leg- 
islature incorporated  the  town  of  Murfreesboro, 
with  William  Murfree,  Patrick  Brown,  Redmond 
Hackett,  William  Vaughan  and  John  Parker  as 
Commissioners. 

The  first  house  erected,  was  the  residence  of 
William  Murfree,  which  stands  near  the  landing, 
just  beside  the  church-yard.  The  venerable  and 
useful  Aunt  Peggy  Weaver  was  long  the  occu- 
pant of  this  ancient  edifice.  She,  too,  has  doubtless 
gone,  and,  as  with  the  original  Commissioners, 

"Each  in  his  narrow  bed  forever  laid. 
The  rude  forefathers  of  the  hamlet  sleep." 

The  Murfree  family  is  of  English  origin.  Wil- 
liam Murfree,  born  in  1 730,  was  the  founder  of 
the  family.  He  was  a  man  of  influence  and  re- 
spectability, and  took  a  decided  stand  in  defence 
of  the  liberties  of  the  country,  when  threatened 
by  royal  authority.  He  represented  the  county 
in  the  Provincial  Congress  that  met  at  Halifax  in 
November,  1776,  which  body  formed  our  State 
Constitution.  He  married  Mary  Moore,  by  whom 
he  had  several  children — Hardy,  the  founder  of 
Murfreesboro  in  North  Carolina,  as  also  of  a  vil- 
lage of  the  same  name  in  Tennessee ;  James, 
William,  Sarah,  who  married  Samuel  Cryer; 
Patty,  who  married  Benjamin  Banks ;  Betty,  who 
married  Richard  Andrews,  and  Nancy,  who  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Roberts. 


Major  Hardy  Murfree,  son  of  the  above,  was 
born  June  5,  1752,  and  was  in  the  prime  of  life 
when  the  revolution  commenced. 

On  the  earliest  organization  of  the  military 
force  of  the  country,  he  was  appointed  by  the 
Provincial  Congress,  at  Hillsboro,  on  August  21, 
1775,  a  Captain  in  the  2d  Regiment  of  State 
troops  of  the  Continental  Establishment,  (Robert 
Howe,  Colonel),  and  joined  the  grand  Army  of 
the  North,  under  Washington. 

Under  his  eye  he  was  engaged  in  the  battles 
of  Brandywine,  Monmouth  and  elswhere.  He 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major,  and  was  se- 
lected to  lead  the  desperate  and  successful  attack 
on  Stony  Point,  July  16,  1779. 

At  this  period,  the  affairs  of  the  colonies  were  in 
a  most  desperate  condition.  Washington,  in  a 
letter  to  Col.  Harrison,  of  Virginia,  states  that, 
"they  were  more  distressed,  ruinous  and  deplora- 
ble than  at  any  time  since  the  war  commenced, 
and  on  the  brink  of  ruin." 

Washington  determined  to  strike  the  enemy, 
and  projected  the  attack  on  the  strong  fortress  at 
Stony  Point.  He  directed  "Mad  Anthony" 
Wayne  to  execute  his  plans.  The  attack  was 
made  at  midnight ;  the  British  were  surprised 
and  defeated.  Two  companies  of  North  Caro- 
lina light  troops  made  the  attack,  led  by  Major 
Murfree,  whose  bravery  and  gallant  conduct  is 
mentioned  in  General  Wayne's  official  dispatch 
to  Congress. 

Both  of  these  companies  were  of  the  Second 
North  Carolina  Continentals,  and  led,  with  un- 
loaded muskets,  the  forlorn  hope  in  this  desper- 
ate enterprise.  General  Wayne  was  severely 
wounded,  and  Captain  John  Daves,  of  New 
Berne,  second  in  command  to  Major  Murfree's 


2i6 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


Battalion,    was  also   badly   wounded,    but    their 
victory  was  complete.* 

This  brilliant  affair  had  a  most  exhilarating  ef- 
fect upon  the  spirits  of  the  patriots,  and  cheered 
them  to  renewed  exertion  in  the  cause  of  liberty. 
Major  Murfree  continued  in  the  service  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  when  he  returned  to  his  home. 

He  married  Sallie,  the  daughter  of  Col.  Matthias 
Brickell,  who  was  a  pattern  of  modesty,  as  of 
beauty,  and  by  whom  he  was  blessed  with  a  large 
family  of  children.  He  removed  to  Tennessee, 
where  he  ended  his  days. 

His  son,  William  Hardy  Murfree,  (born  1781, 
died  1827),  was  born  and  lived  for  a  long  period, 
in  Murfreesboro.  He  was  educated  at  the  Uni- 
versity, where  he  graduated  in  1801,  in  same  class 
with  Ams,  John  Branch,  Francis  L.  Dancy,  and 
others. 

He  studied  hard,  and  stood  high  in  his  profes- 
sion. 

He  entered  public  life  in  1805,  as  a  member 
of  the  Legislature.  In  181 3  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  XIII  Congress,  and  re-elected  at 
the  XIV,  181 5-17;  afterward,  he  decHned  a  re- 
election. He  was  able  and  eloquent,  and  sus- 
tained the  war  measures  of  Mr.  Madison's  ad- 
ministration. In  1825  he  removed  to  Tennessee, 
and  died  in  Nashville,  January  18,  1827,  leaving 
one  son,  William  Law  Murfree. 

Thomas  Wynns,  from  whose  family  name  the 
county  town  of  Hertford  is  derived,  (Winton), 
was  a  distinguished  citizen  of  this  county.  Here 
he  was  born,  lived  and  died.  He  was  possessed 
of  great  enterprise,  of  unspotted  integrity,  and 
of  great  personal  worth.  He  lived  near  Winton, 
at  Barfields. 

He  was  the  youngest  of  four  brothers — Ben- 
jamin, William,  George  and  Thomas — soldiers  of 
the  Revolution,  except  Thomas,  who  was  too 
young  to  take  an  active  part.  V^hile  still  a 
youth,  in  1 780,  he  was  captured  at  sea  in  a  vessel 

*See  Wayne's  Assault  on  Stony  Point,  by  Dawson,  Mor- 
risiana,  1863  ;  Wayne's  Dispatch,  nth  July,  1779,  Marshal 
iv.  123  ;  Campbell's  Memoirs  of  Hull,  163  ;  Armstrong's 
Life  of  Wayne,  Sparks'  Am.  Bio.,iv.  46. 


called  the  "Fair  American,"  with  others,  and 
carried  to  England.  His  good  sense  and  accom- 
plished manners,  made  his  stay  in  London  a 
pleasant  one. 

The  rigorous  blockade  did  not  entirely  deter 
our  people  from  their  long  established  maritime 
habits.  Our  vessels  traded  with  the  West  Indies 
and  elsewhere. 

On  July  24,  1782,  Captain  Lewis  Meredith  ar- 
rived at  Edenton,  from  Bordeaux,  with  Lady  Anne 
Stewart,  the  daughter  of  the  Earle  of  Bute,  and 
her  husband.  Baron  de  Polnitz. 

Wynns  early  embarked  in  political  life,  and  was 
elected  in  1788,  a  member  of  the  Convention  at 
Hillsboro.toconsiderthe  Constitution.  In  1790 he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  until  1 8 1 7,  with  the 
exception  of  the  period  (from  1 802  to  1 807)  when 
he  was  a  piember  of  Congress,  from  this  (the 
Edenton)  district. 

This  was  the  first  time  in  her  history  that  Hert- 
ford County  saw  one  of  her  citizens  in  Congress. 
He  was  elected,  to  succeed  Charles  Johnson  (who 
died  about  1 801), over  Colonel  Dempsey  Burgess, 
of  Camden  County,  who  had  been  an  officer  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  After  his  service  in  Con- 
gress, he  declined  a  re-election,  and  returned  to 
the  service  of  his  native  county,  and  was  elected 
continuously  from  1 808  to  1 8 1 7,  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate.  Unspotted  in  public  life,  he  was 
a  most  useful  and  beloved  citizen. 

He  married  Susan,  daughter  of  James  Manning, 
but  no  issue,  and  died  June  8,  1825.  His  neph 
ews,  William  B.  Wynns  and  James  D.  Wynns, 
were  highly  respected  and  useful  citizens. 

Henry  W.  Long  was  an  eccentric  and  able 
lawyer,  a  native  of  Hertford  County,  but  never 
in  political  life.  He  often  aspired  to  popular  favor, 
but  failing  to  receive  it,  devoted  himself  to  his 
profession.  His  innocent  absence  of  mind  was 
the  cause  of  much  amusement  to  his  brethren  of 
the  bar,  with  whom  he  was  very  popular.  He 
married  the  only  daughter  of  the  popular  and 
polished  Harry  Hill,  who  often  represented  the 
county  from  1790  to  1795. 


HERTFORD   COUNTY. 


217 


His  only  daughter  married  Richard  I.  Cowper, 
long  the  Sheriff  of  Hertford,  and  a  representative 
in  the  Legislature. 

It  may  be  well  to  preserve  the  fact  in  our  mem 
ories,  that  the  Court  House  of  Hertford  County 
has  twice  been  burned — once  in  1830  by  an  in- 
cendiary, instigated  by  Wright  Allen,  who  hoped 
by  this  means  to  destroy  the  evidence  against  him 
of  uttering  a  forged  paper ;  and  again  in  March 
20,  1862,  by  the  Federal  forces,  under  Captain 
Allen  Thomas,  with  his  Massachusetts  troops. 

In  1 79 1,  along  with  General  Wynns  and  Harry 
Hall,  of  Manney's  Neck,  as  members  of  the  Leg- 
islature, appeared  James  Jones,  of  Pitch  Landing. 
He  was  the  son  of  Colonel  James  Jones,  and  was 
born  in  1 765 .  His  father  entertained  much  of  the 
tastes  and  ideas  of  the  English  people  as  to  pri- 
mogeniture, and  left  to  his  son  the  bulk  of  his 
estate.  He  was  fond  of  high  living,  elaborate 
dress,  and  the  accumulation  of  wealth.  His  son 
was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  1792  to 
1806,  until  his  increasing  business  compelled  him 
to  decline.  He  waxed  richer  and  richer,  until 
18 1 5,  when  he  hazarded  a  bold  speculation,  to- 
wit :  he  purchased  all  the  naval  stores  in  Eastern 
North  Carolina.  Peace  came,  produce  fell,  and 
he  was  ruined.  His  proud  spirit  could  not  brook 
his  fallen  fortunes,  and  he  sank  under  the  blow. 
He  died  in  18 16. 

He  married  Anne,  the  sister  of  Isaac  Walton, 
who  lived  near  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  left  a 
large  family.  Among  them  was  James  Sidney 
Jones,  who  stood  at  the  head  of  the  Bar,  the  peer 
of  Gavin  Hogg,  Gov.  Iredell,  and  others.  He 
became  very  wealthy,  and  removed  to  Alabama. 

Thomas  Manney  was  born  in  Manney's  Neck, 
in  this  county,  and  was  long  one  of  its  honored 
citizens.  He  was  the  son  of  James  Manriey,  a 
wealthy  and  influential  man,  who  represented  the 
county  in  1778  and  1785. 

His  son  read  law  with  William  H.  Murfree — 
settled  in  Murfreesboro,  and  practiced  for  some 
years  with  great  success.  In  18 17  he  represented 
the  county  in  the  Legislature.  In  1820  he  acted 
as  Secretary  to  Governor  Franklin, 


About  1825  he  moved  to  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
and  practiced  the  law ;  was  elected  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  that  State,  which 
high  office  he  held  with  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  the  whole  country.  He  married  in  Murfrees- 
boro, Rebecca,  daughter  of  Rev.  Daniel  South- 
all,  and  raised  a  large  and  distinguished  family, 
among  them  General  Manney,  and  others. 

He  died  at  Nashville,  April  15,  1864. 

The  Gotten  family  and  their  descendants  have, 
for  nearly  two  centuries,  been  inhabitants  of  the 
St.  John  Section,  in  this  county. 

Captain  Arthur  Gotten,  the  progenitor,  came 
from  England  early  in  and  about  1750;  made 
voyages  as  commander  of  a  ship  between  Eng- 
land and  North  Carolina.  He  became  wealthy, 
retired  from  the  sea,  and  in  his  old  age  built  the 
first  brick  house  that  was  ever  erected  in  Hert- 
ford ;  he  was  quick  in  temper,  sudden  in  quarrel, 
although  a  staid  vestryman  in  the  Church.  He 
bore  undying  hatred  to  the  English,  arising  from 
the  barbarous  murder  of  his  father's  kinswoman, 
the  gentle  and  loving  Lady  Alice  Lisle,  at  the 
hands  of  George  Jeffries.  His  eldest  son,  Jesse, 
lived  and  died  in  Northampton  County ;  Cullen, 
in  Hertford,  and  Godwin,  (already  referred  to,  44) 
at  Mulberry  Grove,  where  his  great-grandson,  Dr. 
G.  C.  Moore,   resided. 

His  oldest  daughter  married  James  Moore,  of 
Virginia ;  another  married  Cornelius  Moore,  of 
Northampton ;  another.  Dr.  James  Usher  ;  an- 
other, Samuel  Bell,  and  the  youngest  married 
Powell,  and  afterwards,  Moses  Tyler,  father  of 
the  late  Perry  Tyler,  of  Bertie  County. 

One  of  the  Lords  Proprietors,  who  joined  in 
1729  in  the  surrender  of  the  Charter  of  North 
Carolina  to  the  Crown,  was  an  English  Barrister, 
John  Gotten,  of  the  Middle  Temple,  London.  He 
represented  the  district  originally  granted  to  Lord 
Ashley.  He  was  the  grandson  of  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Gotten,  the  father  of  Lady  Lisle.  Under  his  pro- 
prietorship, several  of  his  kinsmen  and  his  name, 
emigrated  to  Bertie  and  the  surrounding  precincts 

Moore,  11,  53. 


2l8 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


With  the  exception  of  the  Church  of  St.  Paul 
at  Edenton,  and  the  Quaker  settlements  of  Pas- 
quotank and  Perquimans,  there  was  scarcely  a 
point  in  the  Albemarle  region  at  which,  in  the 
early  days  of  Gov.  Johnston,  religious  services 
were  held.  Soon  after  the  creation  of  Bertie  pre- 
cinct, as  early  as  1739,  the  Rev.  Matthias  Brick- 
ell  became  rector  of  St.  John's  parish.  He  was 
the  first  clergyman,  west  of  the  Chowan,  who  had 
a  parish.  Much  of  the  character  for  morality  and 
intelligence  of  the  people  of  St.  Johns,  was  owing 
to  the  efforts  of  this  godly  man.  He  possessed 
high  social  qualities  and  culture,  and  remarkable 
for  men  of  his  cloth,  created  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  love  and  confidence.  His  churc'n  at  Ahos- 
kie  saw,  on  each  Sabbath,  the  people  collected  to 
listen  to  his  advice  and  instructions. 

Parson  Brickell  died  years  before  the  Revolu- 
tion, but  left  descendants. 

His  oldest  son.  Colonel  Matt.  Biickell,  was  a 
leading  man  in  the  county,  previous  to  1775.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  First  Provincial  Congress, 
and  died  in  the  midst  of  the  gigantic  struggle  for 
independence.  One  of  his  daughters  married 
Major  Hardy  Murfree;  the  other  was  the  wife  of 
John  Brown,  and  the  great-grandmother  of  the 
late  John  A.  Anderson, and  Dr.  Godwin  C.  Moore. 
His  two  sons,  Thomas  and  John,  were  often  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature.  Thomas,  1781  to  '85, 
and  John  in  the  Senate,  1782. 

For  a  full  century  the  name  of  Brickell  was 
known  and  honored  in  this  county,  but  during 
the  last  fifty  years  has  disappeared.* 

He  was  the  brother  of  Dr.  John  Brickell,  one 
of  the  earliest  historians  of  the  State,  who  came 
from  England  to  North  Carolina  with  Governor 
Burrington,  in  1724.      (Moore's  Hist.  i.  50.) 

Dr.  Brickell  lived  at  Edenton,  where  he  prac- 
ticed medicine.  He  went  with  a  joint  commis 
sion  to  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  Tennessee. 

In  sketching  the  men  of  Hertford,  this  record 
would  be  marred  were  the  merits  of  that  most 
exemplary  gentleman,  Godwin  C.  Moore,  passed 
*Moore's  Hist.  Sketches,  xiii.  559. 


unnoticed.  He  was  born  in  this  county,  about 
1 806,  at  the  same  homestead  where  his  ancestors 
have  lived  for  several  generations.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Hertford  Academy  in  Murfreesboro, 
and  at  the  University  ;  studied  medicine  and  grad- 
uated at  the  Pennsylvania  University,  and  en- 
joyed a  long  and  successful  career  as  an  able  and 
acceptable  physician.  His  skill  in  the  healing 
art  was  only  surpassed  by  his  genial  and  generous 
disposition. 

He  entered  public  life  as  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Commons,  183 1,  in  the  Senate  of  1842; 
and  again  in  the  Commons  in  1866.  Modest 
and  retiring  in  his  disposition,  he  never  was  am- 
bitious of  political  favor ;  his  was  the  popu- 
larity that  sought  him,  not  that  which  was  pur- 
sued. In  1837  he  was  urged,  and  did  become  a 
candidate  for  Congress,  against  Hon.  Samuel  T. 
Sawyer.  And  again,  against  Hon.  Kenneth  Ray- 
ner ;  the  canvass  was  irksome,  and  no  one  regret- 
ted his  defeat  less  than  himself. 

In  1832  he  married  Julia,  daughter  of  John 
Wheeler,  Esq.,  who  realizes  in  her  lovely  char- 
acter, her  unstinted  kindness,  womanly  modesty 
and  affectionate  disposition,  every  virtue  that 
adorns  her  sex.  Numerous  children  have  grown 
up  around  them,  and  among  them,  not  the  least, 
is  Major  John  W.  Moore,  the  author  of  a  History 
of  the  State,  and  of  ' '  Historical  Sketches  of  Hert- 
ford County." 

Dr.  Moore  was  an  exemplary  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  for  forty  years  continuously 
elected  Moderator  of  the  Chowan  Association. 

He  died  May  26,  1880. 

In  addition  to  Captain  Frazer,  (See  ante,  page 
214)  the  general  restoration  of  peace  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  brought  no  joy  to  John  Brown,  of 
Cuttawiskey  Marsh.  He  was  an  ardent  Tory. 
He  was  of  gentle  lineage  and  some  culture,  and 
had  been  for  many  years,  during  the  reign  of 
George  II.,  an  officer  in  the  army.  After  the 
Colloden  Campaign,  disabled  by  wounds,  he  re- 
tired on  half  pay. 

He  came  to  America  and  sought  repose  among 


HERTFORD  COUNTY. 


219 


his  kindred  near  St.  Johns.  He  married  Sarah, 
eldest  daughter  of  Matthias  Brickell.  When  the 
Revolution  commenced,  his  children  had  reached 
maturity,  but  they  differed  in  their  sentiments. 
His  son  John  left  the  paternal  roof  and  joined  a 
Virginia  Corps,  the  command  of  General  Lafay- 
ette, and  attained  distinction. 

His  daughter  Sarah  married  Godwin  Gotten, 
who  was  in  the  army  under  Howe. 

Yet  in  spite  of  politics  he  was  highly  respected, 
and  unmolested  by  those  opposed  to  him  in  sen- 
timents. 

Kenneth  Rayner  long  resided  in  Hertford 
County,  and  represented  the  county  in  the  Leg- 
islature. He  also  represented  this  district  in  Con- 
gress. He  is  a  native  of  Bertie.  His  father  was  a 
worthy  and  exemplary  minister  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  in  his  youth.* 

Mr.  Rayner,  after  a  partial  classical  education 
at  Tarboro  Academy,  studied  law  with  Chief  Jus- 
tice Ruffin,  but  his  active  and  ambitious  temper 
seemed  rather  to  prefer  the  excitements  of  politi- 
cal life,  than  the  quiet  pursuits  of  the  law.  His 
first  appearance  in  public  life,  was  as  a  member 
of  the  Convention  of  1835,  to  revise  the  Consti- 
tution. At  this  time,  it  had  been  more  than  forty 
years  since  the  State  had  formed  her  first  Consti- 
stution,  and  in  the  minds  of  many,  some  changes 
were  needed  to  enable  her  to  keep  pace  with  the 
march  of  improvement  in  other  States.  Although 
the  youngest  man  in  this  body,  Mr.  Rayner  made 
an  indelible  impression.  An  abler  body  of  men 
never  met  in  the  State.  It  was  presided  over  by 
Nathaniel  Macon.  The  Governor  of  the  State, 
the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the  first 
minds  of  the  State  composed  this  body. 

The  speech  of  Mr.  Rayner,  on  "Abolishing 
the  religious  tests  for  office,"  which  our  puritan 
fathers  had  inserted  in  the  first  Constitution,  was 
the  speech  of  the  Convention.  The  State  felt 
the  magnetism  of  its  power,  and  it  placed  him  at 

*Mr.  Rayner,  in  the  76th  year  of  his  age,  died  March  4, 
1884,  at  the  National  Hotel  in  Washington  City,  the  incum- 
bent of  the  important  position  of  Solicitor  of  the  Treasury 
Department. — Ed. 


once  among  the  leading  men  of  his  age.  Its 
impassioned  tones  aroused  the  State ;  all  acknowl- 
edged its  power  and  its  truth  ;  all  predicted  from 
this  gallant  beginning,  a  brilliant  career  in  the 
future. 

The  next  year  he  was  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  continued  until  1839,  when  he  was 
elected  a  Member  of  the  26th  Congress. 

William  Nathan  Harrell  Smith,  Chief  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  North  Carolina,  is  a 
native  of  this  county. 

His  father.  Dr.  William  L.  Smith,  was  a  native 
of  Connecticut,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  and 
a  physician  by  profession.  In  18 10  he'came  to 
Hertford  County  where  he  settled,  and  married 
Ann  Harrell;  he  died  in  1813. 

His  son  was  born  in  Murfreesboro,  in  Sep- 
tember 24,  1812;  here  his  early  education  was 
conducted  at  the  Hertford  Academy.  After 
graduating  at  Yale  College  in  1834,  he  studied 
law  at  the  Yale  Law  School,  and  returned  to 
his  home  to  practice.  He  soon  rose  by  his 
solid  acquirements  and  attention  to  his  profes- 
sion, to  its  highest  rank.  He  was  elected,  in 
1840,  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  in  1848 
he  was  elected  Senator  from  this  county,  and  at 
the  same  session  Solicitor  of  the  Judicial  Dis- 
trict for  four  years ;  he  was  re-elected  to  the 
same  position.  In  1857  he  ran  for  Congress, 
and  was  defeated  by  Dr.  H.  M.  Shaw ;  but  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  next  Congress,  (36th, 
1859-61.)  In  1858  he  was  again  returned  to  the 
Legislature.  The  sections  of  the  North  and  the 
South  were  arrayed  in  hostile  attitude,  and  civil 
war  seemed  then  imminent.  The  South  after 
many  ineffectual  struggles  to  elect  a  Speaker, 
put  Mr.  Smith  forward  as  its  candidate,  and 
he  was  elected.  But  before  the  result  was 
announced  E,  Joy  Morris  and  some  others 
changed  their  votes  to  Mr.  Pennington,  of  New 
Jersey,  who  was  accordingly  declared  Speaker. 
He  served  through  the  exciting  and  harrassing 
scenes  of  this  Congress,  and  witnessed  the  inau- 
guration  of  Mr.  Lincoln.      He  then   returned 


220 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


home  and  joined  his  fortunes  with  those  of  his 
native  State. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Confederate  Con- 
gress at  Richmond,  during  the  continuance  of 
that  body.  In  1865  he  was  again  elected  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  and  aided  in  the 
reconstruction  of  the  State  under  the  plans  of 
President  Johnson.  In  March  1870,  he  was 
induced  to  move  to  Norfolk,  Virginia,  where  he 
formed  a  law  partnership  with  Hon.  Asa  Biggs, 
still  keeping  up  his  practice  in  his  native  dis- 
trict. Two  years  experience  satisfied  him  that 
there  was  no  place  better  for  a  North  Carolinian 
than  North  Carolina  itself  He  returned  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  within  her 
borders,  and   settled  at   Raleigh. 

One  of  the  most  famous  cases  in  which  Mr.  Smith 
was  engaged  was  the  defense  of  Governor  Holden 
in  January,  1871,  when  he  was  impeached  before 
the  Senate.  It  was  no  small  compliment  to  his 
integrity  and  ability  to  have  been  selected  as 
the  advocate  of  one,  to  whom  he  had  been 
always  opposed,  and  against  whom  were  em- 
ployed such  counsel  as  Governors  Graham, 
Bragg  and  others.  His  efforts  displayed  such 
ability  and  legal  learning  as  stamped  him  one  of 
the  first  advocates  of  the  age.  Could  Governor 
Holden  have  been  acquitted,  such  efforts  had 
done  it.     He  might  have  said  as  did  Hector: 

"  Si  Pergama  dextra  deffendi  posscnt, 
Etiam  hac  defensa  fidssent." 

But  it  was  all  in  vain.  Governor  Holden  was 
found  guilty  and  still  lies  under  the  ban  of  this 
sentence. 

On  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Pearson,  Gov- 
ernor Vance  in  January,  1878,  appointed  Mr_ 
Smith  his  successor — and  this  appointment  was 
ratified  by  the  people  of  the  State  at  the  polls 
in  the  following  summer. 

Chief  Justice  Smith  is  now  in  the  maturity  of 
life — his  countrymen  have  great  confidence  in 
his  integrity  and  learning ;  and  a  brilliant  as 
well  as  useful  career  has  been  his. 

He  married,  in  1839,  Mary  Olivia,  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  B.  Wise,  of  Murfreesboro. 


Tristram  Capehart  lived  at  Murfreesboro ;  he 
was  born  in  Bertie  County,  September  16,  1796. 
He  was  one  of  the  great  and  good  men  of  his 
generation,  a  philanthropist  of  the  purest  nature. 
Many  years  prior  to  the  civil  war,  he  emanci- 
pated a  large  number  of  his  slaves,  sending 
them  to  Liberia,  and  giving  them  a  large  part  of 
his  estate  to  aid  them  in  life. 

He  was  too  young  to  serve  in  the  war  of  1 8 1 2, 
but  without  consulting  with  his  parents,  he  en- 
listed ;  his  parents  sent  a  substitute  for  him  in 
the  ranks  and  had  him  return  to  his  home.  He 
soon  effected  his  escape  and  again  enlisted  him- 
self Another  substitute  was  sent  to  supply 
his  place,  and  yet  a  third,  but  his  liberty-loving 
heart  could  not  be  satisfied  with  the  quiet  of 
home  whilst  his  country  was  endangered  from 
foreign  invasion.  A  braver  soldier  never  wore 
the  American  uniform. 

He  married  Emily,  daughter  of  Daniel  South- 
all  of  Virginia,  a  descendant  of  the  Norfleets. 

He  died  March  3,  1859,  leaving  two  sons: 
Archibald  Ashbourne  and  Thomas. 

His  onfy  brother,  CuUen  Capehart,  born 
March  17,  1789,  on  the  shores  of  the  Albemarle 
Sound  in  Bertie  County,  long  lived  in  that  sec- 
tion at  his  grand  old  home,  Avoca,  where 
ancient  southern  hospitality  was  extended  to 
the  brave  and  the  fair.  His  maternal  ancestors 
were  French  Huguenots,  the  Razeures,  the 
father's  descent  being  from  the  Ogilvies  of 
Scotland  and  the  German  Capeharts.  He  was 
possessed  of  a  noble  soul,  a  brilliant  intellect, 
and  a  princely  estate,  and  with  all  he  was  a  true 
patriot,  sacrificing  much  for  public  good.  He 
married  a  great  belle  and  beauty,  Milly  Stanley, 
a  daughter  of  William  Stanley  Rhodes,  who 
was  descended  from  the  Earls  of  Derby,  the 
Rhodes  and  the  Averetts.  He  died  at  his  resi- 
dence, Avoca,  November  22,  1866,  leaving 
three  children :  Washington  Capehart,  Mrs. 
William  Anthony  Armistead,  Mrs.  Thomas 
Goode  Tucker  of  Virginia. 

Dr.  William  Anthony  Armistead  was  a  de- 


HERTFORD  COUNTY. 


221 


scendant  of  the  Armisteads  of  Gloucester,  Vir- 
ginia. His  genealogy  is  traced  back  to  the  Lees 
of  that  State,  and  to  the  Harramonds,  the  Jor- 
dans,  the  Blounts,  the  Spaights,  and  the  Hills 
of  North  Carolina.  He  was  born  in  Plymouth, 
North  Carolina,  October  ii,  1808,  and  died 
January  17,  1856,  in  Virginia. 

He  was  an  eminent  physician,  [at  the  head 
of  his  profession  in  Plymouth,  and  during  the 
summer  months  the  resident  physician  of  the 
sea  shore. 

He  was  as  great  in  heart  as  in  mind,  as  nobly 
did  he  fill  the  station  in  life  that  he  attained, 
adding  honor  to  the  honored  line  of  his  ancestry. 

He  left  only  one  child,  Meeta  Armistead,  who 
married  Archibald  Ashbourne  Capehart. 

Judge  David  A.  Barnes  long  resided  at  Mur- 
freesboro,  but  was  a  native  of  Northampton 
County ;  the  son  of  Captain  Collin  W.  Barnes, 
who  was  a  most  worthy  man  and  greatly  es- 
teemed, the  representative  of  his  county  in  1829 
and  1830  in  the  Legislature. 

David  A.  Barnes  was  educated  at  the  Uni- 
versity and  graduated  in  1840  in  same  class  with 
Governor  Caldwell,  John  W.  Cunningham,  Lu- 
cius J.  Johnson,  William  Johnston,  Judge  Shipp, 
C.  H.  Wiley,  and  others.  He  studied  law,  and 
with  such  success  that  in  1865  he  was  made  one 
of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1844, 
1846  and  1850.  During  the  war  he  was  one  of 
the  Military  Council  of  Governor  Vance.  In 
1873  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress  an^  de- 
feated by  C.  L.  Cobb.  He  married  Betty,  the 
daughter  of  Colonel  Uriah  Vaughan  of  Mur- 
freesboro — to  which  place  he  removed ;  by  his 
general  manners  and  acquirements  he  always 
enjoyed  the  regard  and  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
citizens. 

Jesse  J.  Yeates  was  born  and  raised  in  this 
county.  His  father,  James  Boon  Yeates,  was  a 
farmer,  an  enterprising  and  useful  man,  and  his 
grandfather,  Jesse  Yeates,  served  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war. 


The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  in  1829; 
received  a  collegiate  education,  read  law  with 
Chief  Justice  Smith  and  was  Solicitor  of  the 
county  from  1855  to  i860 — this  latter  year  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature. 

When  the  Civil  war  commenced  he  raised  a 
company  and  was  elected  Captain ;  he  was  ap- 
pointed Major  of  the  31st  North  Carolina  Regi- 
ment ;  at  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island  was  taken 
prisoner.  He  was  Solicitor  of  the  Judicial  Dis- 
trict from  1 86 1  to  1866;  and  a  member  of  the 
Governor's  Council.  In  1871  he  was  elected  to 
the  State  Constitutional  Convention  ;  elected  a 
member  of  the  44th  Congress,  1875-77,  and 
re-elected  to  the  45th  Congress. 

Major  Yeates  is  much  esteemed  for  his  talents 
and  ability.  He  has  been  twice  married ;  his 
last  wife  is  a  daughter  of  James  Scott,  by  whom 
he  has  an  interesting  family. 

Richard  Jordan  Gatling,  the  inventor  of  the 
Gatling  gun,  is  a  native  of  this  county,  born  Sep- 
tember 12,  18 18.  His  father,  Jordan  Gatlin, 
was  an  energetic,  enterprising,  and  skillful 
farmer.  He  died  in  April  1848.  The  primitive 
log  house  where  his  son  was  born  still  stands, 
in  Manney's  Neck,  near  Murfreesboro. 

He  received  an  "  old-field  school  "  education 
and  was  himself  a  teacher  for  a  while,  in  one  of 
those  rudimental  institutions.  In  1844,  he  went 
to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  was  employed  as 
a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  establishment.  In  1849, 
he  studied  medicine  and  attended  a  course  of 
lectures  at  the  Indiana  University,  as  also  at 
the  Ohio  Medical  College,  and  received  a  di- 
ploma as  a  physician.  He  located  at  Indian- 
apolis, where  he  married  in  1854,  the  youngest 
daughter  of  Dr.  John  H.  Sanders. 

The  crowning  act  of  his  life  and  of  his  many 
ingenious  inventions,  was  the  production  of  the 
"  machine  battery  gun,"  which  bears  his  name, 
the  idea  of  which  he  conceived  in  1861.  In  1866 
after  repeated  trials  at  Frankford  Arsenal,  at 
Washington  and  at  Fortress  Monroe,  this 
weapon   was  adopted   by   the   United   States. 


222 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Since  its  use  in  the  service  of  his  own  govern- 
ment, Russia,  Turkey,  Italy,  Austria,  Egypt, 
England,  China,  Japan,  and  other  nations,  have 
also  recognized  its  great  utility  and  invested 
largely  in  its  purchase. 

By  his  inventive  genius  he  has  raised  himself 
from  an  obscure  log  cabin  in  the  wilds  of  Caro- 
lina, to  become  an  associate  of  emperors  and 
warriors  ;  and  has  revolutionized  "the  world  of 
arms"  as  effectually  as  the  railway  has  sup- 
planted the  stage-coach,  or  the  telegraph  the 
one-horse  mail  line.  This  affords  a  lesson  to 
the  humblest  of  our  nation,  that  by  honest  and 
persistent  labor  he  may  be  the  associate  as  also 
the  peer  of  princes. 

By  his  genius  and  industry  he  has  acquired 
fame  and  fortune.  Dr.  Catling  now  resides  in 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  (where  his  establishment 
is),  full  of  loyal  love  for  the  land  of  his  birth, 
and  delights  to  see  and  talk  with  any  one  hailing 
from  "  the  old  Notth  State. '"^ 

Connected  with  the  reminiscences  of  this  an- 
cient borough,  occurred  a  notable  event  that 
deserves  to  be  recorded. 

In  1825,  General  Lafayette  on  an  extended 
tour  through  this  country,  entered  our  State  and 
his  first  public  reception  was  at  Murfreesboro. 
He  was  no  ordinary  visitor,  and  was  the  Nation's 
guest.  He  had  aided  America  to  gain  its  inde- 
pendence, by  contributing  his  substance,  enter- 
ing her  army,  and  shedding  his  blood  in 
battling  for  her  cause.  Every  preparation  was 
made  to  receive  the  war-worn  veteran  with  open 
arms  and  hearts.  Thomas  Manney,  then  a 
prominent  lawyer  and  since  a  Judge  in  Tennessee, 
made  the  address  of  welcome.  After  resting 
here  for  two  days,  he  passed  on  to  Jackson, 
Northampton  County,  where  he  was  met  by 
Chief  Justice  Taylor  and  his  companion  in  arms. 
Colonel  William  Polk,  and  by  them  escorted  to 
Raleigh — thence  to  Fayetteville,  and  thus  from 
State  to  State.  After  his  tour,  he  returned  to 
his  French  home,   in  the  new  frigate  Brandy- 

*See  Potter's  Am.  Mag.,  May,  1879. 


wine,  so  called  in  compliment  to  Lafayette. 
Congress  voted  him  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars and  twenty-three  thousand  acres  of  public 
land. 

We  should  do  injustice  were  we  not  to  notice 
the  Chowan  Baptist  Female  Institute,  located  at 
Murfreesboro  in  this  county,  which  fosters  with 
so  much  assiduity  the  real  interests  of  society 
and  annually  sends  forth  living  streams  of  sci- 
ence, beauty  and  morality  to  gladden  and 
improve  our  State.  The  building  was  erected 
in  1850-51,  it  is  four  stories  high,  containing  a 
spacious  chapel,  parlor,  library,  and  rooms  suf- 
ficient for  one  hundred  pupils.  In  addition  an 
adjacent  building  for  the  steward's  family,  music 
room,  and  an  art  gallery. 

It  is  chiefly  patronized  by  North  Carolina 
and  Virginia,  but  occasionally  it  has  had  pupils 
from  various  other  States,  from  Maryland  to 
Texas.  It  has  graduated  nearly  two  hundred 
ladies.  Rev.  A.  McDowell,  D.  D.,  was  placed 
first  in  charge — and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  M. 
R.  Forey  of  New  York,  who,  aided  by  Dr.  G. 
C.  Moore,  rendered  substantial  aid  in  collecting 
funds.  In  1854  Dr.  Forey  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  William  Hooper,  who,  after  remaining  a 
few  years,  was,  on  account  of  his  health,  com- 
pelled to  resign,  and  Dr.  McDowell  again  took 
charge.  Under  his  guidance  and  aided  by  an 
able  corps  of  teachers,  this  excellent  institution 
will  continue  to  be  a  blessing  to  our  country, 
and  an  ornament  of  its  section. 

Near  the  town  of  Murfreesboro  in  the  adja- 
cent county,  Southampton,  Virginia,  on  August 
21,  183 1,  a  fearful  and  bloody  insurrection  of 
slaves  occurred.  Nearly  one  hundred  white 
persons  were  ruthlessly  murdered.  The  negroes 
were  led  on  by  Nat  Turner,  who  pretended  to 
be  a  preacher,  and  under  the  assumed  inspira- 
tion of  religion,  perpetrated  a  series  of  wanton 
murders  and  robberies.  These  atrocities  quickly 
aroused  the  whites,  and  armed  forces  from  North 
Carolina  and  Old  Point  were  rapidly  raised  and 
the  insurrection  subdued.     Many  of  them  were 


HYDE  COUNTY. 


225 


taken  and  executed  on  the  gallows  ;  not,  how- 
ever, until  many,  from  the  aged  matron  to  the 
helpless  infant,  had  fallen  victims  to  the  be- 
sotted blacks.  This  first  attack  was  led  by  a 
colored  man  named  Hark,  on  the  house  of  ."^i- 
mon  Blount,  who  was,  at  the  time,  a  helpless 
cripple.     Young  Blount,  his  son,  a  mere  youth. 


resisted  the  attack,  and  Hark  was  shot  by  him, 
when  his  followers  retreated.  For  his  gallantry  on 
this  occasion,  he  was  honored  by  General 
Jackson  with  a  commission  in  the  Navy, 

A  sketch  of  the  Wheeler  family,  who  were 
long  residents  of  this  county,  will  be  found  in  a 
Memoir  of  the  Author  immediately  after  the 
Preface. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
HYDE  COUNTY. 


David  Miller  Carter  was  a  native  of  this 
county,  though  much  of  his  early  life  was  spent 
in  Raleigh.  He  was  prepared  for  college  by 
Mr.  Lovejoy,  and  graduated  at  the  University 
in  185 1.  He  studied  law  and  settled  in  the 
town  of  Washington,  and  formed  a  partnership 
with  Hon.  E.  J.  Warren.  He  pursued  the  pro- 
fession with  great  success.  He  was  a  Whig  in 
politics,  and  strongly  opposed  to  the  doctrine 
of  secession.  But  when  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment announced  the  intention  to  coerce  the 
States,  he  raised  a  company  to  serve  during  the 
war,  which  formed  a  part  of  the  4th  North  Caro- 
lina Regiment.  At  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines, 
he  was  severely  wounded,  so  that  he  was  never 
again  able  to  serve  in  the  field.  He  was 
assigned  to  duty  as  one  of  the  three  Judges  of 
the  Military  Court  of  Longstreet's  Corps,  with 
the  rank  of  Colonel,  in  which  capacity  he  contin- 
ued until  he  was  elected  (1864)  by  the  people  of 


Beaufort  County  to  represent  them  in  the  House 
of  Commons. 

After  the  war  was  over  he  returned  to  the 
care  of  his  large  farming  interests  and  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Washington,  where 
he  remained  until  his  removal  to  Raleigh. 

Colonel  Carter  was  a  public  spirited  man. 
He  devoted  much  of  his  time  and  energy  to 
the  cause  of  education,  and  especially  to  the 
University  of  which  he  was  a  steady  friend  and 
a  liberal  benefactor,  and  to  the  management  of 
the  Penitentiary,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
Directors. 

His  health  gradually  failing,  he  repaired  to 
Baltimore  for  medical  aid — but  in  vain.  He 
died  at  Baltimore  on  January  7,  1877.  He 
married  twice,  first  a  daughter  of  D.  P.  Perry, 
and  second,  a  Mrs.  Benbury,  one  of  the  most 
amiable  ladies  of  the  State. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 


IREDELL  COUNTY. 


Hugh  Lawson  White,  (born  1773,  died 
1840,)  who  became  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Tennessee  and  a  Senator  in  Congress, 
was  a  native  of  Iredell  County.  He  was  of 
Irish  descent.  His  grand-father  immigrated  to 
this  country  about  1742,  and  left  six  sons  :  James, 


Moses,  John,  William,  David  and  Andy— many 
of  whose  descendants  now  reside  in  this  county. 
James,  the  father  of  Judge  White,  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution.  He  moved  to  Knox  Coun- 
ty, Tennessee,  in  1786,  served  as  a  General  in 
the  Creek  War,  was  distinguished  for  his  integ- 


224 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


rity,  ability  and  bravery.  He  bestowed  on 
his  son  every  advantage  of  education.  Judge 
White's  early  education  was  conducted  by  Rev. 
Samuel  Carrick,  Judge  Roane,  and  Dr.  Robert 
Patterson  of  Philadelphia.  In  1795,  he  studied 
law  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  office  of 
James  Hopkins.  After  completing  his  studies, 
he  returned  home  to  Tennessee ;  where  he  soon 
acquired  fame  and  fortune  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  and  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight, 
he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court, 
among  such  compeers  as  Andrew  Jackson, 
Jenkins  Whiteside  and  George  W.  Campbell — by 
no  means  an  empty  honor  ;  but  in  1807,  he  re- 
signed this  position.  Two  years  afterwards, 
when  the  Supreme  Court  was  established  he  was 
unanimously  chosen  one  of  the  Justices  thereof, 
where  he  presided  for  six  years  with  great  satis- 
faction to  the  country  and  honor  to  himself. 
At  this  time  Tennessee  severely  suffered  from 
the  hostile  devastations  of  the  Creek  Indians. 
At  this  dark  and  perilous  period,  when  the  he- 
roic Jackson  was  in  the  midst  of  a  wild  territory, 
surrounded  by  savages,  his  scanty  force  dis- 
affected and  mutinous.  Judge  White  left  the 
Bench,  and  with  only  one  companion,  sought, 
and  after  great  peril  and  exposure,  found  the 
veteran,  Jackson  to  whom  he  volunteered  his 
services,  which  were  gladly  accepted. 

In  1 820  he  was  appointed  by  President  Mon- 
roe, (with  Governor  Tazewell  of  Virginia  and 
Governor  King  of  Maine  as  colleagues,)  a  Com- 
missioner, under  the  Convention  with  Spain, 
which  position  he  held  for  four  years.  In  1825 
when  General  Jackson  resigned  his  seat  as  Sena- 
tor in  Congress,  Judge  White  was  unanimously 
elected  his  successor.  He  was  re-elected  in 
1827,  and  in  1832,  when  hewas  chosen  President 
of  the  Senate.  In  1836  he  was  a  candidate  for 
President. 

He  resigned   his  seat  in   the  Senate  in  1839, 


"••■The  vote  -was  as  follows  :  VaiiBuren,  170  ;  Harrison,  73  ; 
White,  26  (Georgia  and  Tennessee);  Webster,  14;  Mangum, 
II. 


having  received  instructions  from  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Tennessee  to  vote  for  measures  that  his 
judgment  did  not  approve.  He  returned  to  his 
home  at  Knoxville,  and  in  the  next  year,  (1840, 
April,  ioth,)full  of  years,  honored  and  esteemed 
for  his  virtues,  universally  loved  and  respected, 
he  died. 

William  Sharpe,  (born  1742,  died  18 18,)  re- 
sided and  died  in  this  county.  He  was  the  old- 
est son  of  Thomas  Sharpe,  and  was  born  in  Ce- 
cil County,  Maryland.  At  an  earl)'  age,  he  re- 
moved to  Mecklenburg  County,  where  he  mar- 
ried adaughterof  David  Reese,  one  of  the  de- 
cided patriots  of  that  day,  and  a  member  of  the 
Convention  of  May  20th,  1775. 

Mr.  Sharpe  was  a  Lawyer  by  profession.  I 
copy  from  the  records  of  Lincoln  County:  "At 
January  Term,  1785,  William  Sharpe,  Esq.,  pro- 
duced in  open  Court  his  license  to  practice  as 
Attorney-at-Law,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  accordingly."  He  removed  to  Iredell 
County,  then  Rowan  County,  and  was  zealous 
and  active  in  the  cause  of  the  people.  The 
records  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  for  Rowan 
County  prove  his  patriotism  and  courage.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  which 
met  at  NewBerne,  April,  1775,  and  at  Hillsboro 
in  August  following,  also  at  Halifax  in  1776; 
he  was  aid  to  General  Rutherford  the  same  year 
in  his  Campaign  against  the  Indians,  and  the 
next  year  with  WaighstiU  Avery,  Robert  Lan- 
ier and  Joseph  Winston,  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Caswell  to  treat  with  them. 

He  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  at  Philadelphia  in  1779,  and 
served  till  1782. 

He  died  in  July,  18 18,  leaving  a  widow  and 
twelve  children.  His  eldest  daughter  married 
W.  W.  Erwin,  of  Burke,  who  was  Clerk  of  the 
Superior  Court  of  that  County  for  many  years, 
and  the  Agent  of  the  State  Bank.  She  was  the 
mother  of  fifteen  children.  The  second,  Ruth, 
married  Andrew  Caldwell    of  Iredell,  who   was 


IREDELL   COUNTY. 


25 


often  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  the 
father  of  Judge  David  F.  Caldwell,  Hon  Joseph 
P.  Caldwell,  and  Dr.  Elam  Caldwell  of  Lin- 
colnton. 

Dr.  Charles  Caldwell,  an  extensive  and  pop- 
ular writer,  professor  in  Transylvania  Univers- 
ity, and  one  of  the  Founders  of  the  Medical 
School  at  Louisville,  was  a  native  of  this  sec- 
tion. He  resided  for  a  time,  in  his  early  age, 
near  Mount  Mourne,  in  Iredell  County.  He 
was  a  man  of  gigantic  proportions  and  capable 
of  great  labor,  physical  and  mental.  He  wrote 
valuable  papers  on  Malaria,  Quarantines,  Phys- 
ical Education  and  Phrenology.  In  the  last  he 
was  an  enthusiastic  a  follower  of  Combe,  Spur- 
ziem  and  others,  and  lectured  extensively  on  the 
subject  in  different  sections  of  the  country. 
His  tribute  to  Fisher  Ames,  in  Rees' Encyclope- 
dia, is  unrivaled.  He  wrote  a  paper  on  Leibig's 
"Theory  of  Animal  Heat,"  which  utterly  refut- 
ed the  learned  German's  theory. 

In  1819,  while  filling  the  Chair  of  Natural 
History  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  he 
published  "Life  of  General  Nathaniel  Greene," 
which  was  mercilessly  criticized  in  the  North 
American  Review,  (January,  1825.)  He  died 
at  his  residence  in  the  city  of  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, in  July,  1853.  He  was  probably  at  the 
time  of  his  death  the  oldest  practicing  physi- 
cian in  the  United  States,  being  90  years  of 
age.* 

David  Franklin  Caldwell,  born  1790,  was  a 
native  of  this  county,  educated  at  the  Univers- 
ity and  studied  Law  with  Archibald  Henderson 
at  Salisbury.  He  was  a  Member  of  the  House 
of  Commons  from  this  county  in  1816,  '17,  '18 
and  '19,  and  represented  Rowan  County  in  the 
Senate  in  1829,  '30  and  '31,  of  which  he  was 
chosen  Speaker.  In  1844  lie  was  elected 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  the  duties  of 
which  office  he  discharged  with  dignity  and 
satisfaction. 


■•»N.  C.  Uni.  Mag.  II.,  297. 


He  died  after  a  short  illness,  respected  and 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  twice 
married,  first  to  Miss  Alexander,  and  secondly, 
Mrs.  Troy. 

His  brother,  Hon.  Jos.  Pearson  Caldwell,  born 
in  i8o8,  died  1853,  was  also  a  native  of  this  coun- 
ty, where  he  lived  and  died  He  was  educated  at 
Bethany  Academy,  and  studied  Law  with  Judge 
Caldwell.  He  was  elected  Senator  in  the  Leer- 
islature  in  1833,  '34,  and  in  1838,  '40  and  '42  he 
was  a  Member  of  the  House  of  Commons. 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  31st  Con- 
gress, (1849,  '5I')  ^nd  re-elected  to  the  32nd 
Congress,  (185  i  and  '53.)  He  was  a  useful  and 
worthy  member,  universally  esteemed  for  his 
abilities  and  genial  temper.  He  died  suddenly, 
June  30,   1853. 

Robert  Franklin  Armfield  was  born  July  9th, 
1829,  near  Greensboro,  and  educated  at  Trinity 
College,  North  Carolina.  He  read  law  with 
John  A.  Gilmer,  and  has  been  in  the  continu- 
ous practice  of  his  profession. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Convention 
of  1861,  which  passed  the  Ordinance  of  Seces- 
sion, but  resigned  and  wer.t  into  the  'armj  as 
a  subaltern  in  the  38th  North  Carolina  Regi- 
iment,  of  which  he  afterwards  became  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel.  He  was  wounded  at  the  Battle 
of  Shepherdstown,  (1862).  Whilst  at  home  on 
furlough,  wounded,  he  was  elected  Solicitor  for 
the  State  in  the  Sixth  Judicial  District,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  until  removed  by 
Governor  Holden,  in  1865.  He  has  avoided 
political  ofiice,  declining  several  nominations  to 
the  Legislature.  He  was  elected  however  to 
the  Legislature  in  1874,  as  Senator  from  the 
counties  of  Iredell,  Alexander  and  Wilkes,  and 
here  was  chosen  President  of  the  Senate,  and 
ex-officio  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  State. 
He  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Denny  of  Guilford, 
and  is  blessed  with  a  large  family. 

David  Moffit  Furches,  Judge  of  the  Superior 
Court,  resides  in  this  county.  He  is  a  native 
of  Davie  County,  born  April  2nd,   1S32.      Edu- 


'.26 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


cated  at  Union  Academy,    he    read    law  with  ville  and  was  once  a  candidate  for  Congress,  but 

Judge  Pearson,  and  settled  at   Mocksville.      He  was  defeated  by  Major  Robbins.      He  was  made 

was  a  emmber  of  the   Constitutional  Conven-  Judge,  August,   1875,  to   fill  the  vacancy  occa- 

tion  in    1865,  and  '66.      He  removed  to  Stater-  sioned  by  the  resignation  of  Judge  Mitchell. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


JOHNSTON,  JONES  AND  LKNOIR  COUNTIKS. 


The  same  spirit  of  resistance  to  the  illegal 
exactions  of  authority,  which  subsequently  ter- 
minated in  the  battle  of  Alamanc  e,  was  early 
evinced  by  the  bold  men  of  this  county. 

I  extract  from  the  Public  Records  in  London, 
the  following,  contained  in  a  dispatch  from 
General  Tryon  to  the  Earl  of  Hillsboro  : 

"Brunswick,  N.  C,  Dec.  24,  1768. 

I  will  mention  another  affair  which  happened 
in  August  last.  A  body  of  about  eighty  men 
came  to  the  Court  in  Johnston  County,  with  the 
intention  to  turn  the  Justices  off  the  bench,  as 
had  been  done  in  the  spring  before,  in  Anson 
County.  The  Justices  thought  it  prudent  (al- 
though the  first  day  of  the  court)  to  adjourn  the 
court  for  the  term.  Upon  the  notice  of  their 
approach  they  collected  some  gentlemen  who 
were  friends  to  the  Government,  and  attacked 
the  insurgents  with  clubs ;  and  after  a  smart 
skirmish  drove  them  from  the  field." 

William  A,  Smith  resides  in  Johnston  county. 
He  has  only  an  old  field  school  education,  but 
possesses  such  force  of  character  and  common 
sense  that  has  enabled  him  to  attain  positions 
of  importance  and  power.  He  was  born  in 
Warren  County,  January  g,  1828 ;  worked  on  the 
farm  till  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  as 
a  hand  on  the  Raleigh  and  Gaston  Railroad. 
Hoping  to  better  his  fortunes,  he  went  to  Lou- 
isiana, and  settled  at  Shreveport,  but  he  soon 
returned  to  his  native  State  and  settled  in 
Johnston  County.  The  people  soon  discov- 
ered his  merits.     In   1861   he  became  a  mem- 


ber of  the  (Secession)    Convention.     In     1864 
elected  to  the    Legislature.     In   1865  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Convention  called  by  Governor 
Holden.      In  1868    he  was  chosen    President  of 
the  North  Carolina  Railroad.      In    1870  he  was 
elected  by  the  people  a  member  of  the  Senate, 
of  the  Legislature,  but  was  unseated.     He  was 
elected  to  represent  the  Raleigh  district  in  (the 
43rd)    Congress    (1873-75).     After    serving  in 
Congress  for  one  term  he  declined  a  re-election. 
Nathan  Bryan  represented  this,  the  Newbern 
District  in  (the  4th  and  5th)  Congress  1795-99, 
and  was  a  man  of  great   usefulness  and  piety. 
He  was  prominent  in  the  Baptist  denomination. 
He  died  while  in  Congress,  at    Philadelphia,  in 
1798,    and  was   succeeded  by   Richard    Dobbs 
Spaight,  Sr.     Moore  says  that  he  was  wealthy 
and  talented. 

Hardy  B.  Croom  (born  1798 — drowned  Octo- 
ber, 1837)  was  long  a  resident  of  Lenoir  County. 
He  was  born  1798  ;  educated  at  the  University, 
where  he  graduated  in  18 17,  in  the  same  class 
with  John  M.  Morehead  and  others.  He  read 
law  with  Judge  Gaston,  and  was  distinguished  as 
a  scholar  and  a  gentleman.  He  represented 
this  county  in  the  Senate  in  1828.  He  married 
Miss  Smith  of  NewBerne.  On  a  voyage  from 
New  York,  on  the  steamer  "Home,"  he  and 
his  family  were  drowned,  October  9,  1837. 

An  interesting  question  of  law  arose  from  this 


LINCOLN  COUNTY. 


227 


tragic  event.  If  Mr.  Croom  survived  his  chil- 
dren only  for  a  moment,  then  a  large  estate  went 
to  certain  heirs  ;  if  not,  then,  to  other  heirs. 

William  D.  Mosely,  late  Governor  of  Florida, 
(1845-49)  was  a  native  of  Lenoir  County.  He 
was  educated  at  the  University,  and  graduated 
in  same  class  with  Robert  Donaldson,  Thomas 
J.  Green,  Hamilton  C.  Jones,  Rev.  Robert 
Hall  Morrison,  James  K.  Polk,  Hugh  Waddell, 
and  others.  He  represented  the  county  in  the 
Senate  formany  years,  and  in  1832  to  1835  was 
elected  Speaker  of  the  Senate,  and  presided  with 
great  dignity  and  satisfaction.  His  ancestors 
are  well  known  in  our  early  History.  Edward 
M.-sely  was  the  Surveyor  General  of  the  Provi- 
dence in  1723  and  charges  against  him  for 
malfeasance  in  office  were  preferred  by  Sir 
Richard  Everhard — as  also  Burrington  the 
Governor.  He  was  one  of  the  Commis- 
sioners with  Christopher  Gale,  William 
Little  and  Colonel  Lovick,  to  run  the  divid- 
ing line  between  Carolina  and  Virginia.     Colo- 


nel Byrd,  Fitz  Williams  and  Danridge,  being  the 
Virginia  Commissioners. 

Hon.  George  Davis  in  a  late  lecture  (Novem- 
ber, 1879),  "A  Study:  Colonial  History," 
speaks  of  Edward  Mosely  as  one  of  the  ances- 
tors of  Governor  Mosely,  as  being  one  of  the  great 
men  of  North  Carolina;  that  of  all  men  that 
watched  and  guided  the  tottering  footsteps  of 
our  infant  State,  there  was  not  one,  who,  in 
intellectual  ability,  in  solid  and  polite  learning, 
in  scholarly  cultivation  and  refinement,  in  cour- 
age and  endurance,  in  high  Christian  morality, 
in  generous  consideration  for  the  welfare  of 
others,  in  all  true  merit,  in  fine,  in  all  that  makes 
a  man  among  men,  could  equal  Edward 
Mosely." 

In  1707  he  was  Chief  Justice,  and  in  1709, 
being  then  Surveyor  General,  was  appointed 
with  his  deputy,  John  Lawson,  to  run  the 
northern  boundary  line. 

About  1840  Mr.  Mosely  removed  to  Florida, 
where  he  was  much  esteemed,  and  was  the  first 
Governor  of  the  State,   from  1845  to  1849. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


There  are  few  portions  of  North  Carolina, 
around  which  the  halo  of  chivalric  deeds  and 
unsullied  patriotism  clusters  more  brilliantly, 
than  this  section.  The  battle  of  King's  Moun- 
tain, Ramsour's  Mill,  the  passage  of  the  Ca- 
tawba by  Cornwallis,  and  the  gallant  resistance 
and  the  lamented  death  of  General  Davidson  ; 
all  shed  a  flood  of  memories  around  this  region, 
alike  interesting  and  patriotic.  But  our  present 
duties  are  confined  to  biographical  sketches, 
and  we  leave  this  fair  field  of  history  for  other 
and  more  competent  laborers. 

Among  the  patriots  of  our  Revolution,  none 
deserves  our  gratitude  more  than  Joseph  Gra- 
ham, (born  1759 — died  1836);  he  was  the  founder 


LINCOLN   COUNTY.  1i ^Jt.^O ^(^i^W^-^^, 

of  this   family   in   North   Carolina/]    He   was  a      ^Vi^l^fi 


native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  Chester  County,      7  /i/v     ,/       is, 
October  13,  1759.      His  mother  was  left  a  widow    / 
with  six   small  children  and  but  slender  means.     S^-ii 
He  removed  to  North    Carolina,  when  her  son,      /»  /     f  '> 
Joseph,    was  about  ten  years  old,   and    settled  /^     ^'C^/^/v  /J 


J^ 


■'■-efj'U 


near  Charlotte.     His  early  education  was  con 
nected    at  the    academy    in    Charlotte,   he  was 


^^n^ym, 


distinguished  for  his  assiduity  and  good  conduct.  -\.-y/^.  ,    ')  j 

There    studies    made    him   acquainted  with  the  /'       /^'^yf 
history  of  events  and  prepared  his  mind  for  the         ^'^-ri^, 

revolutionary  struggle  which  soon  ensued.      He  'j    ^     j. 

testified    that  he  was  present  in  Charlotte,  May  /■''  ^^^^'-^-y 

20,  1775,  when  and  where  the  first  declaration  ''^^XtJ'jt 

of  independence  was  made,  and  speaks  of  the  ^  "h.ii^      ^^ 


^. 


'*v 


^If^ 


228 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


impression  made  on  his  mind  by  the  solemn  and 
heroic  decisions  of  that  da)'.* 

He  enlisted  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  and 
served  in  the  4th  Regiment  of  North  Carolina 
troops  under  Colonel  Archibald  Lytle,  and  in 
Captain  Goodsen's  Company.  They  were 
ordered  to  rendezvous  at  Bladensburg  in  Mary- 
land. On  this  month  they  received  intelligence 
of  the  battle  of  Monmouth  and  that  the  British 
had  gone  to  New  York,  so  their  services  would 
not  be  needed.  He  returned  home  on  furlough. 
He  was  again  called  into  service  under  General 
Rutherford  in  1778  ;  was  in  the  battle  of  Stono, 
June  20,  1779.  The  next  year  he  was  seized 
with  fever,  and  after  two  months'  severe  illness, 
was  discharged  near  Dorchester,  and  returned 
home.  After  recruiting  his  health,  while  en- 
gaged in  endeavoring  to  aid  his  mother  in 
support  of  the  family,  and  was  ploughing  in 
the  field,  he  heard  that  the  British  had  defeated 
Colonel  Buford  at  the  VVaxhaw,  and  were  ap- 
proaching Charlotte  ;  he  joined  the  Mecklen- 
burg Regiment,  and  was  appointed  Adjutant  of 
the  Regiment,  which  was  ordered  by  General 
Davidson  to  Charlotte  and  there  join  General 
Davie. 

The  British  Army  entered  Charlotte,  Septem- 
ber 26,  1780,  and  General  Graham  was  ordered 
to  cover  the  retreat  of  General  Davie.  A  sharp 
conflict  took  place  about  four  miles  on  the  road 
to  Sdisbury,  when  General  Davie's  force  was 
not  within  supporting  distance.  Colonel  Locke 
of    Rowan    was    killed    and    General    Graham 


'■■■'Ex  ract  from  Declaration  of  General  Joseph  Graham, 
sworn  to  in  open  C  jurt  in  Lincoln  County,  North  Carolina, 
Octob;r  30,  1832,  and  now  on  file  in  the  Pension  Bureau  at 
Washington,  D.  C  ,  in  order  to  obtain  the  benefit  of  the  act 
of  Congress  passed  June  7,  1832. 

"  The  deponent  state.s  he  has  a  record  of  his  age;  that  he 
was  born  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  October  13, 
1759 — th?t  he  removed  to  Mecklenburg  C'luuty,  North 
Carolina,  when  about  ten  years  of  ai^e.  that  he  was  present 
in  Charlotte  on  th/i  20ih  day  of  Mi)\  1775.  when  the  com- 
mittee of  the  County  of  Mecklenburg  tiiat/e  their  celebrated 
Declaration  of  Independence  of  the  Pritish  Crown,  upwards 
of  a  year  before  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  did  at 
Philadelphia-that  he  resided  in  Mecklenburg  County, 
until  June,  1792,  and  since  that  time  in  the  County  of  Lin- 
coln."    Let  the  doubters  of  this  event  read  this  affidavit! 


received  nine  severe  wounds,  the  scars  of  which 
he  carried  to  his  grave. 

His  life  was  preserved  by  a  large  stock  buckle 
which  broke  the  violence  of  the  blow  from  a 
sabre.  He  was  for  two  months  disabled  from 
service.  As  soon  as  he  recovered  from  his 
wounds  he  again  entered  into  the  service  of  his 
country  ;  he  raised  a  company  of  mounted  rifle- 
men, and  joined  General  Davidson's  command, 
which  disputed  the  advance  of  Lord  Cornwallis 
at  Cowan's  Ford  on  the  Catawba  river.  His 
command  was  the  first  to  cominence  the  attack 
on  the  British  troops,  which  was  continued 
until  they  had  crossed. 

It  was  here,  on  February  i,  1781,  that  General 
Davidson  fell  The  North  Carolina  troops  under 
General  Graham  continued  to  harrass  the  Brit- 
ish as  they  proceeded  towards  Virginia.  Gen- 
eral Graham  attacked  the  guard  at  Hart's  Mill, 
near  Hillsboro.  The  same  day  he  was  united 
to  General  Lee's  forces  and  was  in  that  action 
where  a  large  number  of  Tories,  under  Colonel, 
or  Doctor,  Pyles,  were  defeated.  After  being 
in  several  other  severe  skirmishes,  the  British 
retired  to  Wilmington.  General  Rutherford, 
who  had  been  for  some  time  confined  at  St.  Au- 
gustine as  a  prisoner  of  war,  taken  at  Gates' 
defeat,  returned  to  duty  and  ordered  General 
Graham  to  raise  a  legion  of  cavalry,  of  which 
Robert  Smith  was  Colonel,  and  Graham  the 
Major,  and  to  march  on  Wilmington,  Near 
Fayetteville,  he  made  a  gallant  and  successful 
attack  on  a  body  of  Tories  commanded  by  the 
noted  Tory,  McNeil,  at  McFall's  Mill  on  the 
Raft  Swamp,  completely  defeated  him  and  dis- 
persed his  forces,  twenty  or  thirty  being  killed 
or  wounded  by  the  sabre  only. 

He  surprised  and  defeated  at  Alfred  Moore's 
plantation,  a  mile  below  the  ferry  at  Wilming- 
ton, a  band  of  Tories,  and  killed  and  wounded 
twelve  of  them.  He  made  an  unsuccessful 
attack  on  a  British  garrison  in  a  brick  house 
which  covered  the  ferry  opposite  Wilmington. 
He  was  detached  by  General  Rutherford,  to  a 
place  called  Seven  Creeks,  near  the  South  Caro- 


LINCOLN  COUNTY. 


229 


lina  line,  when  he  was  attacked  at  midnight  by 
the  noted  Tory,  Colonel  Gainy.  The  Tories 
were  repulsed  by  General  Graham's  forces. 

This  detail  of  the  services  of  General  Graham, 
is  collected  from  his  declaration,  filed  October 
30,  1833,  in  the  records  of  the  Pension  Bureau 
at  Washington  to  obtain  a  pension,  (No.  17953)- 

This  campaign  closed  the  military  services  of 
General  Graham  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
he  retired  to  private  life.  He  was  elected  the 
first  Sheriff  of  Mecklenburg  County  ;  and  from 
1788  to  1794,  with  but  few  intermissions,  rep- 
resented this  county  in  the  Senate  of  the 
Legislature. 

In  1 8 14,  the  war  with  the  Creek  Indians  was 
raging.  General  Graham  was  appointed  to 
command  a  brigade,  and  marched  to  the  seat  of 
war.  They  arrived  just  as  the  final  battle  of  the 
Horse  Shoe  was  fought,  which  ended  the  war. 
He  was  for  many  years.  Major  General  of  the 
5th  division  of  the  State  Militia. 

In  1802  he  addressed  the  Legislature  on  the 
subject  of  organizing  the  Militia,  and  on  apian 
for  a  Military  Academy,  for  which  he  received 
the  thanks  of  the  Legislature.  This  address 
was  printed  by  order  of  the  Legislature.  He 
removed  in  1792  to  Lincoln  County,  and  en 
gaged  in  the  establishment  of  iron  foundries ; 
for  more  than  forty  years  he  conducted  this  im- 
portant interest  with  energy  and  success. 

By  a  life  of  industry  and  temperance  he 
enjoyed  a  "green  old  age."  He  died  on  No- 
vember 12,  1836,  and  was  buried  at  McPelah, 
in  Lincoln  County.  Over  his  grave  is  the  fol- 
lowing inscription  : 

"Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Major  General 
Joseph  Graham,  who  died  November  12,  1836, 
aged  "]"]  years.  He  was  a  brave,  distingu  shed 
and  intelligent  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
and  in  various  campaigns  from  May,  1778  to 
November,  1781  ;  commanded  in  fifteen  engage- 
ments with  signal  courage,  wisdom  and  success. 

"On  September  26,  i78o3fter  a  gallant  defense 
of  the  ground  first  consecrated  by  the  Declara- 
tion of  American  Independence,  he  was  wounded 
near  Charlotte.      In    1814   he    commanded    the 


troops  of  North  Carolina  in  their  expedition 
against  the  Creek  Indians.  His  life  was  a 
bright  and  illustrious  pattern  ot  domestic,  social 
and  public  virtue.  Modest,  amiable,  upright 
and  pious,  he  lived  a  noble  ornament  to  his 
country  and  a  rich  blessing  to  his  family,  and 
died  with  the  hope  of  a  glorious  immortality." 

GENEALOGY  OF  THE  GRAHAM   FAMILY. 

James  Graham  emigrated  from  County  Down, 
in  Ireland,  at  the  age  of  18  years,  and  settled 
in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  He  also  ap- 
pears to  have  resided  for  a  time  in  Berks  and 
Lancaster  Counties.  The  tradition  is  that  he 
was  of  the  family  of  the  chieftain  and  hero  of  the 
same  name,  who  bore  such  a  conspicuous  part  in 
the  military  annals  of  Scotland*  in  the  century 


"■•*The  expressicn  "military  annals  of  Scotland"  is  used  in 
pref  rence  to  history,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  the  his- 
tories, so  far,  have  never  done  him  justice.  He  lived  in  the 
legends  of  Scotland,  a  pri  totype  cf  that  hern  (Stonewall 
Jackson)  <  f  a  later  day,  who  Avith  a  corps  but  half-armed, 
drove  more  numerous  and  finely  ( quipped  foes  from  the 
field,  and.  with  the  captured  supplies  and  arms,  so  prepared 
his  troops  for  further  and  greater  conquests.  Finally  yield- 
ing "'fi  sup-rior  resources,"  he  was  told  by  the  executioner, 
that  after  death  he  was  to  be  drawn  and  quartered.  He 
calmly  replied  that  he  would  cheerfully  submit  to  the 
more  general  distribution  of  his  body,  as  it  might  teach 
mankind  dttlie  ct  a<\-ori[tn  pro  patria  i/tort,  and  as  a  testimo- 
ny of  the  cause  for  which  he  suflered. 

Whilst  Cromwell  conquered  England  against  the  Stuarts, 
the  Mar(|uis  conquered  Scotland  for  them,  but  disgusted 
with  the  cant  of  the  Praise  God  Barcl'oues  he  soon  lost  all 
sympathy  for  them  and  became  their  most  active  foe.  The 
Stuarts  lost  their  sceptre  by  the  Revolution  of  1688,  and 
the  memory  of  James  Graham  has  since  then  received  the 
scant  justice  alio  ted  to  heroes  of  lost  causes  "He  was 
truly  a  Christian  and  a  gentleman,  and  well  deserved  to 
have  his  memory  preserved  and  celebrated  amongst  the 
most  illustrious  persons  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived." — 
Clarendon's  History  i  f  the  Great  Kebellio".  Book  XII,  367. 

John  Graham,  of  Claverhouse  was  of  a  very  difl'erent  char- 
acter, and  the  odium  justly  attaching  to  his  name,  unre- 
deemed by  any  marked  talents  or  manly  virtues,  has  misjed 
those  historians,  who  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  gather 
the  evidence  from  the  traditions  among  those  with  whose 
ancestors  he  acted,  therefore  they  pass  him  over  in  silence, 
or  unjus  ly  condemn  him.  In  these  pages  we  cannot  give 
his  life,  nor  does  it  become  important  to  establish  the 
truth  of  the  tradition  of  the  Pennsylvania  and  North  Caro- 
lina Cirahams.  By  the  table  of  iheir  geneology  we  find 
that  a  son  of  the  Pennsylvania  James  Gr?ham  called  a  son 
Kobert  Montrose,  and  in  the  next  generation  we  find  James 
Mom  rose  Graham  and  Junius  Montrose  Graham.  John 
Davidson,  jr  ,  «ho  died  about  1870,  aged  over  ninety  years, 
frequently  spoke  of  (General  Grahams's  connection  with  the 
Duke  of  Montrcse,  and  the  name  "Montrose"  was  greatly 
revered  by  General  (Jrahani.  These  and  other  things  we 
mention  as  fami  y  traditons  and  reminiscences.  The  New 
Berne  family  of  Grahams  have  a  similar  tradition,  but  the 
families  are  unable  to  trace  tack  to  a  common  ancestor. 
They  are  believed,  however,  to  be  of  the  same  house. 


230 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


preceding,  and  finally  illustrated  the  sincerity  of 
his  faith  in  the  conservative  principles  for 
which  he  had  gained  many  a  brilliant  victory  in 
the  open  field,  by  a  death  upon  the  scaffold, 
May  2 1st,  1650.  With  the  spirit  of  the  pion- 
eer, the  young  man  made  his  way  to  the  new 
world,  relj'ing  entirely  upon  his  own  exertions. 

He  was  twice  married  in  Chester.  We  are 
not  informed  of  the  descendants  of  the  first  mar- 
riage. 

His  second  wife  was  a  Mrs  Mary  Barber,  nee 
McConnell,  who  was  remembered  by  the  last 
generation  as  a  lady  of  culture  and  piety.  She 
survived  him,  and  in  1769,  joined  the  tide  of 
emigration  southward,  with  her  six  children, 
and  settled  in  Mecklenburg  County,  North, Car- 
olina. She  was  accompanied  by  her  brother-in- 
law,  Charles  Moore,  who  settled  in  the  adjoin- 
ing county  of  Lancaster,  South  Carolina,  he 
was  the  grand-father  of  the  late  Governor 
Moore,  of  Alabama.  She  was  not  a  disinter- 
ested spectator  of  the  Revolution,  which  soon 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  country,  but  like 
all  the  other  women,  about  the  'Hornets'  Nest," 
upheld  its  principles  from  first  to  last  with  un- 
flagging zeal.  She  died  July  19th,  1791,  and 
was  buried  at  Sugar  Creek  Church. 

Her    children  were  John  ;  George;  Joseph  ; 

Sarah,  married  to  Allison  ;  *   Anne  married   to 

Robert  Barnett,  who  died  September  9th,   1830, 

aged  80;  and  Esther  Barber  who  married  Cathey. 

I.  John  was  a  graduate  of  Liberty  Hall,  formerly 

*He  enlisted  under  Joseph  Graham,  when  a  call  for  vol- 
unteer cavalry  was  made  to  meet  the  British  invasion  of  1780, 
and  was  with  Davie's  rear-guard  which  successfully  repelled 
three  charges  of  Tarleton's  Legion,  (September  26,)  on  In- 
dependence Scjuare,  in  Charlotle,  North  Carolina.  During 
the  fight,  he  insisted  upon  dismounting  to  j;et  a  steady  aim 
at  an  offiter,  win  m  he  believed  was  Cornwallis,  and  was 
only  deterred  from  doing  so  through  the  peremptory  order 
*'to  keep  the  saddle,  "  enforced  by  the  Cap'ain  drawing 
his  sword  upf  n  him.  Nearly  a  half-century  afterwards,  so 
Governor  '\\'illiam  A.  Graliam  was  wont  to  tell,  he  would 
speak  about  his  disappointed  shot  with  as  much  feeling  as 
if  it  had  but  ju^t  occurred. 

An  hour  or  ^o  later,  a  little  beyond  Sugar  Creek  Church, 
the  Captain  himself  was  left  for  dead  on  tl  e  field,  with 
nine  wounds  received  whilst  endeavoring  to  rescue  his  gal- 
lant lieutenant,  George  Locke  who  had  lingere  I  too  long 
in  maintaining  this  parthian  contest  against  overwhelming 
odds. 


called  Queen's  Museum,  in  Charlotte;  was  after- 
wards at  Princeton,  and  received  the  degree  of 
M.  D.,  under  Dr.  Rush  in  Philadelphia.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  Army,  and 
left  an  interesting  diary,  which  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  Historical  Society  of  North  Corolina. 

He  moved  to  South  Carolina,  had  charge  of  a 
college  on  Black  (?)  River,  married  a  Miss 
Cooper  and  died  without  issue. 

Below  we  present  a  copy  of  his  diploma  at 
Liberty  Hall,  as  a  matter  of  historical  interest : 
State  of  North  Carolina,  ]^ 
Mecklenburg  County.     J 

This  is  to  certify  that  Mr.  John  Graham  hath 
been  a  student  in  the  Academy  at  Liberty 
Hall,  in  the  State  and  county  above-mentioned, 
the  space  of  four  years  preceding  the  date 
hereof,  that  his  whole  deportment  during  his 
residence  there  was  perfectly  regular,  that  he 
prosecuted  his  studies  with  diligence,  and  made 
such  acquisitions,  both  in  the  Languages  and 
Scientific  Learning,  as  gave  entire  satisfaction  to 
his  teachers. 

And  he  is  hereby  recommended  to  the  friend- 
ly notice  and  regard  of  all  lovers  of  religion  and 
literature  wherever  he  may  come. 

In  testimony  of  which  this  is  given  at  Liberty 
Hall,  this  22iid  diyof  November,  1778.* 

Isc.  Alexander,  President. 

Eph.   Brevard,  I   — 

A      .      A  f  Trustees. 

Abr  m  Alexander,  j 

II.    George  (see  sketch),  twice  married,  first  to 

a  Miss  Cathey,  second  to  a  Mrs.  Potts.     He  was 

an  ensign  in  the  First  North  Carolina  Regiment, 

(James    Moore,  Colonel,)   appointed   Sept   ist, 

■■■■1  he  exact  date  of  changing  the  name  would  be  a  preg- 
nant fact.  It  is  certainly  improbable  that,  after  that  time 
when  "in  the  year  1775,  after  our  Revolution  began  and 
the  principal  characters  in  Mecklenburg  County  met  on 
sundry  days  in  Queens's  Museum,  in  Charlotte,  to  digest 
Articles  of  a  State  Constitution  in  anticipation  that  the 
province  would  proceed  to  do  so,"  the  trustees  would  much 
longer  continue  to  carry  the  royal  name  upon  an  institution 
of  learning  to  which  British  authority  had  refused  a  charter. 
The  Articles  bear  date  September  1st,  I77i;,  and  were  given 
to  the  public  in  the  same  year,  (1S37),  that  Mr.  Force  discov- 
ered the  "full  copy  of  the  whole  proceedings,"  (declaration, 
military  order,  and  all  in  one)  as  attested  and  "signed  by  or- 
der of  the  committee."  This  was  four  years  before  Dr. 
McNilt's  deatli,  and  it  was  Mr.  Force's  publication,  which 
doubtless,  brought  out  his.  — R.  D.  G. 


LINCOLN  COUNTY. 


231 


1775.  Issue  were  Polly,  married  to  Geo.  Cor- 
rith,  and  Jennie  married  to  Wm.  E.  McRee.  He 
was  one  of  the  party  of  thirteen,  who,  on  Oc- 
tober 3,  1780,  at  Mclntire's  Creek,  seven  miles 
north  of  Charlotte,  successfully  ambuscaded  and 
stampeded  a  British  foraging  party  of  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  infantry  and  sixty  cavalry,  with 
about  forty  wagons.  Their  names  are  worthy 
of  individual  mention  and  are  as  follows  :  James 
Thompson,  Captain ;  Francis  Bradley,  George 
Graham,  James  Henry,  Thomas  Dickson,  John 
Dickson,  George  Houston,  Hugh  Houston, 
Thomas  McLure,  John  Long,  John  Robinson, 
George  Shipley  and  Edward  Shipley. 

III.  Joseph  (see  sketch)  married  Isabella 
Davidson.  Issue  :  (a)  John  Davidson  ;  (b)  So- 
phia ;  (c)  James ;  (d)  Polly ;  (e)  George  Frank- 
hn;  (f)  Violet  Winslow  Wilson;  (g)  Mary;  (h) 
Robert  Montrose;  (i)  Joseph;  (k)  Alfred,  (1) 
Isabella,  married  to  William  Alexander. 

(a)  John  D.  married,  first,  Elizabeth  Conner, 
second,  Jane  Johnston.  Of  the  first  marriage, 
were  Mary  Anne,  married  to  James  H.  Orr,  of 
Charlotte;  Isabella;  Chas.  C.  married  Mary  E. 
Mebane,  of  Greensboro — moved  to  Memphis ; 
Malvina  S.  married  John  A.  Young;  Joseph 
Montrose  married  Mary  Washington,  of  New 
Berne — moved  to  Camden,  Arkansas;  Henry 
W.,  Martha  C.  married  P.  K.  Rounsaville;  Eliza 
D.  married  John  S.  Sloan,  of  Greensboro,  North 
Carolina,  later  of  Brenham,  Texas ;  James  F.  ; 
Hamilton  A.  married  Louise  Mason,  of  Lam- 
pasas, Texas,  and  Julia  A. 

Of  the  second  marriage  (a)  Robert  Clay;  (b) 
Sophia  married  Dr.  John  Witherspoon,  of  Ala- 
bama— issue  John;  Robert  Sidney,  M.  D.,  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Mary  Bratton  nee  Torrence;  Thomas 
married  Kate  Hatch ;  Alfred  married  Tariffa 
Cocke ;  Graham ;  Eliza  married  Judge  Henry 
Goldthwaite,  Alabama;  Mary  married  Charles 
Dickey,  of  Brown  Brothers,  New  York  City; 
Louisa  married  W.  H.   Anderson,    of  Mobile; 


(c)  James,  born  in  1793,  University  in  18 14, 
Legislature  in  1822-24-28-29,  United  States 
Congress  i S3 3-45-47-49,  died  in  185 1.  (c)  Geo. 
Franklin,  University,  and  M.  D.,  settled  in 
Memphis,  married  Martha  Conner — issue ;  Anne 
Eliza  married  William  Johnston,  of  Charlotte, 
North  Carolina;  (f)  Violet  married  Dr.  Moses 
Widslow  Alexander — issue,  James  G.  ;  Junius 
Montrose,  Hamilton  L.  ;  Wistar  Winslow,  Syd- 
enham Benoni  married  Emma  P.  Nicholson, 
Captain  of  Infantry  C.  S.  A.,  Legislature  1879, 
1883  ;  Dovey  married  Rev.  Mr.  Cunningham ;  Isa- 
bella Louisa  married  Dr.  William  J.  Hayes;  Em- 
ily; Eliza  Rosinda;  Mary  Sophia;  Julia  Susan 
married  Thomas  McGehee  Smith;  and  Alice 
Leonora. 

(g)  Mary  married  Rev.  Robert  Hall  Morrison 
(see  sketch) ;  (i)  Joseph  moved  to  Tennessee, 
married  Kimbrough — issue,  George  C,  married 
(i)  Alabama  Record,  (2)  Mrs.  Perkins,  (3) 
Miss  Daniels;  Albert  married  Marshall;  Joseph 
married  Mrs.  Alston ;  Lydia ;  and  Sophia  mar- 
ried Rutland. 

(m)  William  A.  married  Susan,  daughter  of 
John  Washington,  of  New  Berne — issue,  Joseph, 
married  Elizabeth  Hill,  (University  and  M.  D., 
Captain  and  Chief  of  Division  Light  Artillery, 
and  Surgeon  C.  S.  A.);  John  Washington  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Rebecca  Anderson,  7iee  Cameron, 
Lieut,  and  A.  D.  C,  Captain  and  Major  of 
Infantry,  C.  S.  A. ;  in  State  Convention  from 
Orange  in  1868,  Legislature  in  1871-1876;  an 
attorney. 

William  A.  Jr.  married  Julia  Lane,  Univer- 
sity and  Princeton,  Captain  of  Cavalry,  C.  S. 
A.,  Major  and  A.  A.  G.  of  North  Carolina; 
Legislature  from  Lincoln  County  in  1874-79. 

James  Augustus  married  Elizabeth  Webb, 
University,  from  private  to  Captain  of  Infantry, 
C.  S.  A.;  A.  A.  &  I.  G.,  Cooke's  Brigade, 
Legislature  from  Alamance  County  in  1871-72, 
an  attorney. 


232 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Robert  D.,  University,  from  private  to  Cap- 
tain of  Infantry,  C.  S.  A.,  occasionally  acting 
Adjutant,  and  commanding  Regiment ;  after  the 
war  finished  his  university  course,  and  admitted 
to  the  bar. 

George  W.,  married  Sally  Shaver,  University 
and  M.  D.  ;  Augustus  W.,  married  Lucy  Horner, 
University,  an  attorney. 

Susan  W.  married  Walter  Clark,  an  attorney 
at  Raleigh. 

Wm.  A.  Graham,  (born  Sept.  5,  1804,  died 
August  II,  1875).  Of  his  father  we  have  already 
given  a  faithful  sketch,  many  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary incidents  of  which  were  obtained 
from  his  statement,  when  applying  for  a  pen- 
sion for  his  military  services,  which  discloses 
his  patriotic  character.  His  mother  was  distin- 
guished for  her  personal  accomplishments  and 
beauty* 

He  received  his  early  education  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  the  county  and  commenced  his 
classical  education  at  Statesville,  under  charge  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Muchat;  here  he  was  noted  for  his  thirst 
for  knowledge,  and  aptitude  for  learning.  Such 
was  his  desire  for  books  that  one  of  his  class- 
mates at  the  time,  says  of  him,  "he  was  the 
only  student  I  ever  knew  who  would  spend  his 
Saturdays  in  reviewing  his  studies  of  the  past 
week." 

After  careful  preparation  he  was  sent  to  the 
University,  where  he  graduated  in  1824.  This 
was  one  of  the  largest  and  ablest  classes  ever 
sent  forth  by  the  University.  It  was  one  of  which 
Professors  Olmstead  and  Mitchell  declared  that 
"Yale  might  have  been  proud."  Many  of  them 
afterward  won  high  distinction  in  political  and 
professional  life — among  these  was  John  Bragg, 
Judge  and  a  Member  of  Congress  from  Ala- 
bama ;  James  W.  Bryan,  eminent  as  an  advocate 
and  statesman;  Thomas  Dews,  of  Lincoln,  a 
son  of  genius  and  misfortune;  Mathias  E.  Manly, 
Judge  of  Superior  and  Supreme  Courts  of  North 

■■'Much  of  the  material  of  this  sketch  has  been  gathered  from  the 
memorial  oration  on  "The  life  and  character  of  Mr.  Graham,"  by 
Montford  McGhee  {1876), 


Carolina,  (who  divided  with  Governor  Graham 
the  highest  honors  of  the  class) ;  A.  D.  Sims, 
member  of  Congress  from  South  Carolina, 
1845-48  ;  and  others.  His  collegiate  career  was 
marked  by  obedience  to  rules,  and  habits  of 
diligent  study. 

He  read  law  with  Judge  Ruffin  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  its  practice  in  1826.  He  selected  Hills- 
boro  as  a  residence  and  here  he  came  in  compe- 
tition with  such  legal  athletes  as  Ruffin,  Murphy, 
Mangum,  Nash,  and  Badger,  all  of  whom  at- 
tained positions  as  Judges.  Against  such  giants 
in  the  profession  Mr.  Graham  had  to  contend, 
and  such  was  his  assiduity,  his  high  mental  ac- 
quirements, his  perseverence  and  labor,  that  he 
arose  to  the  front  rank,  and  was  retained  in  all 
the  most  important  cases  in  this  circuit.  For 
forty  years  he  maintained  this  high  position. 
As  an  equity  lawyer  he  was  pre-eminent.  In 
1833-34-35  he  was  a  member,  from  Hillsboro, 
of  the  House  of  Commons,  and  from  1834  to 
1840,  elected  from  the  County  of  Orange,  and 
for  the  two  last  years  was  elected  Speaker.  His 
labors  were  incessent,  as  were  his  efforts  for  the 
welfare  of  his  country.  But  his  talents  were 
soon  to  be  transferred  to  the  National  Legisla- 
ture. A  political  revolution  in  the  State  in  1840 
brought  about  vacancies  in  the  representation  of 
the  State  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 
Judge  Strange,  under  instructions  of  the  Leg- 
lature  had  resigned  his  seat,  as  did  also 
Bedford  Brown.  Mr.  Mangum  and  Mr.  Gra- 
ham were  elected  their  successors.  This  was  a 
perilous  time  in  political  warfare.  Mr.  Graham, 
although  among  the  youngest  members  of  the 
Senate,  bore  himself  with  such  dignity  as  to  se- 
cure the  attention  and  the  respect  of  this  distin- 
guished body  composed  of  such  illustrious  men 
as  Clay,  Calhoun,  Webster,  Buchanan,  Wright, 
and  others.  His  speeches  on  the  "Loan  Bill," 
the  "Apportionment  Bill,"  and  other  measures, 
attracted  the  attention  and  the  admiration  of  the 
country. 


LINCOLN  COUNTY. 


233 


On  the  expiration  of  his  term  (March  3, 
1843)  another  revolution  in  politics  occurred  and 
Mr.  Haywood  was  elected  his  successor. 

In  1844,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Whig 
party  as  a  candidate  for  Governor  of  the  State. 
His  opponent  was  Michael  Hoke  of  Lincoln 
County.  They  were  both  natives  of  the  same 
county ;  both  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  both  of 
fine  address,  of  large  political  experience,  and 
both  stood  high  in  the  forum  and  at  the  bar, 
as  also  in  the  affections  of  their  party.  The 
campaign  was  actively  carried  on,  with  unsur- 
passed ability — Mr.  Graham  was  elected.  His 
administration  was  so  acceptable,  that  he  was 
re-elected  by  an  increased  majority  over  Louis 
D.  Henry.  During  his  two  terms,  the  State 
made  large  and  important  progress  in  all  her 
substantial  interests. 

In  1848  he  delivered  an  address,  before  the 
Literary  Societies  at  the  University,  remem- 
bered as  a  solid  and  practical  production. 

In  1852,  he  addressed  the  New  York  Histor- 
ical Society  on  the  British  invasion  of  North 
Carolina,  in  1780-81,  which  was  an  able  and 
accurate  exposition  of  the  services  and  suffer- 
ing of  North  Carolina,  in  that  perilous  ordeal. 
In  i860  he  delivered  an  address,  at  Greensboro, 
on  the  life  of  General  Nathaniel  Greejie  and  the 
Revolutionary  events  of  the  State,  in  aid  of 
the  erection  of  a  monument  at  that  place,  to 
General  Greene. 

In  1866  he  delivered  a  discourse  in  memory 
of  the  life  and  character  of  Hon.  George  E. 
Badger,  which  was  an  able  and  faithful  portrait 
of  that  distinguished  advocate  and  statesman. 
He  also  delivered  an  address  upon  the  life  of 
Hon.  Thomas  Ruffin.  In  1875  he  addressed 
the  citizens  of  Charlotte,  on  the  "Mecklenburg 
Declaration  of  Independence"  of  May  20,  1775  ; 
an  exhaustive,  unanswerable  argument,  proving 
to  the  candid  reader,  beyond  all  cavil  or  question, 
the  authenticity  of  that  memorable  and  patri- 
otic document,  and  that  no  historical  event  is 
better  established.      Upon  these,  chiefly  rests 


his  fame  as  a  writer  and  as  an  author.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  he  did  not  leave  a  more  ex- 
tended record  of  his  researches  and  knowledge 
as  a  historian.  No  one  was  more  familiar  with 
every  event  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
country  than  was  Governor  Graham.  He  was 
at  the  time  of  his"  death,  the  President  of  the 
North  Carolina  Historical  Society. 

After  his  term  as  Governor  had  expired,  he 
was  tendered  by  the  President,  the  Mission  to 
Russia,  or  to  Spain  ;  but  as  he  had  no  desire  to 
leave  the  country,  these  were  declined. 

On  the  accession  of  Mr.  Fillmore  to  the 
Presidency  (1850)  he  was  tendered  a  seat  in  his 
Cabinet,  which  he  accepted.  His  first  report, 
as  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  is  dated  November 
20,  1850,  and  received  the  admiration  and  sanc- 
tion of  the  country.  He  projected  and  carried 
out  the  expedition  to  Japan  under  Commodore 
Perry.  Its  success  has  marked  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  the  age.  It  opened  to  commerce  a 
trade,  before  closed  to  the  world,  and  established 
friendly  relations  of  an  enduring  character  with 
that  extensive  empire. 

Another  expedition  was  sent  out  in  1851, 
under  Governor  Graham's  administration  of  the 
Navy  Department — the  exploration  of  the 
valley  of  the  Amazon,  by  Herndon  and  Gibbon. 

The  labors  of  Governor  Graham  as  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  were  closed  by  his  nomination,  in 
June  1852,  as  Vice  President,  on  the  ticket  with 
General  Winfield  Scott  as  President ;  but  the 
election  was  in  favor  of  General  Franklin  Pierce. 
Governor  Graham  was  again  a  member  of  the 
Senate  in  the  Legislature  of  1854.  The  ques- 
tion, known  as  Free  Suffrage,  was  the  great 
question  of  the  session.  Governor  Graham 
was  opposed  to  the  manner  of  the  change  by 
legislative  enactment,  and  advocated  a  conven- 
tion. 

The  close  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  administration 
brought  signs  ominous  to  the  tranquility  of  the 
country.  The  clouds  had  been  gathering,  dark 
and  heavy  and  were  ready  to  burst.     The  elec- 


234 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


tion  of  a  sectional  President  was  considered  by 
many,  and  specially  by  South  Carolina,  a  reason 
for  secession,  and  on  December  20,  i860,  that 
State  held  a  convention  which  declared  the  con- 
nection of  that  State  with  the  Union  dissolved, 
and  proceeded  to  place  the  State  in  an  attitude 
hostile  to  the  United  States.  This  example 
was  followed  by  other  States  south  of  her. 

North  Carolina's  Legislature  directed  the 
question  of  calling  a  convention  to  be  submitted 
to  the  people.  The  press,  and  the  people  were 
much  exercised  on  this  momentous  question. 
The  meeting  of  the  people  was  largely  attended, 
and  addressed  by  the  ablest  statesmen,  as  Mr. 
Badger,  Governors  Morehead,  and  Graham, 
in  opposition  to  secession.  The  people  with 
just  unanimity  declared  against  calling  a  con- 
vention. But  when  (April  19,  1861)  Sumter 
was  fired  upon,  and  surrendered  to  the  Confed- 
erate Army,  the  "Northern  heart  was  fired." 

On  the  15th  Lincoln  had  called  for  75,000 
troops  ;  then  the  whole  Southern  section  became 
aroused,  the  glorious  summer  time  of  peace  gave 
place  to  the  wintry  blasts  of  war  and  discontent. 
Virginia  seceded.  This  placed  North  Carolina 
in  such  a  position  that  she  must  either  join  in  a 
war  against  her  neighbors  and  sisters,  or  unite  her 
fortunes  with  them  and  share  their  fate.  She 
did  not  now  hesitate  in  her  decision.  Influ- 
enced by  their  views,  a  convention  was  called, 
which  met  on  a  day  memorable  in  her  history 
(May  20,  1861),  and  passed  an  ordinance  of 
secession  from  the  Federal  Union,  by  a  unani- 
mous vote;  the  20th  of  June  of  that  year  saw 
North  Carolina  a  member  of  the  Confederacy. 
To  this  measure  Governor  Graham  made  a  strong 
but  fruitless  opposition.  He  wished  the  State 
to  hold  her  destinies  in  her  own  hands,  that  she 
might  act  as  the  exigencies  of  the  hour  should 
require.  He  was  eminently  conservative  in  his 
views.  He  it  was  who  opposed  an  ordinance  to 
define  and  punish  treason,  in  a  speech  of  great 
power  and  matchless  eloquence. 

He  was  calm  and  considerate  whilst  the  tem- 


pests howled  around  him,  and  the  signals  of  war 
burned  in  every  beacon  height. 

In  December,  1863,  Governor  Graham  was 
elected  to  the  Confederate  Senate  by  a  majority  of 
two-thirds  of  the  Legislature,  and  took  his  seat 
in  May,  1864.  This  was  a  perilous  period  for  the 
Confederate  cause,  and  it  needed  all  the  counsel, 
comfort  and  support  that  could  be  afforded. 
The  brilliant  success  of  early  years  of  the  war 
had  been  followed  by  a  succession  of  defeats 
and  disasters.  The  battle  of  Gettysburg,  that  very 
Waterloo  of  the  war,  had  been  fought  and  lost 
to  the  Confederates  ;  Vicksburg  had  fallen,  and 
the  armies  of  the  North  had  cut  the  South  in 
twain.  Sherman  had  made  his  "  march  to  the 
sea,"  his  track  was  marked  by  rapine  and  deso- 
lation. Ihe  force  opposed  to  the  South,  was 
as  seven  to  one.*  It  had  become  plain  that  the 
war  could  not  be  longer  successfully  prosecuted 
by  the  South. 

In  this  cloud  of  gloom,  a  ray  of  hope  appeared 
in  the  form  of  a  conference  at  Hampton  Roads, 
between  Lincoln  and  the  Confederate  Commis- 
sioners ;  this  took  place  on  February  3,  1865. 
The  terms  offered  by  Mr.  Lincoln  were,  that 
the  seceded  States  should  return  to  the  Union, 
with  slavery  as  it  was ;  but  that  slavery  was 
liable  to  be  abolished  by  an  amendment  to  the 
Constitution.  The  Southern  Commissioners 
demanded  independence.  There  could  be  no 
compromise  reached,  and  the  conference  ended. 

On  their  return,  the  commissioners,  Mr.  Davis 
and  Mr.  Benjamin,  made  speeches  to  the  public, 
but  they  seemed  flat,  almost  insipid.  The  tenor 
of  the  speeches  made  by  Mr.  Davis  and  Mr. 
Benjamin,  showed  that  they  were  not  based  upon 
a  realization  of  the  facts  of  the  case,  but  Mr. 
Graham  did  realize  the  true  condition  of  affairs 
in  all  its  force.  His  letters,  published  in  "  The 
Last  Ninety  Days  of  the  War,  "show  how  clearly 
his  vision  swept  the  political  horizon.   The  Con- 

•■■"The  whole  number  of  Confederates  surrendered,  includ- 
ing Lee's  command,  amounted  to.  150,000.  The  whole 
number  of  Federals  amounted  to  1,050,000.  (Stephens'  Hist. 
U.  S.,  p.  161). 


LINCOLN   COUNTY. 


235 


gress  of  the  Confederacy  adjourned  March  16, 
1865.  Governor  Graham  returned  home,  and 
had  a  long  conference  with  Governor  Vance. 

He  laid  before  the  Governor  the  views  of  the 
President,  the  state  of  the  Army,  and  recom- 
mended that  the  Legislature  be  convened.  He 
stated  that  Richmond  would  soon  fall,  and  that 
Lee's  Army  would  be  disbanded  for  want  of 
food,  if  for  no  other  cause.  The  Governor 
agreed  to  summon  his  council,  but  the  advance 
of  Sherman  into  North  Carolina,  hastened  the 
collapse  of  the  Confederacy  and  decided  events. 

On  Saturday,  April  8,  1865,  Governor  Swain 
wrote  to  Governor  Graham  to  meet  him  at 
Raleigh  to  confer  with  Governor  Vance.  Gov- 
ernor Graham  replied  on  the  same  day  in  a  long 
letter.  Some  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
true  version  of  this  interview  between  Governor 
Vance  and  Governor  Graham,  exists  up  to  this 
time ;  in  this  we  take  no  part.  ' '  The  Last 
Ninety  Days  of  the  War,"  gives  the  corres- 
pondence   on  this  subject. 

The  surrender  left  the  State  under  tne  control 
of  the  Federal  Generals.  Governor  Vance  was 
arrested  and  brought  to  Washington  as  a  pris- 
oner. A  provisional  Governor  was  appointed 
with  power  to  call  a  convention.  A  constitu- 
tion was  prepared,  but  it  was  not  accepted  by 
the  people.  Mr.  Graham  opposed  its  ratifica- 
tion. The  "Reconstruction  Measures"  were 
now  passed  and  suffrage  was  adjusted  on  a  new 
basis  ;  all  the  black  adult  males  were  enfran- 
chised, and  a  large  portion  of  the  white  race  was 
disfranchised.  Under  this  adjustment,  a  new 
convention  was  called,  and  a  new  constitution 
adopted.  In  this  disordered  state  of  affairs,  a 
convention  of  the  Conservative  party  of  North 
Carolina,  was  called.  It  met  in  Tucker  Hall, 
Raleigh,  on  February  10,  1868  ;  Governor  Gra- 
ham presided  and  spoke  at  length  on  the  state 
of  the  country. 

He  denounced  the  "Reconstruction  Meas- 
ures," as  "  outside  the  constitution,"  and  with 
dauntless  spirit  maintained  the  true  principles 


of  government.  The  effect  of  this  address 
was  to  arouse  the  people  from  their  despondency, 
and  infuse  new  life  within  them.  From  that 
day  the  Democratic  Conservative  party  dates 
its  existence.  In  a  short  time,  this  party  gained 
possession  of  the  Legislature,  and  has  retained 
it  ever  since. 

The  Convention  of  1865,  had  directed  that 
the  Legislature  should  be  called,  and  so  it  met  in 
the  winter  of  that  year.  Governor  Graham  was 
elected  from  the  county  of  Orange,  but  not 
being  enfranchised,  was  not  allowed  to  take  his 
seat.  He  was,  however,  elected  by  that  Legis- 
lature to  the  United  States  Senate,  by  a  large  ma- 
jority. He  repaired  to  Washington  and  offered 
his  credentials — which  were  laid  on  the  table. 
He  presented  a  respectful  and  manly  memorial, 
but  was  not  permitted  to  take  his  seat. 

The  State  of  North  Carolina,  in  1870,  was 
the  theatre  of  scenes,  unparalleled  in  American 
History.  The  authority  of  the  reconstructed 
government  had  been  in  existence  for  two  years 
— and  peacefully  submitted  to.  Acts  of  a 
"  wild  species  of  justice,"  occurred  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Alamance  and  Caswell,  but  they  were 
few,  and  no  where  took  the  form  of  resistance 
to  law.  These  were  deplored  by  all  prudent, 
thoughtful  men.  The  Governor  by  proclama- 
tion declared  "  these  counties  in  a  state  of 
insurrection."  He  sent  troops  into  these  coun- 
ties, who  arrested  and  imprisoned  leading 
citizens,  without  charge,  or  without  process  of 
law.  Measures  were  commenced  to  organize 
Courts  Martial  for  their  trial. 

Recourse  was  had  to  the  habeas  corpus,  "the 
great  writ  of  right"  among  all  English  speak- 
ing people.  The  Chief  Justice  (Pearson)  was 
applied  to  and  he  promptly  issued  the  writ,  but 
owing  to  the  action  of  the  Governor,  he  (Pear- 
son) declared  "the  power  of  the  Judiciary 
exhausted."  A  petition  for  redress  was  then 
made  to  Judge  Brooks,  of  the  United  States 
District  Court,  who  ordered  the  writ  to  be 
issued,  the  prisoners  were  brought  before  him, 


236 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


after  hearing,  patiently,  argument  on  both  sides, 
were  discharged.  The  question  of  jurisdiction 
was  argued  by  Governor  Graham.  Judge 
Brooks'  action  did  much  to  re-kindle  the  affec- 
tion of  the  people  towards  the  National  Gov- 
ernment. For  his  course  in  this  unhappy  event, 
on  December  14,  1870,  a  resolution  was  passed, 
"impeaching  the  Governor,  W.  W.  Holden,  of 
high  crimes  and  misdemeanors;"  on  December 
22,  the  Senate  was  organized  as  a  court,  and  sat 
for  forty  days, — Governor  Graham  being  the  first 
counsel  on  the  part  of  the  Managers.  Holden  was 
found  guilty,  was  "  deposed  from  office  and  dis- 
qualified to  hold  any  oiifice  of  profit  or  trust  in 
the  State."  The  first  State  to  rid  herself  of  a 
Governor  in  this  way. 

In  1867,  Governor  Graham  was  selected  by 
its  munificent  donor,  one  of  the  Trustees  to 
distribute  the  princely  charity  of  George  Pea- 
body,  for  educational  purposes. 

Governor  Graham,  although  selected  as  one 
of  the  almoners  of  the  Peabody  educational 
fund,-  had  always  been  the  constant  and  devoted 
friend  of  education.  Especially  was  he  unre- 
mitting in  his  efforts  in  favor  of  the  University. 
He  attended  all  its  commencements,  and  was 
active  in  its  behalf 

Some  time  after  this  he  received  an  additional 
testimonial  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held  by  States,  as  well  as  by  individuals.  The 
boundary  line  between  Maryland  and  Virginia, 
had  been  undefined,  and  he  was  selected  by 
Virginia  as  one  of  the  arbitrators.  Several 
meetings  took  place  between  him  and  the  arbi- 
trator selected  by  Maryland,  but  the  matter 
was  unsettled  at  the  date  of  his  death. 

A  meeting  of  the  boundary  commissioners 
had  been  appointed  to  take  place  at  Saratoga 
Springs  in  New  York,  in  August,  1875.  From 
his  constant  and  severe  labors  at  the  bar,  his 
friends  felt  that  he  was  overtaxing  his  strength. 
Symptoms  developed  themselves  showing  a 
disease  of  the  heart,  and  created  serious  appre- 
hensions.    He  went  to   Saratoga   accompanied 


by  Mrs.  Graham  and  his  youngest  son..  For 
several  days  he  appeared  in  his  usual  health, 
but  he  was  attacked  with  great  severity  at  night, 
and  all  that  science  and  affection  could  suggest, 
proved  unavailing.     He  expired  on  August  11, 

1875- 

The  intelligence   of  his  death  created  a  pro- 
found sensation  throughout  the  country.     His 
remains  were   borne  in  sorrow  to  his  home  at 
Hillsboro.     Meetings  of  the  bar,  of  States,  of 
political  opponents  as  well  as  friends  in  Mary- 
land, Virginia,  Washington  City,  and  elsewhere, 
were  held,  to  express  their  great  estimate  of  the 
illustrious  dead,  and  the  deep  regret  at  his  loss. 
His  knowledge   of  men    and  books  was  deep 
and  varied.     Whatever  he  professed  to  know  he 
knew  thoroughly,  and  what  he  wished  to  know, 
he  rapidly    acquired   and   exhausted.     In   the 
character  of  his  mind  he  was  more  solid  than 
showy.     His   imagination  never  run  riot  with 
his  judgment.     In   his   addresses   or  speeches, 
one  may  look  in  vain  for  any  gay  and  gorgeous 
flowers  of  literature  scattered  around  his  path, 
but  his  power  lay  in  solid  argument  and  in  the 
broad  and  plain  road  of  reason.     He  possessed 
but  little  of  that  power  which  is  often  indulged 
in  by  an  impassioned  speaker  and  which  passes 
like  an  electric  shock,  to  the  minds  of  his  hearers, 
bearing  them  along  in  the  very  torrent,  tempest, 
and  whirlwind  of  passion.      He  rather  let  dis- 
cretion be  his  tutor,  and  he  never  overstepped 
the  modesty  of  nature,  in  his  addresses.     This 
moral  and  mental   equilibrium,    was  doubtless 
attributable  to  the  Scotch-Irish  blood  that  he 
inherited.     As  an   orator,  he  resembled  rather 
the  massive  solid    Doric  column,  with  but  little 
or  no  Corinthian  ornament. 
Such  was  William  A.  Graham. 
We  have  now  endeavored  to  trace  the  career 
of  Governor   Graham   from   his   cradle   to  his 
grave.      Most  of  our  people  have  seen,  known, 
and  admired  him.     In  person  he  was  of  a  tall 
and  commanding   presence, — as  Mr.  McGehee 
expresses  it,  "  the  ideal  of  the  patrician."     His 


LINCOLN  COUNTY. 


237 


face  and  figure  were  so  agreeable  that  nature 
bestowed  on  him,  as  Lord  Chesterfield  expresses 
it,  "a  perpetual  letter  of  recommendation." 
His  manners,  always  modest,  were  kind  and 
genial,  and  friendly,  yet  forbidding  any  famili- 
arity ;  he  was  always  dignified  and  self-possessed. 

Of  the  large  family  left  by  Governor  Graham, 
many  have  already  made  their  mark  ;  among 
them,  his  son  William  A.  Graham,  Jr.  He 
was  born  in  Hillsboro,  on  December  26,  1839  > 
educated  at  the  University,  and  at  Princeton, 
where  he  graduated  in  i860. 

He  entered  the  Army  as  a  First  Lieutenant 
of  Company  K,  Second  North  aCrolina  Cav- 
alry, and  in  May,  1862,  was  promoted  to  a 
Captaincy,  and  was  at  Gettysburg,  July  30, 1S63, 
where  he  was  wounded.  After  this  he  was 
Assistant  Adjutant  General,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  duririg  the  war.  In  1874,  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate  from  Lincoln  and 
Catawba  counties  receiving  every  vote  cast  in 
the  two  counties,  and  was  re-elected  from  the 
.same  district,  August,  1876.  His  name  was 
canvassed  for  Congress  as  a  suitable  successor 
of  Honorable  Walter  L.  Steele. 

Major  Graham  married  in  1864,  Julia,  daugh- 
ter of  John  W.  Lane,  of  Amelia  County,  Vir- 
ginia, by  whom  he  has  an  interesting  family. 

John  Washington  Graham,  son  of^  William 
A,  Graham,  was  born  in  Hillsboro,  July  22, 
1838.  He  was  educated  at  the  Caldwell  Insti- 
tute and  the  University,  where  he  graduated  in 
1857,  in  same  class  with  A.  C.  Avery,  George 
M.  Duskin,  William  H.  Jordan  and  others. 
He  served  for  two  years  as  tutor,  at  the  same 
time  studying  law  under  Judge  Battle  and  S.  F. 
Phillips.  He  entered  the  army  as  a  subaltern  in 
the  27th  North  Carolina  Regiment,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  major.  He  was  wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  at  Petersburg.  In  1865  he 
was  Solicitor  of  Orange  county,  and  served  for 
three  years.  He  was  elected  in  1878  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention,  and  to  the  Senate  in 
1868-70-76.       In    1872,   was    the    unsuccessful 


nominee  of  the  Democratic  party  for  Treasurer. 
He  married  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Paul  C.  Cam- 
eron, Esq. 

General  George  Graham  (born  .1758 — died 
1826),  was  a  brother  of  General  Joseph  Gra- 
ham, and  the  uncle  of  Governor  William  A. 
Graham.  He  was  a  'native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  came  with  a  widowed  mother  and  four 
others  to  North  Carolina,  when  only  six  years 
of  age. 

He  was  educated  at  Charlotte  and  was  distin- 
guished for  his  assiduity  and  noble  traits  of 
character.  He  was  devoted  to  the  cause  of  his 
country's  freedom  ;  in  1775  he  with  a  few  others 
rode  all  night  to  reach  Salisbury,  there  seized  the 
Tory  lawyers,  Dunn  and  Boothe,  and  carried 
them  to  Camden,  South  Carolina,  where  they 
were  imprisoned. 

He  was,  while  the  British  were  encamped  at 
Charlotte,  active  in  attacking  their  foraging 
parties,  and  rendered  their  supplies  precsrious 
and  hazardous. 

He  was  a  Major  General  of  the  Militia,  often 
a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  for  a  long 
time  Clerk  of  the  Court  _of  Mecklenburg 
County.  He  died,  March  29,  1826,  and  lies 
buried  in  Charlotte.  The  marble  that  covers 
his  grave  bears  the  following  : 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Major  General 
George  Graham,  who  died  March  29,  1826,  in 
the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

He  lived  for  more  than  a  half  of  a  century,  in 
the  vicinity  of  this  place,  and  was  an  active  and 
zealous  defender  of  his  country's  rights  in  the 
Revolutionary  War ;  and  one  of  the  gallant 
twelve,  who  dared  to  attack  and  actually  drove 
400  British  troops  at  Mclntire's,  seven^miles 
South  of  Charlotte  on  October  3,  1780.  George 
Graham  filled  many  high  and  responsible  public 
trusts,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with 
fidelity.  He  was  the  people's  friend,  not  their 
flatterer,  and  universally  enjoyed  the  unlimited 
confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens." 

Genealogy  of  the  Brevard  Family. 
The    Brevard    farriily, — this  name  was  distin- 
guished in  the  Revolutionary  War,  for  its  devo- 
tion to  the  cause  of  liberty.     It  is  of  Huguenot 


238 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


origin.  The  Edict  of  Nantz,  which  granted 
toleration  in  religion  to  France,  was  repealed  in 
1685,  by  Louis  XIV,  letting  loose  the  blood- 
hounds of  persecution  thereby.  Thousands 
fled  to  America  for  safety  and  freedom  of  con- 
science. Speaking  of  one  of  these  refugees 
(Pierce  Bowdoin)  in  a  lecture  before  the  Maine 
Historical  Society  at  the  commencement  of 
Bowdoin  College,  in  1849,  Mr.  Robert  Win- 
throp  says : 

"  He  was  one  of  that  noble  set  of  Huguenots 
of  whom  Caspar  de  Coligny,  the  gallant  admi- 
ral who  filled  France  with  the  glory  of  his 
name,  was  one  of  its  most  devoted  disciples,  and 
one  of  its  most  lamented  martyrs  ;  which  race 
has  given  to  our  land,  blood  every  way  worthy 
to  be  mingled  with  the  best  that  has  ever  flowed 
either  in  the  veins  of  Southern  cavaliers,  or 
Northern  puritans.  He  was  of  that  noble  stock 
that  gave  three  out  of  the  five  Presidents  to  the 
old  ongress  of  the  Confederation ;  and  which 
gav.  to  South  Carolina,  her  Lawrences,  her 
Marions,  her  Hugers,  and  her  Marigalts ;  her 
Jays  to  New  York  ;  her  Boudinots  to  New  Jer- 
sey ;  and  her  Dexters,  and  Faneuil,  with  the 
cradle    of  liberty  to    Massachusetts." 

And  he  might  have  added,  her  Brevards,  with 
the  first  declaration  of  independence  to  North 
Carolina.  Of  such  stock  sprung  the  Brevards 
of  our  State. 

The  first  of  this  family,  of  whom  much  is 
known,  left  his  native  land,  on  the  revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantz  (16S5)  and  went  to  the 
north  part  of  Ireland  where  he  became  intimate 
with  the  family   of  McKnitts. 

He  is  the  first  to  whom  the  name  can  now  be 
traced;  was  a  Huguenot,  who  fled  from  France 
in  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantz  in  1685, 
and  settled  among  the  Scotch-Irish  in  the  north 
of  Ireland.  He  came  to  Elk  river,  in  Maryland, 
in  company  with  the  family  of  McKnitts,  one  of 
whom  he  subsequently  married — issue,  i.  John, 
2.  Robert,  3.  Zebulon,  4.  Benjamin,  5.  Adam, 
and  6.  Elizabeth. 

The  three  elder  brothers  with  their  sister 
came  to  North  Carolina,  between  1740  and 
1750. 


I.  John  married  a  sister  of  Dr.  Alexander 
McWhorter,  from  New  Jersey,  and  settled  near 
Center  Church  in  Iredell  County, — issue,  (a) 
Mary,  (b)  Ephraim,  (c)  John,  (d)  Hugh,  (e) 
Adam,  (f)  Alexander,  (g)  Robert,  (h)  Benja- 
min, (i)  Nancy,  (k)  Joseph,  (1)  Jane,  (m)  Re- 
becca. 

(a)  Mary,  Married  General  William  Davidson, 
who  was  killed  in  the  Battle  at  Cowan's  Ford, 
February  1,1781 — issue,  William  Lee  Davidson, 
who  married  Betsy,  daughter  of  Major  John 
Da^ddson  (q.  v.).  Margaret  married  Rev.  Finis 
Ewing,  to  whom  were  born,  Hon.  Ephraim  Bre- 
vard Ewing,  (Judge  of  Supreme  Court  of  Mis- 
souri— a  large  connection  still  living,  to  which 
belongs    the    wife  of  Senator  Francis  Marion 

Cockrell),   and  George  Davidson  married 

Mushat. 

(b)  Ephraim,  author  of  "  a  more  formal  de- 
claration" than  the  Davie  copy  of  the  original, 
married  a  daughter  of  General  Thomas  Polk, 
and  is  buried  beside  his  wife  in  Charlotte.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  Princeton  and  a  member  of 
the  medical  profession,  issue,  Martha  married 
Dickerson  of  South  Carolina — believed  to  be 
the  same  that  was  killed  in  a  duel  by  Andrew 
Jackson,  —  to  whom  were  born,  James  P, 
Dickerson,  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Palmetto  Regi- 
ment, fell  in  storming  a  fort  in  the  attack  upon 
City  of  Mexico. 

(d)  Hugh,  Legislature  from  Iredell,  1780-81. 

(e)  Adam,  an  attorney  at  Statesville,  married 
Sally  Harper ;  went  with  the  first  troops  from 
North  Carolina  to  Washington's  army,  where 
he  served  a  year ;  afterwards  in  battle  of  Ram- 
sour's  Mill,  &c. — had  issue,  (i)  Rebecca  married 

McRea,  to  whom  was  born  Rev.  J.  M.  Mc- 

Rea,  now  of  Salem,  Indiana.  (2)  Sally  mar- 
ried John,  son  of  Major  John  Davidson  (q.  v.) 
and  father  of  Matthew,  whose  son  is  Hon.  R. 
H.  M.  Davidson,  the  Member  of  Congress  from 
Florida. 

(f )  Alexander  married  Rebecca,  daughter  of 
Major  John  Davidson — issue,  (i)  Eliza  married 


LINCOLN    COUNTY. 


239 


Wm.  Edward  Hayne  of  South  Carolina,  who 
had  Colonel  Isaac  Hayne,  of  Charleston,  At- 
torney General,  Commissioner  from  South  Caro- 
lina to  Washington  City,  1861 ;  a  daughter, 
married  Judge  Butler  of  South  Carolina ;  a 
daughter  married  Martin;  and  a  daughter  who 
married  Taylor. 

(2)  Ephraim. 

(3)  Franklin  married  Margaret  Conner. 

(4)  Robert  married  Harriet  Davidson,  and  to 
them  were  born  Ephraim  Jr.  and  Alexander  F. 

(5)  Harriet  married  Major  Daniel  M.  Forney, 
(see  Genealogy  of  Forney  family) .  To  these  were 
born  Eloise  married  to  General  Jones  Withers  of 

Mobile,  Alabama  ;  Mariah  married   Judge 

Moore  of  Alabama;  Alexander  B.;  Harriet; 
Mason  ;  Susan,  wife  of  Dr.  B.  C.  Jones  of  Ala- 
bama ;  and  Emma,  wife  of  Col.  M.  Smith  of 
Alabama. 

(6)  Theodore  married  Caroline  Mays,  and  to 
them  were  born,  Theodore  Jr. ,  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral, Confederate  States  Army,  a  lawyer  at  Tal- 
lehassee,  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Governor 
Call  of  Florida,  and  had  Caroline  and  Robert ; 
Ephraim,  a  surgeon.  Confederate  States  Army ; 
Robert,  M.  D.  married  Mary  Stoney. 

(7)  Joseph   married   Hopkins  of  South 

Carolina,  no  issue. 

(8)  Mary  married  Professor  Brumby  of  South 
Carolina  College,  and  had  Alexander  Brevard, 
Mrs.    Russell,    Mrs.  Glover,    Mrs.  Dr.  Gaston, 

Haywood  Glover,  Ephraim,  Mrs.  married 

McConnell. 

(i)  Nancy  married  Judge  Davidson,  and  both 
were  killed  by  Indians  at  the  head  of  the  Ca- 
tawba river. 

(k)  Joseph  married  Rebecca,  (daughter  of 
Captain  Ely  Kershaw,  2d  South  Carolina  Reg- 
ulars in  war  of  1776,  captured  at  Charleston, 
and  died,  a  prisoner  at  Bermuda  in  1781),  a 
Lieutenant  of  the  Continental  line,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war 
of  1776;  settled  in  Camden,  South  Carolina, 
Attorney,  Judge,  and  author  of  Digest  of  Stat- 


ute Laws  of  South  Carolina.  Hehadissue:  Mrs. 
Kershaw,  to  whom  were  born,  J.  B.  Kershaw,  a 
Major  General,  Confederate  States  Army ; 
Attorney,  and  Judge  Superior  Court  in  South 
Carolina,  (now  of  Camden,  South  Carolina). 
Joseph  had  also  the  following  children : 

(1)  Dr.  Alfred  Brevard,  who  married  the 
daughter  of  Duncan  McRea,  and  died  in  1836, — 
issue,  Edward;  Alfred  (C.  S,  A.),  and  Harriet 
McRea,  of  Camden.  Alfred  left  one  daughter, 
Harriet,  also  resident  of  Camden. 

(2)  S.irah  Taylor  married  Benjamin  T.  Elmore, 
brother  of  United  States  Senator, — issue,  Au- 
rora (wife  of  Colonel  Jones,  Treasurer  of  the 
University  of  the  South,  Suwanee,  Tennessee); 
Sarah  F. ,  wife  of  Charles  S.  Richardson,  son  of 
Governor  John  P.  Richardson  of  South  Caro- 
lina ;  and  Edward  Brevard  Elmore  of  Alabama  ; 
(3)  Eugene  ;  (4)  Edward  ;  and  (5)  Joseph). 

(1)  Jane  married  Ephraim,  a  brother  of  Ma- 
jor John,  and  son  of  Robert  Davidson  of  Chest- 
nut Level,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Though  only  a  boy,  was  courier  to  General 
William  Davidson,  in  the  Cowan's  Ford  cam- 
paign. 

(m)  Rebecca  married Jones,  and  moved 

to  Tennessee. 

John  Brevard  was  too  far  advanced  in  years, 
when  the  Revolutionary  War  commenced, to  be 
in  active  service,  yet  he  possessed,  and  instilled 
in  his  children,  that  great  love  of  liberty  and 
the  rights  of  the  people  which  possessed  his  soul. 
So  public  and  notorious  was  his  attachment  to 
the  cause  of  Independence  and  his  opposition 
to  tyranny,  that  when  the  British  Army  came 
to  his  house,  and  they  found  no  one  there  except 
his  wife,  an  old  lady, — his  house  a.id  every  out- 
house was  burned  to  the  ground.  No  other 
reason  was  given  for  such  outrage,  than  that 
"  she  had.  eight  sons  in  the  Rebel  Army." 

We  regret  that  we  have  not  been  enabled  to 
obtain  more  extended  information  as  to  the 
head  of  this  family.  The  best  efforts  we  have 
made  have  been  to  secure  information  and  more 


240 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


accurate  genealogical  knowledge  of  date  of 
births,  deaths,  and  services  of  the  different  mem- 
bers of  this  distinguished  family.  The  name  has 
been  worthily  bestowed  one  of  our  loveliest 
mountain  villages,  the  capital  of  Transylvania 
County. 

We  have  from  a  reliable  source,  the  names  of 
each  of  the  descendants,  and  have  presented 
them  to  our  readers,  and  now  shall  take  them  up 
in  these  sketches,  with  such  information  as  we 
have  been  able  to  procure. 

I.  Mary  Brevard  the  oldest  daughter  of  John 
Brevard,  married  General  William  Davidson, 
born  1746 — killed,  February  i,  1781,  whose 
name  is  worthy  of  the  memory  and  gratitude  of 
every  true  North  Carolinian,  for  he  sealed  with 
his  life  blood,  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  lib- 
erty, and  independence. 

He  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in 
Lancaster  County,  and  immigrated  to  North 
Carolina  in  1750. 

He  was  educated  at  the  Academy  at  Char- 
lotte. When  the  war  of  the  Revolution  began, 
the  Provincial  Congress  at  Halifax  on  April  22, 
1776,  placed  the  State  on  a  war  footing,  by 
raising  four  additional  regiments  to  the  two 
already  in  the  Continental  service.  Of  the 
4th, Thomas  Polk  was  made  Colonel, and  William 
Davidson,  Major;  and  forming  a  part  of  a  brig- 
ade which  marched  under  command  of  Briga- 
dier Nash  to  join  the  Grand  Army  of  the  North 
under  Washington  ;  it  was  for  three  years  under 
the  eye  of  that  great  chief,  and  participated 
in  the  battles  of  Brandywine,  September,  1777, 
Germantown,  October,  1777,  and  Monmouth, 
June,   1778. 

The  North  Carolina  troops  were  sent  in  No- 
vember, 1779,  to  reinforce  the  Southern  Army, 
commanded  by  Major  General  Lincoln  at 
Charleston. 

There  are  no  particulars  recorded  of  the  ser- 
vices of  Davidson  in  the  actions  of  Brandywine, 
Monmouth,  or  Germantown,  and  such  has  been 
the  carelessness  or  neglect,   as  to  North  Caro- 


lina, that  the  student  of  history  may  look  in 
vain,  for  any  statement  or  notice  of  the  troops 
of  North  Carolina,  except  that  General  Nash 
was  killed  at  Germantown,  and  that  Colonels  Polk 
and  Buncombe  were  wounded.  But  the  brigade 
of  North  Carolina  troops  was,  unquestionably, 
a  part  of  the  Army,  and  bravely  performed  its 
duty.* 

Previous  to  this  event,  he  had  been  promoted 
to  the  command  of  a  regiment.  As  he  passed 
through  North  Carolina,  Davidson  obtained 
permission  to  visit  his  family,  which  he  had  not 
seen  for  nearly  three  years.  The  delay  pro- 
duced by  this  visit,  saved  him  from  captivity, 
for  on  his  arrival  at  Charleston,  he  found  it  so 
closely  invested  that  he  was  prevented  from  join- 
ing his  regiment.  Lincoln  surrendered  May  12, 
1770.  Davidson  returned  home  and  raised  troops 
to  suppress  the  Tories,  who,  encouraged  by  the 
approach  of  the  British,  had  become  daring, 
desperate  and  dangerous.  At  Calson's  Mill,  he 
encountered  a  strong  force  of  Tories,  gave  them 
battle  and  a  severe  engagement  occurred  in 
which  Davidson  was  dangerously  wounded  by 
a  ball  passing  entirely  through  his  body ;  this 
kept  him  from  the  field  for  two  months.  On 
his  recovery  he  immediately  went  into  active 
service,  now  promoted  to  be  a  Brigadier  in 
place  of  General  Rutherford,  who  was  taken 
prisoner  at  Camden.  He  was  active  with  Sum- 
ter and  Davie,  in  checking  the  advance  of  the 
British  troops.  To  that  intent  he  posted  his 
command  at  Cowan's  Ford,  on  the  Catawba. 
At  daybreak,  February  i,  178 1,  the  British 
Army,  under  Lord  Cornwallis,  commenced 
crossing.  The  picket  of  General  Davidson, 
challenged  the  enemy,  and  receiving  no  answer, 
fired. 

Lord  Cornwallis  had  his  horse  killed  under 
him  ;  Colonel  Hall  was  killed,  also  three  privates, 
and  thirty-six  wounded.      General  Davidson,  in 


■sManusciipt  letter  of  Governor  Graham,  1S23;  supple- 
ment to  Lee's  Memoirs;  Washington's  papers;  Letters 
December,  1779-17S0  to  Lafayette. 


LINCOLN  COUNTY. 


241 


riding  from  the  point  where  he  expected  the 
enemy  to  cross  to  the  place  where  they  did, 
was  fired  upon,  a  rifle  ball  passed  through 
his  heart  and  he  fell  dead  from  his  horse.  As 
the  British  only  had  muskets,  and  the  Tories 
rifles,  and  he  was  slain  by  a  rifle  shot,  it  is  be- 
lieved he  fell  by  the  hand  of  a  Tory.* 

General  Henry  Lee  in  his  "Memoirs  of  the 
War,"  says: 

"The  loss  of  General  Davidson  would  have 
always  been  felt  at  any  stage  of  the  war.  It 
was  particularly  detrimental  in  its  effect  at  this 
period,  as  he  was  the  chief  instrument  relied 
upon,  by  General  Greene  for  assembling  of  the 
militia. 

' '  A  promising  soldier,  was  lost  to  his  country, 
in  the  meridian  of  life,  and  at  a  moment  when 
his  services  would  have  been  highly  beneficial 
to  her.  He  was  a  man  of  popular  manners, 
pleasing  address,  active  and  indefatigable." 

The  Congress  of  the  United  States  in  17S1, 
passed  a  resolution  to  erect  a  monument  to  his 
memory,  but  it  has  never  been  done.  Tradi- 
tion says  that  Richard  Barr)',  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration,  and  David 
Wilson  bore  his  body  away  and  buried  it  by 
torchlight,  in  the  graveyard  o*^  Hopewell 
church : 

"We  buried  him  darkly  at  dead  of    night, 
The  sod  with  our  bayonets  turning. 
By  the  straggling  moonbeam's  misty  light, 
And  our  torches  dimly  burning." 

Many  of  General  Davidson's  descendants  still 
live  in  this  region,  honored  and  respected.  A 
county  embalms  his  name,  and  a  flourishing 
institution  of  learning  perpetuates  his  memory. 

II.  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard  was  the  eldest  son  of 
John  Brevard,  When  a  boy,  he  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  one  of  his  eyes.  His  education 
was  not  neglected, however,  and  after  a  course  of 
preparatory  studies,  he  entered  Princeton  Col- 
lege, New  Jersey.  He  studied  medicine,  and 
settled  in  Charlotte  as  a  practicing  physician. 
Here  by  the  amiability  of  his  manners,  his 
superior    qualifications     and    principles,  he  ac- 


*Itis  said,  and  the  tradition  is,  that  a  Tory  by  the  name  of 
Hager,  shot  General  Davidson. 


quired  friends  and  influence,  The  war  for  inde- 
pendence had  commenced,  and  the  blow  had 
been  struck  at  Lexington. 

It  was  clear  to  all  that  England  thought  the 
colonies  had  to  submit  to  any  measures  she 
thought  necessary.  The  spirit  of  the  people 
was  aroused,  and  a  meeting  was  called  composed 
of  delegates  from  each  captain's  district  for  con- 
sultation, to  meet  at  Charlotte.  This  conven- 
tion was  organized  by  appointing  Abram  Alex- 
ander as  chairman,  and  John  McKnitt  Alexander 
and  Dr.  Brevard  as  secretaries,  and  a  committee 
was  appointed  who  drafted  resolutions,  one  of 
which  declared  themselves  ' '  free  and  independ- 
ent people,  and  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be, 
a  sovereign  and  self-governing  association  under 
the  control  of  no  power  other  than  that  of  our 
God  and  of  the  general  government  of  the  Con- 
gress ;  to  the  maintenance  of  which  they  pledg- 
ed their  lives,  their  fortunes  and  their  most 
sacred  honor." 

These  resolutions  were  drawn  up  by  Dr.  Bre- 
vard, who,  with  two  others,  was  a  committee 
for  that  purpose,  and  they  were  read  and  unani- 
mously  adopted. 

Copy  of  a  manuscript  in  the  handwriting  of 
Adam  Brevard,  the  brother  of  Dr.  Ephraim 
Brevard,  the  author  of  the  Mecklenburg  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  from  the  copy  in  the 
possession  of  Rev.  J.  M.  McRea,  of  Salem, 
Indiana: 

Iredell  County,  N.  C,  July  13,  1824. 

July  4,  1776,  a  mere  .speck  on  the  great  and 
fleeting  current  of  time,  but  from  which  emana- 
ted the  most  important  decision  of  the  com- 
bined hnm.an  intellect — I  mean  the  Declaration 
of  Independence — an  era  which  will  grace  the 
historic  page-,  while  freedom  and  liberty,  with 
their  concomitant  blessings,  are  the  porticn  of 
the  human  race.  The  inquiring  mind  sponta- 
neously traces  so  rich  a  stream  in  a  retrograde 
direction  in  order  to  reach  the  fountain  from 
which  it  issued.  What  section  or  particular 
portion  of  the  United  States  may  claim  the 
greatest,  or  some  minor  share  in  the  above  cele- 
brated instrument,  is  immaterial  to  the  following 
disclosure,  which  fell  under  the  observation  of 


242 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


the  writer,  when  all  the  organs  of  both  body 
and  mind  were  in  their  free  and  uncontrolled 
exercise.  I  mean  the  Declaration  of  Mecklen- 
burg County,  of  May  19,  1775.  A  detail  of 
facts  with  some  collateral  incidents  (observed  as 
above),  will  rest  the  matter  upon  a  basis  in 
which  the  rational  mind  may  justly  infer  the 
authenticity  and  truth  of  the  whole  matter. 

In  the  month  of  either  June  or  July,  1775, 
being  in  Salisbury  at  a  court  of  Oyer,  when  the 
late  Governor  Martin  as  Judge,  a  gentleman,  a 
citizen  of  Mecklenburg  County,  arrived  in  town, 
then  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia,  where  Con- 
gress was  then  in  session,  as  delegate  or  bearer 
of  said  Declaration  from  said  county.  His 
identity  and  business  soon  transpired,  and  as 
Salisbury  was  then  inhabited  by  a  number  who 
were  Loyalists  or  Tories,  (to  use  the  then  new 
phrase)  and  timid  Whigs,  who  had  not  embarked 
in  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  the  bearer,  who 
was  a  man  of  spirit,  which  he  fully  manifested  in 
the  subsequent  struggle,  was  treated  by  the 
above  persons  as  the  tool  of  a  precipitous  and 
unenlightened  mob,  who  were  rushing  head- 
long into  an  abyss  where  Congress  had  not 
dared  to  pass.  This  intemperance  was,  how- 
ever, very  suddenly  arrested  by  a  gentleman 
from  the  same  county,  who  had  entered  with 
all  his  powers  into  the  impending  contest,  and 
who  offered  to  rest  the  propriety  and  justness 
of  the  proceedings,  both  of  Mecklenburg  and 
the  delegate,  upon  a  decision  by  the  arm  of 
flesh,  with  any  one  inclinable  to  abide  the  re- 
sult. Matters  were  soon  hushed  and  the  Dele 
gate  retired  to  rest,  and  resumed  the  journey 
the  next  morning. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1776,  the  writer 
being  one  of  the  number  who  composed  the 
college,  or  academy  of  the  Queen's  Museum, 
lived  with  a  brother.  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard,  into 
whose  possession  the  letters,  orations,  and 
other  exercises  (usual  in  such  institutions), 
were  handed  over  for  wrapping  paper  and  other 
uses  in  his  professional  line.  My  curiosity 
frequently  led  me  to  ransack  and  examine  the 
several  contents  for  aid  and  assistance  in  my 
own  task,  when  I  came  across  a  Declaration  of 
Independence  by  Mecklenburg  County.  Upon 
requiring  an  explanation  from  the  Doctor,  he 
informed  me  that  it  was  the  mass,  or  rudiments 
out  of  which  he  had,  some  time  before  drawn 
the  aforesaid  instrument,  which  had  been  dis- 
patched to  Congress,  as  before  noticed.  The 
whole  of  the  above  proceedings  then  opened 
to  view. 

Being  in  Philadelphia  in  the  latter  part  of  the 


year  1778,  and  of  the  year  1779,  till  May,  dur- 
ing that  space  Mr.  William  Sharpe,  then  of 
Rowan  County,  North  Carolina  State,  arrived 
in  that  city  a  delegate  from  the  aforesaid  State. 
The  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  States  then  gen- 
erally, and  of  North  Carolina  in  particular, 
were  extremely  straitened,  and  some  almost, 
(I  might  safely  say  altogether)  beggared  by  the 
depreciation  of  their  pay.  The  writer  took 
every  proper    opportunity    within  his  sphere  of 

mixing  in  these  occasional  and (manuscript 

has  here  become  illegible)  companies,  when  their 
mutual  wants,  complaints,  privations — their 
several  situations,  forsaken  and  desolate  for  love 
of  country,  for  which  nakedness  and  starvation 
were  like  to  be  their  final  reward. 

Amongst  a  variety  of  topics  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  became  a  subject  of  remark  ; 
the  company  was  large,  composed  of  a  number 
of  the  higher  officers  and  members  of  Congress. 
Amongst  the  former  was,  particularly.  General 
Charles  Lee — recently  plunged  into  disgrace  for 
misconduct  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  and 
Tom  Payne,  you  may  say  infidel  Tom  Payne, 
if  you  please, — but  to  come  to  the  point: 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  of  Meck- 
lenburg County  in  the  State  of  North  Carolina, 
somehow  floated  into  notice.  In  a  variety  of 
remarks  and  observations,  which  were  promis- 
cuously thrown  out,  Mr.  Penn  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  some  others,  (whose  names  cannot 
now  be  recollected),  declared  themselves  highly 
pleased  with  the  bold  and  dignified  spirit  which 
so  enlightened  a  county  of  the  State  he  had  the 
honor  to  represent,  had  exhibited  to  the  world 
and  furthermore  that  the  bearer  of  the  instru- 
ment had  conducted  himself  very  judiciously 
on  the  occasion  by  previously  opening  his  busi- 
ness to  the  delegate  of  his  own  State,  who 
assured  him  that  a  very  short  lapse  of  time 
would  bring  all  the  provinces,  or  new  States 
into  the  same  situation  as  Mecklenburg  county. 

Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard  was  born  in  Maryland, 
in  the  year  1744,  was  brought  to  North  Caro- 
lina in  1746  or  1750,  and  was  sent  with  his 
cousin  Adlai  Osborne  on  the  conclusion  of  the 
Indian  War  in  1760  or  1761  to  Prince  Edward 
in  Virginia,  to  a  grammar  school  under  a  certain 
William  Cupples. 

Adlai  Osborne,  Ephraim  Brevard,  and  Thomas 
Polk,  went  to  Princeton  College  in  1766.  Eph- 
raim Brevard  and  Thomas  Reese  taught  a  school 
for  some  time  in  Maryland,  which  enabled  him 
(Ephraim  Brevard)  to  put  himself  under  Dr. 
Ramsey,  to  qualify  himself  as  a  physician. 
They   lived   for   some    time    in    Philadelphia, 


LINCOLN  COUNTY. 


243 


then  moved   to   Somerset    County,   Maryland. 

Dr.  Ramsey  was  invited  to  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  and  Dr.  Brevard  practiced  in  Char- 
lotte, as  before  hinted ;  then  married,  lost  his 
wife,  entered  the  Southern  Army,  and  was  cap- 
tured in  the  fall  of  Charleston,  and  I  believe 
there  caught  a  disease  which  baffled  all  the  skill 
of  medicine,  as  I,  myself,  heard  Dr.  Reid,  the 
Physician  General  to  the  Southern  Army,  de- 
clare, as  I  rode  with  him  from  Charlotte  to 
John  McKnitt  Alexander's,  where  Dr.  Brevard 
expired.  He  was  buried  in  Charlotte  beside 
his  wife. "  See  Smit/uTn  Ho)ne,  oi ]\Ay  ^,  1875, 
furnished  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Davidson,  of  Quincy, 
Florida. 

A  more  extended  notice  of  this  immortal 
paper  will  be  presented  under  the  head  of  Meck- 
lenburg County. 

Dr.  Brevard  served  in  the  army  as  Surgeon, 
and  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  surrender  of 
Charleston,  May  12,  1780.  From  confinement 
and  unwholesome  diet  he  was  taken  so  seriously 
ill  that  he  was  permitted  to  return  home.  He 
proceeded  as  far  as  the  house  of  John  McKnitt 
Alexander,  his  friend  and  compatriot.  It  was 
there  he  breathed  his  last,  in  1781,  but  he  lies 
buried  by  his  wife  in  the  lot  now  occupied  by  A. 
Brevard  Davidson,  in  Charlotte.  On  this  same 
lot  was  located  the  "Queen's  Museum, "before 
the  Revolution,  its  name  was  changed  to  "Lib- 
erty Hall." 

In  the  words  of  Dr.  Foote  in  his  admirable 
Sketches  of  North  Carolina,  "he  thought  clearly, 
wrote  well,  fought  bravely,  and  died  a  martyr  to 
that  liberty  which  none  loved  better,  and  few 
understood  so  well." 

He  left  only  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  mar- 
ried Mr.  Dickerson  of  South  Carolina,  whose 
son.  Colonel  James  P.  Dickerson,  was  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  of  the  South  Carolina  Regiment  in 
the  Mexican  War,  and  fell  in  battle  near  the  City 
of  Mexico. 

We  have  seen  that  John  Brevard's  other  chil- 
dren were : 

III.  John,  who  served  as  Lieutenant  in  the 
Revolutionary  War. 

IV.  Hugh,  also  an  officer  and  in  battle  of 
Ramsour's  Mill. 


V.  Adam  was  a  blacksmith,  served  one  year 
in  the  army  and  afterward  became  distinguished 
as  a  lawyer,  wit,  and  writer. 

VI.  Alexander  Brevard  entered  the  army  of 
the  Revolution  as  cadet,  was  promoted  to  cap- 
taincyinthe  Continental  Army  and  engaged  in 
the  battles  of  White  Plains,  Trenton,  Princeton, 
Brandywine,  Monmouth  and  Germantown. 
The  severity  of  this  service,  broke  down  his 
health,  and  he  was  sent  into  the  country  for  its 
restoration.  After  a  short  absence  he  reported 
in  person  to  General  Washington,  who  seeing 
his  delicate  figure,  reduced  by  suffering  and  war, 
remarked  to  him  that  he  was  unfit  for  duty  in  the 
service  and  advised  him  to  return  home. 

He  did  so  and  his  native  climate  soon  improved 
his  health,  he  then  joined  the  Southern  army  un- 
der General  Gates,  by  whom  he  was  assigned  to 
the  duties  of  Quartermaster  in  his  command, 
and  as  such  served  in  the  battle  of  Camden,  Af- 
ter Gates'  defeat,  and  General  Greene  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command  of  the  Southern  army, 
Brevard  saw  much  active  service  before  the  close 
of  the  war.  In  the  hard-fought  battle  of  Eutaw, 
(the  hardest  in  the  South),  he  behaved  with 
great  gallantry. 

The  war  being  ended,  he  returned  home  and 
entered  into  the  iron  business  with  his  father-in- 
law.  Major  John  Davidson,  and  General  Graham, 
who  also  had  married  a  daughter  of  Davidson. 
This  business  he  continued  until  his'  death,  No- 
vember I,  1829. 

He  left  seven  children.  Among  them  were 
Ephraim,  an  extensive  iron  manufacturer ; 
J.  Franklin,  in  Legislature  from  Lincoln  (1818); 
Robert,  an  iron  manufacturer;  Alexander  Jo- 
seph M.,  in  Legislature  (1827);  Theodore,  moved 
to  Alabama,  there  elected  Judge,  moved  to  Flor- 
ida afterwards;  Harriet,  married  to  Daniel  M. 
Forney  ;   Mary,  and  others. 

VII.  Joseph,  the  youngest  son  of  John  Bre- 
vard, held  the  commission  of  Lieutenantjn  the 
Continental  Army  when  only  seventeen  years 
old.      He  was,  as  many  of  the  family  now  are. 


244 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


delicate  and  small.  A  brother,  Alexander,  said 
that  he  was  ' '  always  sorry  when  Joe  had  to  go  on 
guard  duty,  for  he  was  so  small."  He  was  de- 
tailed by  the  commanding  officer  at  Philadelphia 
as  his  Secretary,  and  continued  until  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  Lieutenant  of  Cavalry  in  the  Southern 
army,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  then  studied  law  and  settled  in  Camden, 
South  Carolina.  Here  he  attained  distinction  in 
the  profession  and  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Su- 
perior Courts.  He  wrote  a  Digest  of  the  Laws 
of  South  Carolina,  and  several  volumes  of  Re- 
ports. He  was  elected  a  member  of  Congress 
from  his  district  1819  to  1821,  and  died  in  Cam- 
den, South  Carolina. 

The  Forney  family  were  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Lincoln  county.      The  founder  was  Jacob 
Forney,  sen.,    who  was  (born   1721,  died  1804) 
the  son  of  a   French  Huguenot;    he  fled    from 
France  on  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantz, 
and  settled  at  Alsace  on  the  Rhine.      At  the  age 
of  fourteen  he  came  to  Amsterdam,  thence  to 
America ;  settled   first  in   Pennsylvania,   and  in 
1754  he  moved  to  Lincoln  county.  North  Caro- 
lina.     In  the  first  years  spent  in  this  settlement  he 
was  greatly  harrassed  by  the  Indians.     When  the 
English  were  in  pursuit  of  Morgan,  their  progress 
was  impeded  by  the  high  waters  of  the  Catawba. 
Lord  Cornwallis  made  his  headquarters  in  For- 
ney's comfortable  house  for  three  days,  consum- 
ing his  entire  stock  of  cattle,   hogs,  poultry,  &c. 
The  early  records  of  the  county  exhibit  the  fol- 
lowing:    "Ordered    by  the   Court    that   Jacob 
Forney  and  his  two  sons  pay  no  taxes  for  1780, " 
He  was  too  old  to  do  much  service  in  the  Revo- 
lution,   but  his  sons,  James,    Peter  and  Abram, 
did  their  duty  as  unwavering  Whigs.      He  died 
in  1804,   near  the  place  where  he  first  settled  in 
Lincoln  county. 

Peter  Forney,  (born  April,  1756,  died  Febru- 
ary, 1834),  was  the  second  son  of  Jacob  Forney, 
sen.  He  was  born  in  Lincoln  county.  During 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  his  services  were  cheer- 
fully rendered  in  defense  of  his  country.     After- 


ward he  devoted  his  attention  to  the  manufacture 
of  iron,  then  a  new  and  lucrative  employment. 
In  it  his  industry,  prudence  and  sagacity  soon 
made  him  prosperous,  and  he  acquired  fortune  and 
comfort.  His  home  was  the  resort  of  many  who 
always  found  it  ' '  Mount  Welcome, "  as  it  was  ap- 
propriately named.  There  rich  and  poor  were  alike 
cared  for.  His  unstinted  hospitality  and  genial 
manners,  as  well  as  the  high  and  honorable  conduct 
which  marked  all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men, 
rendered  him  the  object  of  their  regard,  and  even 
affection.  He  was  elected  in  1794  to  the  House, 
and  in  1 801 -'02  to  the  Senate  of  the  State  Leg- 
islature, and  (in  1813  to  181 5)  a  member  of 
Congress.  He  served  also  as  Elector  on  the 
Jefferson,  Madison,  Monroe  and  Jackson  tickets. 
With  these  repeated  evidences  of  the  pardality 
of  his  friends,  and  with  the  weight  of  three  score 
and  ten  years  pressing  upon  him,  he  declined 
all  further  public  service.  After  a  short  illness, 
without  pain  or  suffering,  he  quietly  departed 
this  life  February  ist,   1834. 

He  married  on  March  4,   1783,  Nancy  Aber- 
nathy,  by  which  union  he  had  twelve  children  : 

I.  Mary,  married  Christian  Reindhart. 

II.  David  M.  married  Harriet  Brevard. 

III.  Jacob,  married  Sarah  Hoicie,  from  whom 
sprung  :  (i)  David  Peter,  born  1819  ;  (2)  Joseph 
B.,  born  1821  ;  (3)  William  H.,  born  1823  ;  ed- 
ucated at  University,  an  officer  in  Mexican  War, 
lawyer,  member  of  Legislature,  General  in  Civil 
War,  elected  to  the  44th  Congress ;  (4)  Barbara 
Ann,  born  1826,  married  Rowan;  (5)  Emma, 
born  in  1832,  married  Rev.  Thomas  A.  Morris; 
(6)  John  H.,  born  1829,  West  Point;  (7)  George 
H.,  born  1835,  killed  in  battle  of  Wilderness;  (8) 
Amelia,  married  J.  M.  Wylie ;  (9)  Maria  Louisa, 
married  Williams. 

IV.  Eliza,  married  first,  Webb,  and  afterward, 
Dr.  John  Meek,  of  Alabama. 

V.  Susan,  married  Bartlett  Shipp,  from  whom 
sprung :  (i)  William,  M.  Qudge  of  Superior  Court,) 
married  (i)  Cameron,  (2)  Iredell,  Legislature, 
Senator  from  Henderson    1862  ;)  (2)  Eliza,  mar- 


LINCOLN  COUNTY. 


245 


ried  W.   P.    Bynum,   Judge  of  Supreme  Court ; 
(3)  Susan,  married  S.  L.  Johnson. 

VI.  Lavinia,  married  first  John  Fulenwider. 

VII.  Nancy,  married  Dr.  Wm.  Johnson,  from 
whom  sprung:  (i)  Ann,  married  Dr.  Calloway  ; 
(2)  Martha,  married  Huntly ;  (3)  James  Frank- 
lin ;  (4)  Robert;  (5)  William;  (6)  Joseph,  mar- 
ried Hooker  ;  (7)  Susan  ;  (8)  Mary  ;  (9)  Bartlett 
S.,  of  Baltimore. 

VIII.  Caroline,  married  Ransom  H.  Hunley. 

IX.  Sophia,  married  Dr.  C.  L.  Hunter,  whose 
daughter  married  John  H.  Sharp,  of  Norfolk,  Va. 

X.  James  M.,  married  Sarah  Fulenwider. 

A  son,  Moses,  the  third  child,  died  unmarried, 
in  Alabama  ;  whilst  the  fifth  child,  Joseph,  died 
in  youth.  They  should  have  been  included  in 
the  aforegoing. — Ed. 

Daniel  M.  Forney  (born  1771,  died  1847)  ^^^^ 
a  native  of  Lincoln  county,  the  first  son  and  the 
second  child  of  General  Peter  Forney,  whose 
sketch  we  have  just  given.  His  education  was 
such  as  the  country  schools  afforded,  but  clear 
and  excellent  judgment,  and  his  genial  manners, 
early  marked  him  for  public  usefulness.  He 
was  in  the  prime  of  manhood  when  the  \A'ar  of 
18 1 2  commenced,  and  he  was  appointed  Major 
in  the  United  States  Army.  He  served  in  that 
capacity  until  the  war  closed,  with  gallantry  and 
credit.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  (the  14th) 
Congress  i8i5-'i7,  and  re-elected  to  the  15th, 
but  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  Hon.  Wil- 
liam Davidson,  of  Charlotte.  From  1823  to  '26 
he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature. He  removed  in  1834  to  Alabama,  where 
he  spent  his  remaining  days  at  his  adopted  home 
in  Lowndes  county.      He  died  in  October,  1847. 

Major  Forney  married  Harriet,  daughter  of 
Captain  Alexander  Brevard,  by  whom  he  had 
several  children. 

Abram  Forney  (born  1758,  died  1849)  was 
the  youngest  son  of  Jacob  Forney,  sen.,  and  a 
native  of  Lincoln  county.  He  entered  the  Rev- 
olutionary army  early,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
battles  of  Ramsour's  Mill,  King's  Mountain  and 


elsewhere.  He  lived  to  a  good  old  age  and  de- 
lighted to  talk  of  the  spirit-stirring  events  of  the 
war.  He  was  the  father  of  Captain  Earheart 
Forney,  now  of  Lincoln. 

Michael  Hoke  (born  18 10,  died  1844)  was  a 
native  of  this  county,  the  son  of  Colonel  John 
Hoke.  He  was  educated  at  Captain  Partridge's 
Military  Academy,  Middletown,  Connecticut, 
and  read  law  M'ith  Robert  H.  Benton.  He  was 
blessed  with  an  agreeable  person,  brilliant  ora- 
torical ability,  and  attractive  manners.  This 
won  him  "troops  of  friends."  In  1834  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
which  position  he  held  until  1842,  when  he  de- 
clined a  re-election.  In  1844  he  was  nominated 
as  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Governor,  in 
opposition  to  Hon.  William  A.  Graham,  but, 
after  a  campaign  conducted  with  great  ability,  he 
was  defeated.  It  was  a  contest  long  to  be  remem- 
bered in  North  Carolina.  The  dignified  and 
majestic  presence  of  Graham  was  formidably 
rivalled  by  the  matchless  manner  and  ready  hu- 
mor of  Hoke.  It  was  a  war  of  giants.  The 
exposure  to  the  malaria  of  the  low  country,  and 
his  continued  and  earnest  efforts,  cost  Colonel 
Hoke  his  life.  For  within  a  month  after  the 
election,  to  the  great  grief  of  sorrowing  friends, 
he  died  at  Charlotte  on  September  9th,  1844, 
after  a  short  illness,  certainly  brought  on  by  the 
exposure  and  fatigues  of  the  campaign.  He 
married  Francis,  daughter  of  Robert  H.  Bur- 
ton, and  left  several  children,  among  them,  Gen- 
eral Robert  Frederick  Hoke,  born  27th  of  May, 
1837,  who  was  educated  at  the  Kentucky  Mili- 
tary Institute.  He  entered  the  army  in  the  late 
Civil  War  as  a  Lieutenant,  and  was  engaged  in 
the  first  battle  of  the  war,  which  occurred  at 
Bethel,  and  he  was  also  in  the  last  contest.  He 
won  by  his  firmness,  ability  and  gallantry,  the 
rank  of  Major  General,  and  was  several  times 
severely  wounded.  To  record  all  the  "hair- 
breadth 'scapes,"  and  the  sei-vices  of  General 
Hoke  would  be  to  well  nigh  write  the  history  of 
the  Army  of  North  Virginia. 


-  246 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


John  Franklin  Hoke,"  son  of  Colonel  John 
Hoke,  and  the  brother  of  Colonel  Michael  Hoke, 
is  a  native  of  this  county.  He  is  liberally  edu 
cated — a  graduate  of  the  University  in  1841,  in 
the  same  class  with  Thomas  L.  Avery,  R.  S. 
Bridgers,  Robert  Burton,  W.  J.  Clarke,  William 
F.  Dancy,  John  W.  Ellis,  Montford  McGehee, 
Charles  and  Samuel  F.  Phillips,  Thomas  Ruffin, 
Robert  Strange,  Horatio  M.  Polk  and  others. 
He  studied  law.  In  the  Mexican  War  he  was 
appointed  by  the  President  a  Captain,  and  com- 
manded his  company  with  much  gallantry  in  the 
severely  contested  battles  of  Cerro  Gordo,  Tol- 
ema  and  National  Bridge. 

In  the  late  Civil  War  he  commanded  a  regi- 
ment of  North  Carolina  troops,  and  discharged 
every  duty  with  gallantry  and  fidelity.  He  is 
one  of  the  few  field  officers  in  that  unhappy 
contest  from  North  Carolina  who  passed  un- 
scathed. He  is  now  in  the  quiet  practice  of  his 
profession  at  his  native  place. 

Dr.  William  McLean  was  a  Surgeon  in  the 
Revolution.  He  was  a  native  of  Rowan  county  ; 
born  April  2d,  1/57,  and  was  educated  at  Liberty 
Hall  College  in  Charlotte.  He  studied  medicine 
under  Dr.  Joseph  Blythe ;  was  appointed  a  Sur- 
geon's Mate  in  the  First  North  Carolina  Regi- 
ment on  January  i,  1782,  commanded  by  Colo- 
nel Archibald  Lytle,  and  served  in  Charleston, 
James  Island  and  elsewhere,  to  the  close  of  the 
war. 

He  then  settled  on  his  farm  in  ' '  the  South 
Point"  neighborhood,  and  engaged  in  an  exten- 
sive practice,  in  which  he  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful. 

In  1814  he  was  elected  Senator  from  Lincoln, 
and  in  18 15  he  delivered  an  address  at  King's 
Mountain  commemorative  of  the  battle,  and 
caused  to  be  erected,  at  his  own  expense,  a  head 
stone  of  dark  slate  rock,  with  appropriate  in- 
scriptions on  both  sides.  On  the  east  side  the 
inscription  is,  "  Sacred  to  the  Memory  of  Major 
William  Chronicle,  Captain  John  Mattocks,  Wil- 
liam Robb  and  John  Boyd,  who  were  killed  here 


on  the  7th  of  October,  1780,  fighting  in  defence 
of  America."  And  on  the  west  side  is  inscribed  : 
"  Colonel  Ferguson,  an  officer  belonging  to  His 
Brittanic  Majesty's  service,  was  here  defeated 
and  killed." 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1792,  he  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Major  John  Davidson,  and  died  in 
Lincoln,  October  25,  1828,  leaving  several  chil- 
dren, among  them  Dr.  William  B.,  John  D.  and 
Robert  G.  McLean. 

James  Houston  (born  1747,  died  18 19)  resided 
and  died  in  this  county.  He  was  born  in  1747, 
and  was  the  early  and  devoted  friend  of  his 
country's  liberty  ;  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
cause.  In  the  battle  of  Ramsour's  Mill,  near 
the  present  town  of  Lincolnton,  between  the 
Whigs  and  Tories,  he  took  an  active  part,  and 
by  his  undaunted  courage  contributed  to  the 
success  of  the  Whigs  on  that  occasion.  In  this 
engagement  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
thigh,  from  the  effects  which  he  never  recovered. 
Seeing  the  man  who  inflicted  this  painful  wound, 
he  shot  him  in  the  back,  and  killed  him  as  he 
ran.  A  copy  of  the  muster  roll  of  Captain 
Houston's  company  is  preserved.  (See  Dr.  C.  L. 
Hunter's  Sketches  of  Western  N.  C.  197.) 

He  was  the  father  of  a  large  family,  distin- 
guished for  their  manly  appearance  and  bodily 
strength.  Dr.  Joel  Brevard  Houston  was  one 
of  his  sons.  Captain  Houston  died  on  August 
3,  1 8 19,  and  was  buried  in  Center  Church-yard. 
Dr.  C.  L.  Hunter,  who  has  already  been  no- 
ticed in  the  sketch  of  his  father.  Rev.  Hum- 
phrey Hunter  (see  page  176),  resided  in  this 
neighborhood. 

In  the  holocaust  offered  on  the  altar  of  South- 
ern rights,  during  the  late  unhappy  Civil  War, 
there  was  no  purer  or  devoted  oblation  than  that 
patriotic  son  of  North  Carolina.  Stephen 'Dod- 
son  Ramseur  (born  May  31,  1837,  fell  in  battle 
October  19, 1864).  He  was  the  son  of  Jacob  A. 
and  Lucy  M.  Ramseur,  and  was  educated  at  the 
Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  where  he 
graduated  in  i860.     He  was  commissioned  as 


LINCOLN   COUNTY. 


247 


Second  Lieutenant  of  Artillery,  and  was  sta- 
tioned at  Fortress  Monroe.  When  the  war  be- 
tween the  States  commenced,  he  felt  it  was  his  sa- 
sacred  duty  to  stand  by  his  State ;  he  therefore  re- 
signed his  commission  in  the  United  States  Army, 
and  tendered  his  services  to  the  newly  formed  gov- 
ernment at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  by  which  he 
was  appointed  First  Lieutenant  of  Artillery,  and 
ordered  to  the  Mississippi.  While  on  his  way 
to  his  post,  he  received  a  telegram  announcing 
his  election  to  command  the  "  Ellis  Light  Artil- 
lery "  then  being  formed  at  Raleigh.  He  re- 
paired in  haste  to  this  new  duty,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  secured  the  necessary  complement  of 
men,  guns,  horses  and  other  equipments.  After 
drilling  and  practicing  his  battery  in  the  summer 
of  1 86 1,  he  proceeded  to  join  the  army  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  ^  stationed  near  Southfield, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  James  River,  where  he 
spent  the  fall  and  winter.  This  battery  was 
composed  of  the  flower  of  the  youth  and  man- 
hood of  the  State,  and  by  its  excellence  in  evo- 
lutions and  perfection  in  drills,  was  the  cynosure 
of  attention  and  gained  for  its  youthful  com- 
mander the  encomiums  of  all  reviewing  gene- 
rals. In  the  spring,  when  Richmond  was  men- 
aced by  McClellan,  Captain  Ramseur  was  or- 
dered to  report  to  General  Magruder  at  York- 
town.  Before  any  serious  fighting  on  the  Pen- 
insula occurred,  Captain  Ramseur  was  promoted 
to  the  command  of  the  49th  Regiment  of 
North  Carolina  Infantry.  This  regiment  was 
composed  of  raw  troops,  but  by  the  exertions  of 
its  practiced  commander,  it  was  soon  prepared 
for  the  front.  It  received  its  "first  baptism  of 
fire"  in  the  skirmishes  which  preceded  the  terri- 
ble battles  around  Richmond.  Encouraged  and 
inspired  by  the  fearless  intrepidity  of  its  com- 
mander, it  participated  with  gallantry  in  the 
seven  days'  battles.  In  the  last  of  these,  at 
Malvern  Hill,  July  i,  1862,  while  leading  a  vic- 
torious charge.  Colonel  Ramseur  was  wounded 
in  the  right  arm  above  the  elbow,  so  severely 
that  some  time   elapsed  before  he  was  able  to 


reach  his  home.  While  at  home  he  was  given  a 
Brigadier's  commission,  and  in  October,  1862, 
although  far  from  recovered  from  his  wound,  he 
repaired  to  Richmond  and  explained  to  President 
Davis  the  reluctance  he  felt  in  accepting  the  ex- 
alted rank  offered  him.  Its  acceptance  was 
urged,  and  he  was  advised  to  return  home  until 
health  was  restored.  General  Ramseur,  instead 
of  returning  home,  sought  out  the  army  and  as- 
sumed the  command  of  his  brigade,  which  had 
been  left  without  a  General  since  the  death  of 
General  George  B.  Anderson.  This  brigade 
was  composed  of  the  Second,  Fourth,  Four- 
teenth and  Thirtieth  Regiments  of  North  Caro- 
lina troops,  and,  although  General  Ramseur  was 
a  stranger  from  another  branch  of  the  service, 
and  succeeded  an  officer  of  great  ability,  well 
skilled  in  the  art  of  war,  commanding  the  confi- 
dence and  affections  of  his  men — yet  he  dis- 
armed all  criticism  by  his  high  professional  at- 
tainments and  his  amiability  of  character,  inspir- 
ing his  men  by  his  own  enthusiastic  temper  with 
those  lofty  qualities  which  distinguish  the  sol- 
dier. The  brigade  was  attached  to  Jackson^s 
corps,  and  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  (May 
3,  1863),  while  leading  a  charge,  General  Ram- 
seur was  again  wounded  by  the  explosion  of  a 
shell.  This  second  wound  did  not  take  him 
from  the  field.  He  continued  with  his  brigade 
through  the  Pennsylvania  campaign,  and  in  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg/July,  1863),  he  led  it  with 
distinguished  courage.  On  the  return  of  the 
army  from  Pennsylvania,  there  seemed  to  be  a 
lull  in  the  terrible  din  of  war,  and  the  division  was 
preparing  to  go  into  winter  quarters,  near  Or- 
ange Court  House,  when  he  obtained  a  leave  of 
absence,  and  on  October  27,  1863,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Ellen  F.  Richmond,  of  Milton,  North 
Carolina.  After  spending  some  time  at  home, 
he  again  repaired  to  his  command.  The  next 
general  engagement  in  which  he  bore  a  part  was 
at  the  Wilderness  (fought  from  5th  to  12th  of 
May,  1864),  and  Spotsylvania  Court  House 
(loth  to  1 2th  of  May),  in  which  his  brigade  be- 


248 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


haved  with  yuch  desperate  courage  as  to  win  the 
unstinted  applause  of  the  whole  army.  In  the 
latter  battle  General  Ramsour  was  again  wounded 
in  his  disabled  arm,  and  had  three  horses  shot  un- 
der him  ;  still  he  never  left  the  field,  but  con- 
tinued to  lead  his  brigade  in  the  charge.  He  was 
complimented  on  the  field  by  Generals  Ewell 
and  A.  P.  Hill,  and  thanked  by  General  Lee. 
The  next  month  he  was  promoted  to  a  Major 
General's  rank,  and  assigned  to  the  division  for- 
merly commanded  by  General  Early.  Early's 
corps,  composed  of  Gordon,  Rhodes  and  Ram- 
seur's  divisions,  was  detached  from  Lee  and  sent 
to  repel  Hunter,  who  was  threatening  Lynch- 
burg. Early  reached  Lynchburg  in  time  to  save 
the  city,  and  after  the  repulse  of  Hunter,  marched 
for  the  third  time  into  Maryland.  No  serious 
fighting  occurred  until  the  army  reached  Mon- 
ocacy  Bridge,  where  (June  9th)  Ramseur  and 
Gordon  defeated  General  Wallace.  The  Army 
of  the  Valley  then  marched  within  five  miles  of 
Washington  (July,  1864),  and  but  for  timely  re- 
inforcements the  Capital  would  have  been  cap- 
tured. General  Early,  in  ' '  The  Southern  Mag- 
azine,"  Baltimore,  has  given  a  full  account  of  the 
condition  and  consternation  of  the  Federal  Capi- 
tal at  that  time. 

The  addition  to  the  Federal  forces  caused 
Early  to  hold  a  consultation  with  Generals  Breck- 
enridge,  Gordon,  Ramseur  and  Rhodes,  and  a 
retreat  was  ordered  to  the  lower  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia. At  the  battle  of  Winchester  (September 
19,  1864),  General  Ramseur  sustained  the  brunt 
of  battle  from  daylight  until  9  or  10  o'clock, 
when  the  other  divisions  came  to  his  relief.  In 
this  fierce  combat  the  gallant  Rhodes  was  killed. 
General  Ramseur  was  transferred  from  Early's 
old  division  to  the  division  left  ^\ithout  a  Major 
General  by  the  fall  of  Rhodes.  He  commanded 
this  but  one  month,  when  he  too  met  the  death  of 
a  gallant  soldier  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  on 
the  19th  of  October,  1864. 

In  his  report  of  this  "battle.  General  Early 
states : 


"Major  General  Ramseur  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy  mortally  wounded,  and  in  him  not 
only  my  command,  but  the  country,  suffered  i 
heavy  loss.  He  was  a  mostgallant  and  energetic 
officer,  whom  no  disaster  appalled,  but  his  cour- 
age and  energy  seemed  to  gain  new  strength  in 
the  midst  of  confusion  and  disorder.  He  fell  at 
his  post,  like  a  lion  at  bay,  and  his  native  State 
has  reason  to  be  proud  of  his  memory."* 

James  Pinckney  Henderson  (born  in  1808, 
and  died  1858),  the  son  of  Major  Lawson  Hen- 
derson, was  born,  raised,  and  educated  in  Lin- 
coln county,  in  the  town  of  Lincolnton,  He 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice,  about 
1829.  At  this  time,  his  health  was  prostrated 
by  a  severe  hemorrhage  from  the  lungs ;  he 
sought  the  mild  climate  of  Cuba  for  relief, 
where  he  spent  the  winters  of  1833-34.  He 
returned,  much  improved;  and,  in  hopes  of 
effecting  a  full  restoration  of  health  and  the 
improvement  of  his  fortunes,  he  moved  in  1835, 
to  Mississippi,  Here  he  remained  until  the 
Texas  troubles  commenced,  and  in  common 
with  Houston,  Lamar,  and  other  brave  spirits, 
he  drew  his  sword  in  the  service  of  the  "Lone 
Star,"  republic,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  under  her  flag. 

For  more  than  twenty  years  of  his  life,  he 
was  spared  to  participate  in  the  stirring  events 
of  that  eventful  period.  His  brilliant  career  as 
her  Attorney  General,  her  Secretary  of  State,  and 
her  first  Governor  ;  Major  General  of  her  forces 
in  the  Mexican  War,  (distinguished  at  Mon- 
terey) ;  her  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  France 
and  England,  and  finally  her  Senator  in  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  all  now  has 
become  historical.  These  rapid  strides  of  suc- 
cess are  due  to  his  high  sense  of  honor,  his 
integrity  of  character,  his  indomitable  energy, 
and  to  his  deep  knowledge  of  men  and  events. 
He  fell  a  victim  to  consumption,  so  fatal  to 
his  family,    and  died  while  a  member  of   the 


■*See  Land  we  Love,  May,  1S6S, 


LINCOLN  COUNTY. 


249 


United  States  Senate,  at  Washington  City,  on 
June  4,  1858,  leaving  a  widow  («ff  Frances  Cox, 
daughter  of  John  Cox  of  Philadelphia)  and 
three  children  to  mourn  his  loss. 

Bartlett  Shipp  (born  March  8,  1786— died 
May  26,  1869)  resided  and  died  in  this  county. 
He  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Shipp,  who  immi- 
grated from  Virginia  and  settled  on  Dan  River 
near  Danbury,  where  his  son  Bartlett  was  born 
— whose  mother  was  a  Joyce. 

The  early  education  of  Mr.  Shipp  was  defect- 
ive and  acquired  by  his  own  exertions.  How- 
ever, from  an  inquiring  mind  and  a  literary 
taste,  he  mastered  the  English,  and  acquired  a  fair 
knowledge  of  the  classics.  In  his  early  days 
he  taught  school,  which  tended  to  fix  this  rudi- 
mental  education.  He  realized  the  truism  of  the 
Latin  philosopher,   '^  disco  doceiido." 

Enterprising  and  patriotic,  when  the  war  be- 
tween England  and  the  United  States  began, 
he  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  in  18 12,  and  marched 
with  a  company  from  Stokes  county. 

After  his  service  ended  he  returned  and  stud- 
ied law,  under  Joseph  Wilson,  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  and  successful  advocates  of  the  day. 
After  obtaining  his  license,  he  settled  in  Wilkes 
county.  In  1818,  he  removed  to  Lincoln 
county,  where  he  married  Susan,  daughter  of 
Peter  Forney,  and  where  he  resided  for  the  bal- 
ance of  his  life.  As  a  lawyer,  he  was  remarkable 
for  his  strong  common  sense,  his  familiarity 
with  the  elementary  principles  of  his  profession, 
his  stern  advocacy  of  justice,  and  unspotted 
integrity. 

He  grasped  with  intuitive  perception  the  strong 
points  of  a  case,  and  used  them  in  argument  with 
great  ability  and  yet  perfect  frankness  and  sin- 
cerity. These  qualities  made  him  popular  with 
his  associates.  But  he  was  quite  as  fond  of  the 
allurements  of  politics  as  the  pursuit  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  was  often  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature (1824-26-28-29-30).  He  was  possessed 
of  strong  convictions,  and  was  not  very  choice 
of  terms  in  which  he  expressed  them.     But  no 


one  had  less  vindictive  feelings  or  was  more 
honorable  or  generous  towards  those  who  dif- 
fered in  opinion  from  him. 

To  his  friends,  whose  merits  he  recognized 
and  whose  sincerity  he  had  tested,  his  attach- 
ment was  strong,  no  matter  to  what  party  they 
belonged.  Yet  in  the  convictions  of  policy,  he 
was  consistent,  firm,  and  unyielding. 

His  last  public  service  was  as  a  member 
of  the  Convention  of  1835  ;  the  ablest  body 
of  men  that  ever  assembled  in  the  State ; 
which  body  amended  our  Constitution.  Here 
his  experience  and  sagacity  were  universally 
conceded. 

He  died  at  Lincolnton,  on  May  16,  1869,  in 
the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age ;  respected 
and  loved  by  all  who  knew  him.  (Dr.  Hunter's 
Sketches,  275). 

He  left,  by  his  marriage  with  Miss  Forney  : 

I.  William  M.  Shipp,  graduated  at  Univer- 
sity 1840,  Judge  of  Superior  Court,  1S63,  who 
now  resides  in  Charlotte  ;  one  of  whose  sons  is 
now  a  Cadet  at  West  Point. 

II.  Eliza  married  William  Preston  Bynum, 
late  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

III.  Susan  married  Johnson. 

Robert  H.  Burton  (born  178 1 — died  1842) 
son  of  Colonel  Robert  Burton  of  Granville 
county,  was  long  an  honored  citizen  of  Lincoln 
county  ;  educated  at  the  University  and  studied 
law.  He  applied  himself  with  such  assiduity 
and  fidelity,  that  he  soon  rose  to  the  front  rank 
of  the  profession,  and  in  1818,  was  appointed 
one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of 
Law,  which,  after  riding  one  circuit,  he  re- 
signed. In  1830,  he  was  elected  Treasurer  of 
the  State,  which  he  also  declined.  He  was 
much  respected  as  a  sincere  Christian,  an  able 
counsellor,  and  an  honest  man.  He  died  in 
1842,  leaving  a  numerous  family  to  mourn  his 
loss,  and  emulate  his  example. 

David  Schenck,  one  of  the  Judges  of 
the  Superior  Courts  of  the  State,  is  a  native 
of  Lincoln. 


2SO 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


The  Schenck  family  is  of  Swiss  extraction.! 
In  1708,  Henry,  John,  and  Michael  Schenck,  '-■ 
who  were  Mennonites,  where  driven  out  of 
Switzerland  by  religious  persecution,  and  being 
invited  by  William  Penn,  they  with  a  number 
of  other  colonists,  emigrated  to  the  vicinity  of 
what  is  now  Lancaster  City,  Pennsylvania. 

In  1729,  these  colonists  were  naturalized  by 
a  special  act  of  Parliament  on  account  of  "their 
industry  and  their  peaceable  and  religious 
conduct." 

Michael  Schenck  who  sprung  from  one  of 
these  three  brothers,  was  born  February  28, 1737, 
and  Michael  Schenck, his  son,  was  born  near  Lan- 
caster, February  15,  1771.  He  immigrated  to 
North  Carolina  about  the  year  1795.  He  was 
married,  May  11,  1 801,  to  Barbara,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Warlick,  who  was  killed  in  a  fight  with 
the  Indians,  on  the  Ohio  frontier. 

In  the  year  18 15,  Michael  Schenck  erected  a 
Cotton  Factory  on  Mill  branch,  two  miles  east 
of  Lincolnton. 

We  were  shown  two  spindles  which  were  used 
in  this,  perhaps,  the  first  cotton  factory  erected 
south  of  the  Potomac  river. 

It  was  rather  a  rude  structure,  compared  with 
our  modern  machinery.  The  whole  consisting 
of  only  seventy-five  spindles,  the  iron  shafts  of 
which  were  made  in  a  blacksmith  shop,  by  Da- 
vid Warlick,  who  was  a  superior  workman  in 
his  day ;  and  the  spools  and  other  wood  work 
were  made  by  Michael  Beam,  a  neighbor  of 
Warlick.  The  house  containing  the  machinery, 
was  a  simple  log  structure  twenty-five  feet 
square. 

The  spinning  was  done  by  means,  of  what 
machinists  call  a  mule — the  thread  being  drawn 
out  horizontally  and  then  wound  on  broaches. 
It  was  then  reeled,  and  sold  as  fast  as  it  could 
be  manufactured  at  fifty  cents  per  pound  in 
specie. 

This  factory  was  erected  and  put  in  operation 
by  Michael  Schenck,  who  had  emigrated  to  this 
county   from    Pennsylvania.     It  was  placed  on 


SMill  branch  two  miles  east  of  Lincolnton,  and 
fthe  first  yarn  was  made  in  the  year  18 15. 
i  This  proved  profitable  enough  to  justify  Mr. 
Michael  Schenck  in  sending  to  Providence,  Rhode 
Island,  for  more  improved  machinery,  which 
was  put  in  operation  on  the  same  site  in  18 18. 
This,  in  its  turn,  was  laid  aside,  and  Mr.  Schenck, 
in  copartnership  with  the  late  Colonel  John 
Hoke,  Sr.,  of  Lincolnton,  and  Dr.  Bivings, 
erected  the  large  factory,  on  the  south  fork  of 
the  Catawba,  two  miles  south  of  Lincolnton, 
but  this  was  burned  in  1863. 

His  son.  Dr.  David  Warlick  Schenck,  son  of 
Michael,  was  born  at  Lincolnton,  February  3, 
1809,  and  was  educated  at  the  Academy  of  that 
town.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  James 
Bivings,  and  afterwards  attended  lectures  at 
Jefferson  College,  in  Philadelphia.  He  married 
Susan  Rebecca  Bevens,  daughter  of  Simeon 
and  Eliza  Bevens,  November  8,  1882,  by  whom 
he  left  two  children,  Barbara  and  David.  He 
was  eminent  as  a  surgeon  and  one  of  the  best 
read  men  in  the  State.  He  died  at  Lincolnton, 
December  26,  1861,  a  very  encyclopedia  of  infor- 
mation. 

His  son,  David  Schenck,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  at  Lincolnton.  March  24,  1835, 
and  was  educated  at  the  Academy,  principally 
by  Silas  C.  Lindslay,  an  eminent  teacher  of  that 
day. 

He  read  law  two  years  with  Haywood  W. 
Guion  and  obtained  his  County  Court  license  in 
June,  1856.  He  then  went  to  Judge  Pearson's 
Law  School,  at  Richmond  Hill,  till  June,  1857, 
where  he  obtained  his  Superior  Court  license, 
and  settled  immediately  in  Dallas,  Gaston  county, 
North  Carolina.  He  was  elected  County  Solic- 
itor, and  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice  at  once. 

On  August  25,  1859,  he  married  Sally  Wil- 
fong  Ramseur,  daughter  of  Jacob  A.- and  Lucy 
D.  Ramseur,  and  sister  of  Major  General  S.  D. 
Ramseur. 

In  November,  i860,  he  returned  to  Lincoln- 
ton,  his  native  place,  and  in  1861,  on  the  elec- 


MACON  COUNTY. 


251 


tion  of  Hon.  Wm.  Lander  to  the  Confederate 
Congress,  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Conven- 
tion to  fill  his  place. 

This  was  the  only  political  office  he  ever  held 
and  he  always  refused  to  hold  any  other. 

He  practiced  his  profession  in  competition 
with  such  lawyers  as  William  Lander,  W.  P. 
Bynum,  Haywood  Guion,  and  J.  F.  Hoke,  and 
received  his  full  share  of  business. 


In  1874,  he  received  the  Democratic  nomina- 
tion for  Judge  of  the  Ninth  Judicial  District, 
and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  2,100,  nearly 
double  the  former  Democratic  majority.  His 
term  expired  in  1882.  He  has  a  large  family, 
and  like  "old  Chuckey, "  he  is  "spreading  him- 
self" to  take  care  of  them. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


MACON   COUNTY. 


James  Lowrie  Robinson  was  born  in  Franklin, 
Macon  county,  September  17,  1838.  His  fa- 
ther, James  Robinson,  came  to  North  Carolina, 
from  Tennessee,  was  a  merchant  of  note  and 
character,  and  died  in  the  village  that  was  the 
birth  place  of  his  son,  June,  1843.  His  early 
training  was  only  what  the  common  schools  of 
his  county  and  the  village  Academy  afforded; 
and  a  year  at  Emory  &  Henry  College,  was 
added  to  his  education  by  his  own  hard-earned 
wages  and  the  kind  assistance  of  a  friend  and 
relative. 

When  armed  men  sprang  I'p  in  every  hamlet 
of  North  Carolina,  at  the  call  of  her  authorities, 
he  volunteered  as  a  private  foot  soldier  in  Com- 
pany H,  1 6th  North  Carolina  troops,  and 
became  Quarter-master  Sergeant  in  the  same 
regiment.  At  the  re- organization  he  was 
elected  Captain  of  the  Company  of  which  he 
was  a  member  and  its  triumphs  became  a  part  of 
his  history.  Wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Seven 
Pines,  he  led  his  men  over  the  fields  of  Manassas, 
when  it  was  baptized  with  blood  a  second  time. 
Participating  in  the  engagement  at  Chantilly 
Farm,   he  was  present  at  the  terrible  struggle 


that  decided  the  Maryland  campaign  at  Sharps- 
burg. 

When  he  had  laid  aside  his  sword  and  returned 
to  peaceful  vocations,  his  people  recognized  in 
him  the  deliberate  courage  and  solid  qualities  of 
mind  that  are  valuable  in  civil  emploj-ments, 
and  chose  him  to  be  their  Commoner  in  186S. 
He  was  returned  without  opposition  in  1870. 
No  mark  of  confidence  could  have  bestowed 
greater  honor  upon  him.  He  had  been  one  of 
a  bold  and  true  minority  that  had  withstood  the 
seductions  of  a  reckless  and  extravagant  admin- 
istration, and  had  rendered  success  for  the 
Democracy  possible.  When  chosen  a  repre- 
sentative in  1872,  he  was  almost  by  common 
consent,  elevated  to  the  highest  honor  of  the 
body  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  when  the 
Speaker's  gavel  was  again  tendered  him  in  1S74, 
it  came  as  a  palm  of  merit  that  he  had  no  right 
to  put  aside. 

The  retribution  in  the  history  of  North  Caro- 
lina came  in  1876.  The  ruined  places  were  restor- 
ed. The  counties,  bearing  names  conspicuously 
North  Carolinian,  and  composing  his  Senatorial 
District,  called  him  to  serve  them,  in  the  Upper 


25^ 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Chamber  of  the  State's  councils.  He  came 
without  opposition,  and  was  chosen  President 
of  that  distinguished  body.  Long  experience 
and  great  familiarity  with  the  duties  of  a  pre- 
siding officer  over  a  deliberative  body,  made  it 
eminently  fit  that  he  be  chosen  to  fill  this  high 
position.  His  conduct  of  the  business  of  the 
Senate,  from  the  assembling  of  the  Legislature 
until  the  promotion  of  Lieutenant  Governor 
Jarvis  added  to  his  growing  reputation  as  a  leg- 
islator and  parlimentarian.  No  man  ever  had 
more  loyal  constituents  and  no  people  ever  had 
a  more  faithful  servant.  His  Senatorial  services 
were  endorsed  by  a  re- election  unsought  and  to 
which  no  opposition  was  offered. 

His  elevation  to  the  second  place  in  the  State, 
is  a  natural  result  of  unselfish  services  done  his 
people,  of  devotion  to  the  tenets  of  his  political 
profession,  and  of  the  determination  of  North 
Carolinians  to  call  to  command,  men  who  have 
been  faithful  in  the  ranks.  In  the  flush  of  a 
strong  manhood,  under  his  honors  and  delicate 
duties,  he  will  be  found  modest  and  simple,  a 
worthy  Lieutenant  stands  ready  to  command. 

Silas  McDowell  is  placed  among  the  "Living 
Writers  of  the  South, "  as  possessing  energy  and 
an  original  Franklin  like  genius,  eminently 
worthy  of  consideration.  He  has  long  resided 
in  Macon  county,  although  a  native  of  York 
District,  South  Carolina,  when  he  was  born,  in 
1795.  His  education  was  scanty;  he  was  for 
three  sessions  a  student  at  the  Newton  Academy 
at  Asheville,  working  morning  and  evening  and 
on  Saturdays,  to  pay  his  board. 

-  At  an  early  age,  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
trade  of  a  tailor,  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
and  after  his  time  had  expired  he  worked  for  ten 
years  at  his  craft  in  Morganton,  and  four  years 
at  Asheville,  where  he  married  the  niece  of 
Governor  Swain. 

In  1830,  moved  to  Macon  county.  For  six- 
teen years  he  was  Clerk  of  the  Superior  Court 
of  Macon  County,  and  for  five  years  Clerk  and 
Master   in   Equit)'.      He  was  always  a  hard  stu- 


dent, especially  in  practical  mineralogy,  geology, 
and  botany,  not  so  much  from  books  as  from 
the  great  volume  of  nature  that  this  wild  and 
unexplored  county  presented  to  his  inquiring 
mind.  When  asked  by  a  learned  professor, 
who  was  struck  with  his  original  and  correct 
views  of  science,  recently,  "at  what  college  he 
had  graduated  ?"  he  pointed  to  the  broad  and 
bold  mountains  around  his  homestead:  "These 
wild  mountains  are  the  only  college  at  which 
my  name  has  ever  been  entered  as  a  student !" 
Like  the  great  poet  of  nature,  he  did  not  need 
the  spectacles  of  books  to  read  the  great  history 
of  nature. 

Mr.  McDowell  has  a  pleasingly  happy  faculty 
of  describing  scenery,  the  lofty  cloud-capped 
mountains,  the  weird  craggs  with  their  nestling 
valleys.  These  first  brought  him  before  the 
public,  and  his  sketch  "Above  the  Clouds," 
was  extensively  copied  in  the  papers  of  the 
day(i829).  This  called  for  others,  and  they 
came.  His  pen  pictures  of  the  Table  Rock, 
Casar's  Head,  Hawkbill  Peak,  Hickory  Nut 
Gap,  and  other  sketches,  have  attracted  thou- 
sands to  visit  the  wild  and  weird  scenery  in  this 
region  of  enchantment. 

The  most  prominent  work  of  his  pen,  is  his 
"Theory  of  the  Thermal  Zone,"  which  has 
attracted  so  much  attention  and  has  been  pub- 
lished in  the  Agricultural  Reports  of  the  United 
States.  The  utility  of  this  discovery  is  this  : 
when  mountains  enclose  a  valley,  the  thermal 
belt  or  no  frost  stratum  does  not  lie  more  than 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  valley.  This  is  the  true  home  of  the  grape, 
as  it  is  a  warm  and  dry  atmosphere  that  fully 
develops  all  those  luscious  qualities,  without  any 
danger  of  frosts  killing  the  young  germs. 
An  enthusiastic  admirer  of  scenery,  here  will 
find  ample  subject,  while  the  health-inspiring 
climate,  so  genial  and  salubrious,  ever  renders 
existence  a  luxury. 

Mr.   McDowell  died  at  his  home  in  Macon 
county,  on  July  14,  1S79. 


MARTIN  COUNTY. 


^53 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


MARTIN    COUNTY. 


WhitHwfrHill  lived  and  died  in  this  county. 
For  sketch  of  whom,  see  Bertie  county. 

Asa  Biggs  (born  1811 — died  1S78)  was  born, 
reared  and  Hved  for  a  long  time,  in  Martin 
county.  He  was  born  on  February  4,  181 1. 
After  receiving  a  classical  education,  he  studied 
law,  and  was  licensed  in  183 1.  His  first  appear- 
ance in  the  political  theatre,  in  which  he  was 
destined  to  perform  a  prominent  part,  was  as  a 
member  of  the  Convention,  to  amend  the  Con- 
stitution, in  1835,  the  first  convention  called 
since  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  in  1767. 
This  was  an  admirable  school  for  a  young  man, 
just  then  twenty-four  years  old,  and  taking  his 
first  lessons  in  political  knowledge ;  for  the 
master  minds  of  the  State,  as  Macon,  Gaston, 
Branch,  Daniel  Outlaw,  Carson,  Spaight,  Gil- 
liam Morehead,  Rayner,  Meares  and  others, 
were  members  of  that  illustrious  body.  How 
well  he  improved  this  opportunity,  his  subse- 
quent success  in  political  life  fully  demon- 
strated. 

In  1840,  was  the  "  log  cabin  campaign,"  when 
overwhelmingadversitybefelhis(the  Democratic) 
party,  Mr.  Biggs,  however,  survived  this  disaster 
and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature; 
He  evinced  such  sagacity  and  foresight  that  gave 
him  prominence  and  influence.  He  proposed 
(adverse  tothe  views  of  the  Democratic  party)that 
wise  measure  of  internal  improvement  of  con- 
structing a  railroad  from  the  mountains  to  Beau- 
fort Harbor,  at  the  expense  of  the  State, 
requiring  all  branches  to  be  built  by  individual 
enterprise.  Had  his  views  been  adopted,  our 
railroad  system  would  not  have  presented  the 


conflict  of  interest,  or  confusion  of  routes,  all 
tending  to  swell  the  importance  of  the  com- 
merce of  other  States  only  to  our  detriment.  He 
was  re-elected  in  1S42,  to  the  House,  and  in 
1844  a  member  of  the  State  Senate.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  29th  Congress, 
1845-47,  succeeding  Hon.  Kenneth  Rayner,  and 
defeating  Hon.  David  Outlaw,  who  in  turn 
defeated  him  for  the  next  Congress  (1847-49). 

He  was  appointed  one  of  a  Commission  (with 
B.  F.  Moore,  and  R.  M.  Saunders)  to  revise  the 
Laws  of  the  State,  which  work  is  a  monument 
of  his  patience,  ability,  and  legal  knowledge. 

For  the  second  time,  Mr.  Biggs  was  returned 
to  the  Legislature  (1854)  a  member  of  the 
Senate.  He  was,  unquestionably  the  leader  of 
the  Democratic  party  in  the  Legislature.  He  op- 
posed the  proposition  of  the  Whig  party,  led  by 
Governor  Graham,  to  call  a  Constitutional  Con- 
vention, by  a  majority  of  the  Legislature.  Al- 
though this  measure  was  supported  by  the 
prestige  and  power  of  the  ablest  men  of  the 
Whig  party,  such  was  the  force  of  the  argu- 
ments and  the  power  of  the  speeches  of  Mr. 
Biggs,  that  the  measure  was  defeated. 

By  this  Legislature,  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  United  States  Senate ;  here  he  served 
with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his 
State,  until  he  resigned  in  1858,  to  accept  the  posi- 
tion of  United  States  District  Judge,  made  vacant 
by  the  death  of  Judge  Potter.  He  was  succeeded 
in  the  Senate  by  Hon.  Thomas  L.  Clingman. 
For  the  place  of  Judge,  he  was  well  suited,  by 
his  unsullied  integrity,  his  patient  research,  and 
extensive  acquirements.     But  the  war  came  on, 


254 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


the  State  seceded,  and  he  resigned  the  United 
States  Judgeship,  and  accepted  a  similar  posi- 
tion under  the  new  (Confederate)  Government, 
which  he  held  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Durin'g  the  troubled  times  of  the  war,  he  was 
a  refugee,  with  his  family,  to  Tarboro.  As  soon 
as  hostilities  ceased  he  returned  to  his  profes- 
sion, which  he  pursued  with  success,  until  1869. 
Having  been  one  of  the  signers  of  the  protest, 
by  the  Bar  against  the  partisan  conduct  of 
Members  of  our  Supreme  Court,  in  the  Presi- 
dential campaign  of  1868,  and  feeling  outraged 
at  the  oppression  of  the  Court  in  disbarring  the 
signers,  he  removed  to  Norfolk  and  became  a 
partner  in  the  house  of  Kedar  Biggs  &  Co. 

In  1870,  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Hon.  Wm.  N.  H.  Smith,  and  continued  in  the 
practice  with  Judge  Smith  until  the  removal  of 
the  latter  to  Raleigh.  In  the  Counting  House, 
Judge  Biggs  evinced  the  same  sagacity  and 
probity,  combined  with  labor,  caution,  and  en- 
durance for  work,  as  he  showed  in  the  other 
walks  of  life,  and  stood  as  high  in  this  new  field 
of  labor,  as  he  had  at  the  Bar  or  in  the  Senate 
Chamber.  He  was  an  active  and  useful  Mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Norfolk,  and 
esteemed  for  his  enterprise  and  public  spirit. 
While  attending  to  his  mercantile  duties  at  his 
counting  house,  on  March  6,  1878,  he  was  struck 
with  a  disease  of  the  heart,  carried  home  and 
in  spite  of  all  the  skill  of  science  and  the  kind- 
ness of  affection,  he  suddenly  expired. 

Judge  Biggs  left  a  wife  and  six  children,  three 
sons,  and  three  daughters,  to  mourn  their  loss. 


The  eldest  of  his  sons.  Captain  William  Biggs, 
is  the  editor  of  the  Oxford  Lance. 

Judge  Biggs  was  a  fair  sample  of  a  North 
Carolina  gentleman,  solid  rather  than  showy  in 
his  acquirements,  retiring  and  modest  in  his 
opinions,  but  tenacious  and  firm  when  assailed. 
Consistent  and  conciliatory  in  his  course.  As  a 
statesman  he  was  pure  and  patriotic;  as  a  law- 
yer he  was  learned,  able,  and  successful ;  as  an 
orator  he  did  not  rank  or  aspire,— 

"The  applause  of  listening  Senates  to  command," — ■ 

But  his  addresses  were  replete  with  good  sense, 
and  practical  wisdom.  Whatever  position  he 
occupied,  he  was  equal  to  his  duty — never  above 
nor  below  it.  As  a  gentleman,  he  was  always  po- 
lite, yet  zealous  and  tenacious;  he  possessed  "that 
chastity  of  honor,"  that  regarded  the  slightest 
imputation  upon  it,  as  a  wound.  As  a  parent 
and  a  husband  he  was  provident  and  affectionate, 
and  as  a  Christian,  he  was  a  devote  member  of 
that  much  misrepresented,  but  pure  and  sincere 
denomination,  the  "Primitive  Baptist,"  and 
in  their  faith  he  died. 

Joseph  John  Martin  is  a  native  and  resident  of 
Williamston,  in  this  county.  He  was  born  No- 
vember 21,  1833;  educated  at  the  Williamston 
Academy,  and  read  law  with  Judge  Pearson. 

He  has  served  as  Solicitor  for  the  Second 
Judicial  District,  for  several  years.  He  was  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Convention  at  Cincin- 
nati, and  was  elected  a  Member  of  Congress  to 
the  46th  Congress,  as  a  Republican,  receiving 
12,125  votes,  against  12,084  for  J.  J.  Yeates, 
Democrat.  His  seat  was  contested  by  Mr. 
Yeates. 


1.  Resolved,  That  whosoever,  directly  or  indirectly, 
abets,  or  in  any  way,  form  or  manner,  countenances  the  un- 
chartered and  dangerous  invasion  of  our  rights,  as  claimed 
by  Great  Britain,  is  an  enemy  to  thiscountry — to  America — 
and  to  the  inherent  and  inalienable  rights  of  man. 

2.  Resolved,  That  we,  the  citizens  of  Mecklenburg 
county,  do  hereby  dissolve  the  political  bands  which  have 
connected  us  to  the  mother  country,  and  hereby  absolve 
ourselves  from  all  allegiance  to  the  British  Crown,  and  ab- 
jure all  political  connection,  contract  or  association  with 
that  nation,  who  have  wantonly  trampled  on  our  rights  and 
liberties,  and  inhumanly  shed  the  blood  of  American  pa- 
triots at  Lexington. 

3.  Resolved,  That  we  do  hereby  declare  ourselves  a  free 
and  independent  people;  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  a 
sovereign  and  selfgoverning  association,  under  the  control 
of  no  power  other  than  that  of  our  God  and  the  general 
government  of  the  Congress;  to  the  maintenance  of  which 
independence  we  solemnly  pledge  to  each  other  our  mutual 
co-operation,  our  lives,  our  fortunes  and  our  most  sacred 
honor. 

4.  Resolved,  That  as  we  now  acknowledge  the  existence 
and  control  of  no  law  or  legal  office,  civil  cr  military,  within 
this  county,  we  do  hereby  ordain  and  adopt  as  a  rule  of 
life,  all,  each  and  every  of  our  former  laws — wherein,  nev- 
ertheless, the  Crown  of  Great  Britain  never  can  be  consid- 
ered as  holding  rights,  privileges,  immunities  or  authority 
therein 

5.  Resolved,  That  all,  each  and  every  military  officer 
in  this  county  is  hereby  reinstated  in  his  former  command 
and  authority,  he  acting  conformably  to  these  regulations. 
And  that  every  member  present  of  this  delegation  shall 
henceforth  be  a  civil  officer,  namely,  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
in  the  character  of  a  committee-man,  to  issue  process,  hear 
and  determine  all  matters  of  coniroversy  according  to  said 
adopted  laws  and  to  preserve  peace,  union  and  harmony  in 
said  county  ;  and  to  use  every  exertion  to  spread  the  love  of 
country  and  fire  of  freedom  throughout  America  until  a 
more  general  and  organized  government  be  established  in 
this  province. —  The  Davie  copy  of  the  original  Declaration  of 
May  20,  1775. 


Extract  from  Foote's  Sketches  of  North 
Carolina. 

There  is  one  remarkable  event  in  the  history  of  these  re- 
markable times,  that  we  have  nowhere  seen  set  forth  so 
amply  and  circumstantially  as  in  this  volume  :  we  allude  to 
the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independence;  and  as  the 
time  is  not  inappropriate,  we  annex  the  author's  narrative  of 
that  memorable  event : 

"The first  Declaration   of   Independence  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  May  20th,  1775. 

"The  little  village  of  Charlotte,  the  seat  of  justice  for 
Mecklenburg  county.  North  Carolina,  was  the  theatre  of  one 
of  the  most  memorable  events  in  the  political  annals  of  the 
United  States.  Situated  in  the  fertile  plain,  between  the 
Yadkin  and  Catawba  rivers,  far  above  the  tide-water,  some 
two  hundred  miles  from  the  ocean,  and  in  advance  of  the 
mountains  that  run  almost  parallel  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  on 
the  ruute  of  that  emigration  which,  before  the  Revolution, 
passed  on  southwardly,  from  Pennsylvania,  through  Vir- 
ginia, to  the  occupied  region  east  of  the  mountains,  on  what 
is  now  the  upper  stage  route  from  Georgia  through  South 
Carolina  and  North  Carolina,  to  meet  the  railroad  at  Raleigh, 
it  was,  and  is,  the  centre  of  an  enterprising  population.  It 
received  its  name  from  Princess  Charlotte  of  Mecklenburg, 
whose  native  province  also  gave  name  to  the  county,  the 
House  of  Hanover  having  been  invited  to  the  throne  of 
England. 

"The  traveller,  in  passing  through  this  fertile,  retired  and 
populous  country  would  now  see  nothing  calculated  to  sug- 
gest the  fact  that  he  was  on  the  ground  of  the  boldest  Dec- 
laration ever  made  in  America  ;  and  that  all  around  him 
were  localities  rich  in  associations  of  valor  and  suffering  in 
the  cause  '(5f  National  Independence,  the  sober  recital  of 
which  borders  on  romance.  Every  thing  looks  peaceful, 
secluded  and  prosperous,  as  though  the  track  of  hostile 
armies  had  never  defaced  the  soil.  Were  he  told,  this  is  the 
spot  where  lovers  of  personal  and  national  liberty  will  come. 


in  pilgrimage  or  imagmation,  to  ponder  events  of  the 
deepest  interest  to  mankind,  he  must  feel,  in  the  beauty  and 
fertility  of  the  surrounding  region,  that  here  was  the  chosen 
habitation  for  good  men  to  live  and  act,  and  leave  to  their 
posterity  the  inestimable  privileges  of  political  and  religious 
freedom,  with  abundance  of  all  that  may  be  desired  to  make 
life  one  continued  thanksgiving, 

"There  was  no  printing  press  in  the  upper  country  of 
Carolina  and  many  a  weary  mile  was  to  be  travelled  to  find 
one.  Newspapers  were  few,  and,  no  regular  post  traversing 
the  country,  were  seldom  seen.  The  people,  anxious  for 
news,  were  accustomed  to  assemble  to  hear  printed  hand- 
bills from  abroad,  or  written  ones  drawn  up  by  persons  ap- 
pointed for  the  purpose,  particularly  the  Rev.  Thomas  E. 
Reese,  of  Mecklenburg,  North  Carolina,  whose  bones  lie  in 
the  graveyard  of  the  Stone  Church,  Pendleton,  South  Car- 
olina. There  had  been  frequent  assemblies  in  Charlotte  to 
hear  the  news  and  join  the  discussions  of  the  exciting  subjects 
of  the  day  ;  and,  finally,  to  give  more  efficiency  to  their  dis- 
cussion, it.  was  agreed  upon,  generally,  that  Thomas  Polk, 
Colonel  of  the  Militia,  long  a  surveyor  in  the  province,  fre- 
quently a  member  of  the  Colonial  Assembly,  well  known  and 
well  acquainted  in  the  surrounding  counties — a  man  of  great 
excellence  and  merited  popularity,  should  be  empowered  to 
call  a  convention  of  the  representatives  of  the  people,  when- 
ever it  should  appear  advisable.  It  was  also  agreed  that 
these  representatives  should  be  chosen  from  the  militia  dis- 
tricts, by  the  people  themselves  ;  and  that  when  assembled 
for  council  a'ld  debate,  their  decisions  should  be  binding  on 
the  inhabitants  of  Mecklenburg." 

Alluding  to  the  deep  feeling  of  discontent  produced  in 
the  public  mind  by  the  arbitrary  atteniptof  Governor  Martin 
to  prevent  the  assembling  of  a  Provincial  Congress  for  the 
province  of  North  Carolina  at  New  Berne,  the  author 
remarks : 

"In  this  state  of  the  public  mind.  Col.  Polk  issued  his 
notice  for  the  Committeemen  to  assemble  in  Charlotte  on 
the  igth  clay  of  May,  1775.  On  the  appointed  day,  between 
twenty  and  thirty  representatives  of  the  people  met  in  the 
Court  House,  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  at  the  crossing  of 
the  great  streets,  and  surrounded  by  an  immense  concourse, 
few  of  whom  could  enter  the  house,  proceeded  to  organize 
for  business,  by  choosing  Abraham  Alexander,  a  former 
member  of  the  Legislature,  a  magistrate,  and  ruling  elder  in 
the  Sugar  Creek  Congregation,  in  whose  bounds  they  had 
assembled,  as  their  chairman,  and  John  McKnitt  Alexander 
and  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard,  men  of  business  habits  and  great 
popularity,  their  clerks.  Papers  were  read  before  the  con- 
vention and  the  people.  The  handbill  brought  by  express, 
containing  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Massachu- 
setts, on  that  day  one  month,  the  isth  of  April,  came  to  ■ 
hand  that  day  and  was  read  to  the  assembly.  The  Rev. 
Hezekiah  James  Balch,  Professor  of  Poplar  Tent,  Dr  E. 
Brevard  and  Wm  Kennon,  Esq.,  addressed  the  convention' 
and  the  people  at  large.  Under  the  excitement  produced 
by  the  wanton  bloodshed  at  Lexington,  and  the  addresses 
of  these  gentlemen,  the  assembly  cried,  as  with  one  voice, 
'Let  us  be  independent  —  Ltt  us  declare  our  independence, 
and  defend  it  with  our  lives  and  fortunes  ! '  The  speakers 
said,  "his  Majesty's  proclcmation  had  declared  them  out  of 
the  protection  of  the  British  Crown  and  they  ought,  there- 
fore, to  declare  themseb  es  out  of  his  protection,  and  inde- 
pendent of  all  his  control. ' 

"A  committee  consisting  of  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard,  Mr. 
Kennon  and  Rev.  Mr.  Balch.  were  appointed  to  prepare 
resolutions  suitable  to  the  occasion.  Some  drawn  up  by 
Dr.  Brevard,  and  read  tohis  friends  at  a  political  meeting  in 
Queen's  Museum  some  days  before,  were  read  to  the  con- 
vention, and  committed  to  these  gentlemen  for  revision. 

The  excitement  continued  to  increase  during  the  night, 
and  succeeding  morning.  At  noon.  May  20th,  the  con- 
vention re-assembled  with  an  undiminished  concourse  of 
citizens,  amongst  whom  might  be  seen  many  wives  and 
mothers  anxiously  waiting  the  event.  The  resolutions  pre- 
viously drawn  up  by  Dr.  Brevard,  and  now  amended  by  the 
Committee,  together  with  the  by-laws  and  regulations,  were 
taken  up.  John  McKnitt  Alexander  read  the  by-laws,  and 
Dr.  Brevard  the  resolutions.  All  was  stillness.  The  Chair- 
man of  the  Convention  put  the  question,  —  'Are  you  all 
agreed  ?  ' —     The  response  was  a  universal  'ay,' 

"After    the  business  of  the   Convention  was  arranged,  it 


was  moved  and  seconded  that  the  proceedings  should  be  read 
at  the  Court-house  door  in  hearing  of  the  multitude.  Proc- 
lamation was  made,  and  from  the  Court-house  steps  Col. 
Thomas  Polk  read,  to  a  listening  and  approving  auditory, 
the  following  resolution,  viz  : 

' '  The  Afecklenburg  Declaration. 

"Resohed,  That  whosoever  directly  or  indirectly  abets,  or 
or  in  any  form  or  manner  countenances  the  unchartered  and 
dangerous  invasion  of  ourrights,  asclaimed  by  Great  Britain, 


is  an  enemy  to  this  country,  to  America,  and  to  the  inherent 
and  unalienable  rights  of  man.' 

"A  voice  from  the  crowd  called  out  for  'three  cheers  ' 
and  the  whole  company  shouted  three  times,  and  threw 
their  hats  into  the  air.  The  resolution  was  reaa  again  and 
again  during  the  day  to  companies  desirous  of  retaining  in 
their  memories  sentiments  so  congenial  to  their  feelings. 
There  are  still  living  some  whose  parents  were  in  that  as- 
sembly, and  heard  and  read  the  resolutions  ;  and  from  whose 
lips  they  heard  the  circumstances  and  sentiments  of  this  re- 
markable Declaration." 


Whereas,  by  an  address  presented  by  His  Majesty  to  both 
houses  of  Parliament  in  February  last,  the  American  colo- 
nies are  declared  to  be  in  a  state  of  actual  rebellion,  we  con- 
ceive that  all  laws  and  commissions  confirmed  by  or  derived 
from  the  authority  of  the  King  and  Parliament  are  annulled 
and  vacated  and  the  former  civil  constitution  of  these  colo- 
nies for  the  present  wholly  suspended,  to  provide  in  some 
degree  for  the  exigencies  of  this  county  in  the  present 
alarming  period,  we  deem  it  proper  and  necessary  to  pass 
the  following  resolves,  viz  :  — 

1.  That  all  commissions,  civil  and  military,  heretofore 
granted  by  the  Crown  to  be  exercised  in  these  colonies  are 
null  and  void  and  the  constitution  of  each  particular  colony 
wholly  suspended. 

2.  That  the  Provincial  Congress  of  each  province,  under 
the  direction  of  the  great  Continental  Congress,  is  invested 
with  all  legislative  and  executive  powerswithin  their  respect- 
ive provinces,  and  that  no  other  legislative  or  executive 
power  docs  or  can  exist  at  this  time  in  any  of  these  colonies. 

3.  As  all  former  laws  are  now  suspended  in  this  province, 
and  the  Congress  has  not  yet  provided  others,  we  judge  it 
necessary  for  the  better  preservation  of  good  order  to  form 
certain  rules  and  regulations  for  the  internal  government  of 
this  county  until  laws  shall  be  provided  for  us  by  the  Con- 
gress. 

4.  That  the  inhabitants  of  this  county  do  meet  on  a  cer- 
day  appointed  by  the  committee,  and,  having  formed  them- 
selves into  nine  companies — to  wit,  eight  for  the  county  and 
one  for  the  town — do  choose  a  colonial  and  other  military 
officers,  who  shall  hold  and  exercise  their  several  powers 
by  virtue  of  the  choice  and  independent  of  the  Crown  of 
Great  Britain  and  former  constitution  of  this  province. 

5.  That,  for  the  better  preservation  of  the  peace  and  the 
administration  of  justice,  each  of  those  companies  do  choose 
from  their  own  body,  two  discreet  freeholders,  who  shall  be 
empowered,  each  by  himself  and  singly,  to  decide  and  de- 
termine all  matters  of  controversy  arising  within  said  com- 
pany under  the  sum  of  twenty  shillings,  and  jointly  and 
together  all  controversies  under  the  sum  of  forty  shillings, 
yet  so  as  their  decisions  may  admit  of  appeal  to  the  Con- 
vention of  selectmen  of  the  county,  and  also  that  any  one 
of  these  men  shall  have  power  to  examine  and  commit  to 
confinement  persons  accused  of  petit  larceny. 

6.  That  those  two  selectmen  thus  chosen  do,  jointly  and 
together,  choose  from  the  body  of  their  particular  company 
two  persons  to  act  as  constables,  who  may  assist  them  in  the 
execution  of  their  office. 

7.  That,  upon  the  complaint  of  any  persons  to  either  of 
these  selectmen,  he  do  issue  his  warrant  directed  to  the 
constable,  commanding  him  to  bring  the  aggressor  before 
him  to  answer  said  complaint. 

8  T  hat  these  eighteen  selectmen  thus  appointed,  do  meet 
every  third  Thursday  in  January,  April,  July,  andOctober, 
at  the  Court  House  in  Charlotte,  to  hear  and  determine  all 
matters  of  controversy  for  sums  exceeding  forty  shillings, 
also,  appeals;  and  in  case  of  felony  to  commit  the  persons 
convicted  thereof,  to  close  confinement  until  the  Provincial 
Congress  shall  provide  and  establish  laws  and  modes  of  pro- 
ceeding in  all  such  cases. 

9.  That  these  eighteen  selectmen  thus  convened  do  choose  a 
clerk  to  record  the  transactions  of  said  Convention,  and  that 
said  clerk,  upon  the  application  of  any  person  or  persons 
aggrieved,  do  issue  his  warrant  to  any  of  the  constables  of 
the  company  to  which  the  offender  belongs,  directing  said 
constable  to  summon  and  warn  said  offender  to  appear  be- 
fore said  Convention  at  their  next  sitting,  to  answer  the 
aforesaid  complaint. 


10.  That  any  person  making  complaint,  upon  oath  to  the 
clerk,  or  any  member  of  the  Convention,  that  hehas  reason 
to  suspect  any  person  or  persons  indebted  to  him  in  a  sum 
above  forty  shillings,  intend  clandestinely  to  withdraw  from 
the  county  without  paying  the  debt,  the  clerk  of  such  mem- 
ber shall  issue  his  warrant  to  the  constable,  commandino- 
him  to  take  said  person  or  persons  into  safe  custody  until 
the  next  sitting  of  the  Convention. 

11.  That  when  a  debtor  for  a  sum  above  forty  shillings 
shall  abscond  and  leave  the  county,  the  warrant  granted  as 
aforesaid  shall  extend  to  any  goods  or  chattels  of  said  debtor 
as  may  be  found,  and  such  goods  and  chattels  shall  be  seized 
and  held  in  custody  by  the  constable  for  the  space  of  thirty 
days,  in  which  time,  if  the  debtor  fail  to  return  and  dis- 
charge the  debt,  the  constable  shall  return  the  warrant  to 
one  of  the  selectmen  of  the  company,  where  the  goods  are 
found,  who  shall  issue  orders  to  the  constable  to  sell  such  a 
part  of  said  goods  as  shall  amount  to  the  sum  due.  That 
when  the  debt  exceeds  forty  shillings,  the  return  shall  be 
made  to  the  Convention,  who  shall  issue  orders  for  sale. 

12.  That  all  receivers  and  collectors  of  quit-rents,  public 
and  county  taxes  do  pay  the  same  into  the  hands  of  the 
chairman  of  this  committee,  to  be  by  them  disbursed  as  the 
public  exigencies  may  require,  and  that  such  receivers  and 
collectors  proceed  no  further  in  their  office  until  they  be 
approved  of  by  and  have  given  good  and  sufficient  security 
for  a  faithful  return  of  such  moneys  when  collected. 

13.  That  the  committee  be  accountable  to  the  county  for 
the  application  of  all  moneys  received  from  such  public  offi- 
cers. 

14.  That  all  these  officers  hold  their  commissions  during 
the  pleasure  of  their  several  constituents. 

15  That  this  committee  will  sustain  all  damages  to  all  or 
any  of  their  officers  thus  appointed  and  thus  acting,  on  ac- 
count of  their  obedience  and  conformity  to  these  rules. 

16.  Thai  whalez'er  person  shall  hereafter  receive  a  commission 
from  the    CroT.on,  or  attempt  to   exercise   any   such    commission 

heretofore  received,  shall  be  deemed  an  enemy  to  his  country,  and 
upon  confirmation  being  made  to  the  captain  of  the  com- 
pany in  which  he  resides  the  said  company  shall  cause  him 
to  be  apprehended  and  conveyed  before  two  selectmen,  who 
upon  proof  of  the  fact  shall  commit  said  offender  to  safe 
custody  until  the  next  sitting  of  the  committee,  who  shall 
deal  with  him  as  prudence  may  direct. 

17.  That  any  person  refusing  to  yield  obedience  to  the 
above  rules  shall  be  considered  equally  criminal,  and  liable 
to  the  same  punishment  as  the  offenders  above  last  men- 
tioned. 

18  That  these  resolves  be  in  full  force  and  virtue  until 
instructions  from  the  Provincial  Congress  regulating  the 
jurisprudence  of  the  province,  shall  provide  otherwise,  or 
the  legislative  body  of  Great  Britain  resign  its  unjust  and 
arbitrary  pretentions  with  respect  to  America. 

19.  That  the  eight  militia  companies  in  this  county  pro- 
vide themselves  with  proper  arms  and  accoutrements,  and 
hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  execute  the  commands  and 
directions  of  the  General  Congress  of  this  province  and 
this  committee. 

20.  That  the  committee  appoint  Colonel  Thomas  Polk 
and  Dr.  Joseph  Kenedy  to  purchase  three  hundred  pounds 
of  powder,  six  hundred  pounds  of  lead  and  one  thousand 
flints  for  the  use  of  the  militia  of  this  county,  and  deposit 
the  same  in  such  place  as  the  committee  may  hereafter 
direct. 

Signed  by  order  of  the  committee, 

EPHRAIM  BREVARD. 

Clerk  of  the  Committee. 


I     MM.     I 

-     ■      JiT  < 


?    AEEE  PEEEiraiUS    | 


\  \   \   \ 


In  conformity  to  afi  order  issued  by  the  Colo7iel  of  Mecklenburg 
County,  in  North  Cm'olina,  a  CONVENTION,  vested  with 
unlimited  poivers,  met  at  Cliarlotte,  in  said  County,  on  the 
Nineteenth  day  of  May,  1775,  when  Abraham  Alexander  was 
chosen  Chairman,  and  John  McKnitt  Alexander  Secretary. 

After  a  free  and  fidl  discussion  of  tlie  object  of  the  Convention,  it  was 

UWANIMOU8LT  BESOLVEB^, 

I.  That  whosever,  directly  orindirectly.abetted,  orin  anyway, 
form  or  manner,  countenanced  the  uncharteteb  and  baugerOUS 
inuasion  of  our  rights,  as  claimed  by  Great  Britain,  is  an 
ENEMY  TO  THIS  COUNTRY,  to  AMERICA  and  to  the 
INBEREN  Tand  IN  ALIEN  ABLE  BlGIlTSof3IAN 
II.  Resolved,  That  WE,  the  Citizens  of  Mecklenburg  county, 
do  hereby  DlSSOlue  the  Political  Baubs  which  have  connected 
us  to  the  mother  country,  and  hereby  ABSOLVE  ourselvfes  from  all 
ALLEGIANCE  to  the  British  crown,  and  ABJ  URE  all  political 
connection,  contract  or  ASSOCIATION,  With  that  nation  who  have 
wantonly  trampled  on  oxn: RIGHTS  &■  LIBER  TIESSc  inhumanly 
shed  the  innocent  blood  of  American  Patriots  at  Lexington. 

III.  Resolved,  That  WE  DO  HEREBY  DECLARE 
OURSELVES  A  FREE  &  INDEPENDENT  PEOPLE, 
are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  a  sovereign  and  self-governing 
association  under  the  control  of  NO  POWER  other  than  that  of  our 

GOD,  and  the  iBeneral  iBouernment  of  Congress;  to  the 

maintenance  of  which  INDEPENDENCE,  we  SOLEMNLY 
PLEDGE  to  each  other,  our  MUTUAL  CO-OPERATION,  our 
LIVES,  our  FORTUNES  and  our  MOST  SACRED  HONOR. 

ABRAHAM  ALEXANDER,   Chairman. 
/.    M.  ALEXANDER,  Secretary. 
Adam  Alexander,       Henry  Downs, 
Hezekiah  Alexander, John  Flenniken, 
Ezra  Alexander,  John  Ford, 

Charles  Alexander,     William  Graham, 

James  Harris, 

Robert  Irwin, 

William  Kennon, 


Waitstill  Avery, 
Ephraim  Brevard, 
Hezekiah  J.  Balch, 
Richard  Barry, 
John  Davidson, 
William  Davidson, 


Duncan  Ochletree, 
John  Phifer, 
Thomas  Polk, 
Ezekiel  Polk, 
Benjamin  Patton, 
John  Oueary, 
David  Reese, 
Matthew  Mc'Clure,   Zacheus  Wilson,  sen., 
Neill  Morrison,  William  Wilson. 

Samuel  Martin, 


m 


I  DIEU  ST  M01ID20IT.  % 

ii ;  \  \  \  \  3 


m\\ 


■O--?-O-CK'-ChSo-5-«;mJ-0' ^ 


i^! 


Fac   Simile  of  ttie  oldest  publication   of  the   Mecklenburg   Declaration  of  Independence. 


COLUMBUS   PRINTING   WORKS,   COLUMBUS,   OHIO. 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


255 


CHAPTER  XL. 


IVLECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


With  the  Centennial  City  of  Charlotte,  the 
Capital  of  Mecklenburg  are  associated  glowing 
revolutionary  remembrances.  It  was  here  that 
the  first  Declaration  of  Independence  was  pro- 
claimed, on  May  20,  1775.  The  heroic  battle 
grounds  of  King's  Mountain,  Cowan's  Ford, 
Ramsour's  Mill  are  in  its  vicinity..  It  was  here 
(September  20,  1780)  with  a  handful  of  troops, 
that  General  Davie  held  the  forces  of  Cornwallis 
in  check,  in  whose  retreat  Colonel  Lock  was 
killed,  and  General  George  Graham  seriously 
wounded,  It  was  here,  on  December  3,  1780, 
that  the  ' '  Fabius  of  America, "  General  Greene, 
took  command  of  the  Southern  Army. 

Of  "  illustrious  men,"  says  Thucydides,  "the 
whole  world  is  their  sepulchre."  But  there  are 
some  sacred  spots  which  have  been  specially 
consecrated  in  the  memorials  of  all  ages  of 
mankind  by  the  holy  halo  which  surrounds  the 
illustrious  acts  of  patriots  and  martyrs.  Of 
these  is  Maranthon,  Bannockburn  and  Lexing- 
ton.    History  may  well  add  Charlotte. 

All    hail  to  thee,  thou  good  old    State,  the    noblest    of  the 

band! 
Who  raised  the  flag    of   Liberty,  in  this  our  native  land  1 
All  hail    to  thee,  thy    worthy   sons    were  first  to  spurn  the 

yoke. 
The  tyrant's  fetters  from  their  hands,  at  Mecklenburg  they 

broke. 

One  of  the  great  landmarks  in  North  Caro- 
lina history,  especially  that  touching  the  Meck- 
lenburg section,  was  the  Queen's  Museum,  after- 
ward called  Liberty  Hall,  to  which  reference 
has  been  made  heretofore,  (see  Brevard  and 
Graham  Genealogies  in  Lincoln    county).     We 


extract  from    Caruther's    Life  of  Caldwell,    the 
following : 

"The  history  of  Liberty  Hall  Academy  is 
interesting  to  the  friends  of  literature,  as  a  bold 
and  vigorous  effort  made  for  its  promotion  at 
that  early  day,  and  under  the  most  discouraging 
circumstances,  and  it  is  especially  interesting  to 
Presbyterians,  as  being  one  in  a  series  of  efforts 
made  by  the  people  in  that  region,  to  establish 
a  literary  institution,  not  only  of  a  high  order 
but  on  Christian  principles,  and  under  Christian 
influences.  Both  before  and  after  its  incorpora- 
tion, the  Presbytery  of  Orange  exercised  a 
degree  of  supervision  over  Liberty  Hall,  as 
they  probably  would  have  done  over  Queen's 
College,  if  it  had  gone  into  operation  ;  but  pre- 
cisely on  what  grounds  and  to  what  extent,  does 
not  appear.  For  this  purpose  the  Presbytery 
met,  during  its  existence,  much  oftener  in  Char- 
lotte, and  Sugar  Creek,  than  in  any  other  part 
of  their  bounds.  They  appointed  committees 
to  examine  the  students,  and  they  co-operated 
with  the  Trustees  in  securing  the  services  of  Dr, 
McWhorter.  They  sometimes  held  part  of 
their  session  in  one  of  these  places,  and  the 
remainder  in  the  other.  Thus  having  met  in 
Charlotte,  October  i,  1775,  they  adjourned  in 
the  evening  to  Sugar  Creek,  where  they  trans- 
acted the  rest  of  their  business,  and  among 
other  things,  they  appointed  Messrs.  Caldwell 
and  Reese  to  examine  the  school  in  Charlotte." 
Again  :  "Fourth  Creek,  April  10,  1778,  Messrs. 
McCorkle,  Hall,  and  McCaule,  are  hereby  ap- 
pointed to  write  a  letter  to  Dr,  McWhorter, 
concerning  the  Academy  in  Charlotte." 


256 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


Again  the  same  writer  says:  "As  the  pop- 
ulation between  the  Yadkin  and  Catawba  rivers, 
was  almost  wholly  Presbyterian,  except  the 
Germans,  the  act  for  incorporating  Queen's 
College  at  Charlotte,  was  of  course  obtained 
through  their  influence,  and  the  institution,  if 
it  had  gone  into  operation,  would  have  been 
sustained  by  them,  though  it  was  not  chartered 
as  a  Presbyterian  college,  for  they  had  not  then 
felt  themselves  compelled,  as  they  have  done 
since,  to  take  that  ground.  *         *         * 

"In  April  1777,  the  first  year  of  American  In- 
dependence, an  act  was  passed  by  the  Legisla- 
ture of  North  Carolina,  incorporating  Isaac 
Alexander,  President ;  Colonel  Thomas  Polk, 
Colonel  Thomas  Neal,  Abraham  Alexander, 
Waightstill  Avery,  Adlai  Osborne,  John  Mc- 
Knitt  Alexander,  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard,  Rev. 
David  Caldwell,  Rev.  James  Hall,  Rev.  James 
Edmonds,  Rev.  John  Simpson,  Rev.  Thomas 
Reese,  Rev.  Thomas  Harris  McCaule,  as  Trus- 
tees of  Liberty  Hall  Academy.  These  gentlemen 
had  various  powers,  such  as  corporations  of 
this  nature  usually  possess.  The  first  meeting 
of  this  respectable  body  was  held  in  Charlotte, 
January  3,  1778."  * 

So  the  change  of  name  to  Libcity  Hall  was 
certainly  determined  on  before  April,  1777,  and 
in  less  than  two  years  after  the  culmination  of 
the  meetings,  that  had  been  held  within  its 
walls,  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  in 
the  name  of  the  "citizens  of  Mecklenburg 
county."  The  Revolutionary  War  closed  its 
halls,  and  they  were  desecrated  by  Cornwallis' 
troops,  who  burned  them,  when  his  retreat 
upon  Wilmington  commenced. 

The  same  author  (p.  140)  speaks  of  the  early 
educational  advantages  of  North  Carolina,  as 
follows  :  (see  on  this  subject,  Wheeler's  History 
of  North  Carolina,  I.  p.  116). 

"When  the  Orange  Presbytery  was  organized 
the  summer   before   the   Regulation  Battle,  it 

■•■■Life  of  Caldwell,  pp.  194-95. 


consisted  of  seven  ministers,  and  these  all  lived 
in  North  Carolina.  They  were  all  men  of  class- 
ical education,  and  most  of  them  were  graduates 
of  Princeton  College.  There  seems  to  have 
been,  as  already  stated,  a  classical  school  in 
Charlotte ;  probably  another  in  Granville  or 
Orange  ;  and  Dr.  Caldwell's  school  which  had 
now  been  in  operation  about  five  years,  since 
1 766,  and  had  prepared  several  young  men  for 
college,  some  who  became  distinguished  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel.  (Foote  says  :  "  Five  of  his 
scholars  became  Governors,  a  number  Judges, 
about  fifty  were  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and  a 
large  number  physicians  and  lawyers.  The 
number  of  pupils  averaged  fifty  or  sixty.) 

There  were  several  English  schools  within 
the  limits  of  what  is  now  Guilford  county,  and 
the  people  generally  understood  the  value  of 
education.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Beuthahn  (pronounced 
nearly  as  if  written  Bittaun)  who,  as  I  am 
informed,  organized  the  German  Reformed 
Churches,  in  Guilford  and  Orange,  taught  a 
German  school  for  several  years,  about  this  time, 
in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  former  county  ; 
and  the  Lutherans  had  their  preachers,  who, 
being  from  Germany,  were  educated  men.  In  a 
communication  just  received,  from  Bishop  Van- 
vleck,  ofSalem,  he  mentions  the  Revs.  Nussman 
and  Arnt,  who,  having  been  sent  out  at  an  early 
period,  '  'labored  faithfully  in  poverty  and  priva- 
tions, until,  on  their  urgent  application,  the 
Revs.  Charles  A.  Storh,  Roschau,  and  Bern- 
hard,  were  sent  to  to  their  assistance." 

The  German  Reformed  Churches  had  several 
ministers,  some  of  whom  were  devoted  and  use- 
full  men  ;  and  the  Moravians  were  well  supplied. 
There  were  several  Baptist  ministers  in  the 
Province,  but  of  their  character  I  know  nothing. 
People  in  these  circumstances  could  not  be  so 
grossly  ignorant,  as  they  have  been  represented, 
and  the  Quakers  although  they  differ  from  most 
others  in  their  views  of  the  ministry,  have  al- 
ways advocated  and  maintained  a  high  degree 
of  English  education.     *         *         *         * 


MECKLENBURG   COUNTY. 


257 


A  writer  in  the  Ralcigli  Obscivcr,  says  of  edu- 
cation in  the  colony  of  Carolina:  "  McMas- 
ter's  History  of  the  People  of  the  United 
States,  is  a  work  which  has  met  with  a  very 
favorable  reception  from  the  public.  But  it 
would  be  remarkable  if  a  work  of  that  nature 
should  not  have  here  and  there  some  coloring 
to  which  just  and  reasonable  exception  might 
well  be  taken.  And  so  we  are  not  surprised  to 
find  that  what  McMaster  says  of  education  in 
the  Southern  colonies,  has  met  with  a  warm 
reply.  Indeed  it  is  not  strange  that  Northern 
writers  deal  unfairly  by  the  South,  because 
Southern  men  have  hardly  dealt  justly  with  her 
themselves.  They  have  not  put  the  facts  on 
record.  We  ourselves  have  therefore  been 
somewhat  to  blame.  But  yet  that  does  not 
excuse  a  writer  of  history  for  taking  it  for 
granted  that  things  do  not  exist  merely  because 
he  has  no  information  of  them.  McMaster  is 
quoted  as  saying  in  his  history  :  "In  the  South- 
ern States,  education  was  almost  wholly  neg- 
lected, but  nowhere  to  such  an  extent  as  in 
South  Carolina.  In  that  colony  prior  to  1730, 
no  such  thing  as  a  grammar  school  existed. 
Between  1731  and  1776,  there  were  five.  Dur- 
ing the  Revolution  there  were  none.  Indeed  if 
the  number  of  newspapers  printed  in  any  com- 
munity may  be  taken  as  a  guage  of  the  educa- 
tion of  the  people,  the  condition  of  the  South- 
ern States  as  compared  with  the  Eastern  and 
Middle,  was  most  deplorable.  In  1775  there 
were  in  the  entire  country,  thirty -seven  papers 
in  circulation.'  Fourteen  of  them  were  in  New 
England,  four  in  New  York,  and  nine  in  Penn- 
sylvania ;  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  there 
were  two  each,  in  Georgia  one,  in  South  Caro- 
lina three.     The  same  is  true  of  to-day." 

Mr.  McCrady,  of  Charleston,  has  replied 
vigorously  on  behalf  of  South  Carolina,  and  we 
trust  that  some  one  will  likewise  compile  the 
statrstics  of  schools  in  the  colony  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  give  them  to  the  public.  In  the  mean- 
time we    will  contribute  our    mite.      It  is  true 


that  there  were  but  few  towns  in  this  colony — 
and  that  rendered  impossible  the  village  schools 
which  existed  in  England,  and  which  came 
naturally  enough  in  the  thickly  settled  parts  of 
Massachusetts.  But  education  was  not  wholly 
neglected.  Gentlemen  living  in  the  country 
had  tutors  for  their  children,  and  there  doubt- 
less were  schools  in  the  more  thickly  settled 
neighborhoods,  oi  which  no  record  now  exists. 
There  was  higher  education  and  that  is  an  evi- 
dence of  the  existence  of  grammar  schools. 
On  the  Cape  Fear  it  seems  to  have  been  the 
custom  from  1740  to  the  Revolutionary  War  to 
send  the  young  men  to  Boston.  We  have 
heard  that  Mr.  William  Hill,  the  father  of  Hon. 
William  Hill,  came  from  Boston  to  the  Cape 
Fear  to  attend  the  wedding  of  one  of  his  class- 
mates. This  was  before  1750.  He  remained 
on  the  Cape  Fear  and  married  there.  A  will 
in  our  possession,  dated  1735,  directs  the  edu- 
cation of  the  testators's  children,  and  says  that 
they  shall  be  taught  French — "perhaps  some 
Frenchman  on  the  Peedee  might  be  engaged." 
We  think  it  was  the  general  practice  in  that 
section  to  patronize  Boston  rather  than  England, 
although  we  remember  to  have  heard  a  tradi- 
tion, that  a  vessel  carrying  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  young  men  to  England  to  finish  their 
education,  was  lost  at  sea.  Foote  says  that  in 
1760,  Rev.  James  Tate  opened  at  Wilmington, 
the  first  classical  school  ever  taught  there.  At 
that  time  Wilmington  could  have  had  but  a  few 
hundred  inhabitants.  There  were  chartered 
academies  at  Edenton  and  at  New  Berne  ;  but 
this  does  not  signify  that  grammar  schools  were 
lacking  wherever  the  population  was  sufficient 
to  justify  them.  That  there  were  not  more 
chartered  academies  was  doubtless  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  Royal  governors  insisted  on  a 
clause  in  the  charters  requiring  "the  masters" 
to  belong  to  the  established  church  and  giving 
the  governor  power  to  appoint  them.  That 
was  the  settled  policy — to  extend  the  influence 
of  the  established  church,  and  as  it  was  distasteful 


2S8 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


to    the   people,    so    chartered  academies  were 
not  popular. 

It  would  seem  that  while  the  Cape  Fear 
largely  patronized  Boston,  the  northeastern 
section  sent  her  sons  to  England  and  the  Pres- 
byterians of  the  interior  sought  higher  educa- 
tion at  Princeton. 

About  1767,  says  Foote,  Joseph  Alexander, 
a  fine  scholar,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Benedict, 
taught  a  classical  school  of  high  excellence  and 
usefulness — this  was  at  Sugar  Creek,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Charlotte. 

In  1766,  Dr.  Caldwell  opened  his  classical 
school  in  Guilford.  This,  says  Foote,  was  the 
second  permanent  classical  school  in  the  upper 
part  of  Carolina — that  at  Sugar  Creek  being  the 
first,  and  that  of  Mr.  Pattilo,  in  Granville,  the 
third.  Five  of  his  scholars  became  Governors, 
a  number  Judges,  about  fifty  were  Ministers  of 
the  Gospel,  and  a  large  number  physicians  and 
lawyers.  The  number  of  pupils  averaged  fifty 
or  sixty  and  came  from  different  parts  of  the 
State.  About  the  same  time.  Dr.  Pattilo  taught 
in  Granville;  in  1761,  Rev.  William  Richardson, 
the  uncle  of  General  Davie,  located  at  the  Wax- 
haws,  and  doubtless  he  also  taught  school. 

Large  Scotch-Irish  settlements  in  central 
Carolina,  began  probably  in  1747,  and  continued 
up  to  the  Revolutionary  War.  Says  Foote  : 
"almost  invariably  as  soon  as  a  neighborhood 
was  settled,  preparations  were  made  for  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  by  a  regular  stated 
pastor ;  and  wherever  a  pastor  was  located,  in 
that  congregation  there  was  a  classical  school ; 
as  in  Sugar  Creek,  Poplar  Tent,  Centre,  Bethany, 
Buffalo,  Thyatira,  Grove,  Wilmington,  and  the 
churches  occupied  by  Pattilo  in  Orange  and 
Granville."  And  when  we  consider  the  very 
considerable  number  of  well  educated  men  who 
lived  in  this  western  section,  and  the  number 
who  patronized  Princeton  college,  we  are  pre- 
pared to  say  that  this  part  of  Carolina  must 
have  had  a  good  record  in  regard  to  education. 
About  the  same   time   the    Moravians  settled 


Salem,  and  they  early  established  a  boarding 
school  for  girls,  which  has  continued  in  exist- 
ence to  this  day,  and  is  still  youthful  in  vigor. 

It  is  freely  admitted  that  in  the  matter  of 
schools  a  great  difference  is  observable  between 
the  colonies  of  Massachusetts  and  of  North 
Carolina.  For  that  difference  there  were  sev- 
eral causes.  Massachusetts  was  settled  by  colo- 
nies— North  Carolina  was  occupied  by  individ- 
ual families.  The  people  of  Massachusetts 
were  forced  by  circumstances  to  remain  in  com- 
munities ;  those  of  North  Carolina  being  under 
no  such  pressure,  lived  apart.  In  the  former 
the  establishment  of  towns  was  coeval  with  the 
settlement ;  in  North  Carolina,  there  was  no 
town  until  Bath  was  located  in  1704 — probably 
fifty  years  after  lands  were  first  taken  up  in  the 
province.  Ihe  people  were  scattered  sparsely 
here  and  there  along  the  shores  of  the  sounds 
and  on  the  banks  of  water-courses.  Again, 
the  people  were  not  all  of  the  same  religious 
faith,  while  in  Massachusetts  the  local  preachers 
were  the  teachers.  From  letters  printed  in 
Hawks'  history,  we  obtain  a  fair  view  of  the 
condition  of  North  Carolina  in  1709.  The  sec- 
tion north  of  Albemarle  Sound  was,  at  that  date, 
divided  into  four  precincts — Currituck,  Pasquo- 
tank, Perquimans  and  Chowan.  Currituck  had 
a  population,  children  included,  of  539,  whereof 
97  were  negroes.  Pasquotank  had  1,332,  of 
whom  21 1  were  negroes.  It  was  "closer  seated 
than  the  other  and  better  peopled  in  proportion 
to  its  bigness." 

Perquimans  probably  had  about  the  same  popu- 
lation. Chowan  was  the  largest  but  "thinnest 
seated."  There  were  "  no  inhabitants  on  the 
road,  for  they  plant  only  on  the  river,  and  they 
are  planted  in  length  on  these  rivers,  at  least 
twenty  miles."  The  Albemarle  section  proba- 
bly had  at  that  time  about  3,500  inhabitants. 
Immediately  across  the  sound  there  seemed  to 
have  been  no  settlers — but  there  was  "aihew 
colony  of  Pamplico,  to  reach  '  which  there  are 
about  fifty  miles  desert  to  pass  through  without 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


259 


any  human  creature  inhabiting  it."  This  was 
Bath.  The  settlement  was  on  the  Pamlico  river 
and  its  branches.  "They  have  begun  to  build 
a  town  called  Bath.  It  consists  of  about  twelve 
houses,  being  the  only  one  in  the  whole  province. ' ' 
That  settlement  probably  did  not  contain  500 
inhabitants.  In  1709  a  few  Huguenots  removed 
from  the  banks  of  the  James  river  and  settled 
between  Pamlico  and  the  Neuse.  It  was  about 
that  time  that  Beaufort  was  laid  out  as  a  town, 
and  a  little  later  the  Swiss  located  at  New 
Berne. 

Under  these  circumstances,  with  families  far 
removed  from  each  other — with  religious  dis- 
putes flagrant,  and  indeed  all  the  politics  of  the 
colony  turning  on  religious  dissensions — it  is 
easy  to  see  why  there  was  but  little  progress 
made  in  establishing  schools.  Yet  we  find  that 
at  Sarum,  on  the  dividing  line  between  Virginia 
and  North  Carolina,  there  was  a  flourishing 
school  kept  by  a  Mr.  Mashburn  ;  that  a  Mr. 
Griffin  had  a  school  in  Pasquotank  ;  "  that  the 
Quakers  themselves  sent  their  children  to  his 
school;"  "that  Mr.  Adams  took  Mr.  Griffin's 
place  in  Pasquotank  and  he  went  to  Chowan." 
These  schools  are  mentioned  only  incidentally. 
There  were  doubtless  schools  at  Bath  and  else- 
where. In  the  colony  there  resided  men  of 
learning,  culture  and  refinement;  men  of  means 
who  contributed  to  found  libraries,  to  erect 
churches,  and  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the 
people.  Mosely,  Hyde,  Swann,  Porter,  Lil- 
lington,  Harvey,  Saunderson,  Pollock,  Lowe, 
the  son-in-law  of  Governor  Archdale,  and  others 
too  numerous  to  mention,  were  men  who  were 
not  indifferent  to  education.  If  the  facts  could 
be  unearthed,  it  would  probably  appear  that 
there  were  many  good  schools  in  the  province. 

Men  of  education  and  intelligence,  who  were 
influenced  by  the  possession  -or  prospect  of 
office,  were  with  the  Regulators  in  principle  and 
spirit,  but  not  in  measures,  or  not  in  their  ultra 
measures,  just  because  they  believed  that  the 
people  were  not  prepared  for  a  conflict  with  the 


established  government.  See  Life  of  Caldwell, 
pp.  140-41.  Jones  mentions  Maurice  Moore, 
Thomas  Person,  and  Alexander  Martin,  as  of 
this  sentiment. 

In  the  uprising  of  the  Regulators,  it  is  be- 
lieved that  Mecklenburg  took  a  decided  part. 
We  extract  from  the  "Life  of  Caldwell,"  (p.  136) 
by  Caruthers,  the  following  statement : 

"As  it  had  been  found  very  difficult  to  pun- 
ish any  of  the  Regulators  in  their  own  county, 
the  Attorney  General  was  authorized  to  prose- 
cute them  in  any  Superior  Court,  or  Court  of 
Oyer  and  Terminer,  in  the  Province;  and  on  an 
indictment  being  found,  the  Judges  were  directed 
to  issue  a  proclamation  against  the  defendant, 
commanding  him  to  surrender  himself  and  stand 
his  trial ;  and  on  his  failing  to  do  so,  he  was  held 
to  be  guilty  and  outlawed,  and  his  lands  and 
chattels  forfeited.  The  Governor  was  empow- 
ered to  make  drafts  from  the  militia  to  enforce 
the  execution  of  the  laws  ;  and  any  persons 
who  were  found  embodied  and  in  arms,  with  in- 
tention of  opposing  the  military  force,  if  they 
refused  on  command  of  a  Justice  or  Sheriff  to 
lay  down  their  arms  and  surrender  themselves, 
were  to  be  treated  as  traitors.  To  diminish  the 
strength  of  the  Regulators  by  division,  four  new 
counties  were  established:  one  by  taking  apart 
from  each  of  the  counties  of  Orange,  Cumber- 
land, and  Johnston,  which,  in  compliment  to 
Miss  Esther  Wake,  a  sister  of  Tryon's  lady, 
was  called  Wake  ;  another  was  formed  from  the 
counties  of  Orange  and  Rowan,  which  was  called 
Guilford  ;  a  third  was  formed  out  of  the  south- 
ern part  of  Orange,  to  which  the  name  of  Chat- 
ham was  given  ;  and  the  northern  part  of  Row- 
an was  erected  into  a  county  called  Surry." 

"Mecklenburg  seems  to  have  had  no  confidence 
in  the  leaders  oi  the  Regulators,  and  a  righteous 
disgust  for  many. of  their  excesses.  As  Rev. 
Francis  Cummins,  the  neighbor  of  Captain 
James  Jack,  has  expressed  it,  "  they  wanted 
strength,  coiisistou-y,  a  Congress,  and  a  Wash- 
ington at  their   head."     Immediately  after  the 


26o 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


Battle  of  Alamance  (which  was  in  May  i6,  1771), 
Governor  Tryon  took  steps  to  cure  this  more 
methodical  madness  by  swearing  her  "whole 
militia  companies  together."  So  well  did  his 
prescription  work  upon  the  consciences  of  a  Bible- 
reading  community  that  when  a  convention  of 
delegates  from  these  same  militia  companies 
assembled  in  Charlotte  on  May  19,  1775,  with 
the  common  sentiment  that  '  the  cause  of  Bos- 
ton is  the  cause  of  all,'  '  to  take  such  measures 
as  might  be  thought  best  to  be  pursued,'  and 
independence  was  boldly  proposed  as  the  only 
remedy,  quite  a  scene  was  produced  by  the  dele- 
gate, who  replied,  "I  should  be  glad  to  know 
how  gentlemen  can  clear  their  consciences  after 
taking  that  oath."  The  same  argument  that 
satisfied  him,  and  made  the  vote  unanimous, 
was  effectually  used  by  Dr.  Caldwell  in  his  con- 
gregations in  Guilford,  and  was  a  triumph  of 
sound  reason  and  righteousness  over  the  mach- 
inations of  tyrants.* 

The  same  author,  who,  from  the  mouth  of 
eye  witnesses,  has  given  elsewhere,  many  un- 
published incidents  connected  with  the  battle  of 
Guilford  Court  House,  March  15,  1780,  and  the 
affair  on  the  Alamance,  May  16,  1771,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  six  prisoners  hung  by  Tryon  at  Hills- 
boro,  says:  '  'Nor  will  the  fate  of  Captain  Merrill 
excite  much  less  regret.  He  was  from  the  Jer- 
sey settlement,  according  to  McPherson  ;  or  as 
others  say,  from  Alecklcnburg  county.  He  was 
regarded  as  a  pious  man  ;  was  much  esteemed 
wherever  he  was  known..  He  was  within  an  easy 
day's  march  of  the  place  of  meeting,  with  three 
hundred  men  under  his  command,  when  he 
heard  of  the  defeat,  and  if  he  had  got  there  in 
time,  the  result  would  have  been  very  different. 
His  men  immediately  dispersed;  but  he  was 
taken  prisoner,  and  his  life  was  the  forfeit." 


*Rev.  E.  W.  Caruther's  "  Life  of  Rev.  Dr.  David  Cald- 
well," p.  136. 

Dr.Caldwell  wasa  most  influential  character, and, although 
not  so  mentioned  by  the  historians  of  the  adjacent  States, 
figured  conspicuously  in  connection  with  the  battles,  both 
of  Alamance,  and  of  Guilford  Court  House. 


To  get  positive  information  on  this  head,  as 
well  as  of  a  prior  rebellion  in  Mecklenburg, 
which  arose  out  of  British  land  titles,  would 
now  be  about  as  difficult  as  obtaining  access 
to  the  archives  of  an  "  invisible  empire." 

Under  the  head  of  Wake  County,  we  will 
publish  documents  to  refute  the  sweeping  assump- 
tion made  by  a  critic  in  the  Noiih  Amaican 
Rcvieiv,  of  April  1874,  that  "in  the  year  18 19, 
the  Raleigh  Register  surprised  its  readers,  etc. , 
with  the  announcement  of  a  Mecklenburg 
Declaration    of  Independence,    dated   May  20, 

1775." 

The  Polk  Family. 

Robert  Polk  was  born  in  Ireland.  The  name 
is  a  corruption  of  Pollock.  He  came  to  America 
in  1735.  Had  eight  children — six  sons  and  two 
daughters ;  and  settled  in  Somerset  county, 
Maryland.  Three  sons  of  Robert — Thomas, 
Ezekiel,  and  Charles — in  1750,  came  to  Meck- 
lenburg county,  then  Anson  county  (Mecklen- 
burg was  formed  in  1762  from  Anson).  John, 
son  of  Robert,  was  the  father  of  William. 

William  Polk,  grandson  of  Robert  had  (i) 
Charles,  (2)  Susan  (married  Alexander),  (3)  John 
(4)  Ezekiel,  (5)  Thomas,  (6)  Margaret  (married 
McRee). 

Ezekiel  Polk,  son  of  William,  married,  first. 
Miss  Wilson  ;  second  Mrs.  Lennard,  and  was 
the  father  of  Samuel  Polk,  who  married  Jane 
Knox,  and  so  became  the  father  of  Jarnes  Knox 
Polk,  (born  November  2,  1795— died  June  15, 
1849)  who  was  the  eldest  of  his  children.  He 
was  born  eleven  miles  south  of  Charlotte,  near 
little  Sugar  Creek  church.  When  he  was  about 
eleven  years  old,  his  father  moved  to  Tennessee. 
He  was  educated  at  the  University,  where  he 
graduated  in  1818,  in  the  same  class  with  Rob- 
ert Donaldson,  Thomas  J.  Green,  William  M. 
Green,  now  Bishop  of  Mississippi,  Hamilton  C. 
Jones,  Edward  J.  Mallett,  Rev.  Robert  H. 
Morrison,  William  D.  Mosely  (since  Governor 
of  Florida)  and  Hugh  Waddell.  He  took  the  first 
honors  of  his  class.     He  never  missed  a  single 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


261 


recitation  during  his  whole  course.  He  read 
law  with  Felix  Grundy,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1820.  He  was  elected  a  Member  of 
Congress  in  1825 — in  1835  was  Speak'^r — which 
he  held  for  five  sessions.  After  fourteen  years' 
service  he  declined  a  re-election.  During  this 
long  service  he  never  was  absent  a  day  from  the 
House. 

In  1839,  he  was  elected  Governor  of  Tennes- 
see. In  1844  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
United  States,  by  amajorityof  sixtyfive  votes, 
over  Henry  Clay.  His  cabinet  was  one  of  trans- 
cendant  ability.  Mr.  Buchanan  in  the  State 
Department,  Robert  J.  Walker  in  the  Treasury, 
William  L.  Marcy  in  the  War  Department, 
John  Y.  Mason,  Clifford,  and  Toucey  as  Attor- 
ney Generals,  Cave  Johnson  as  Postmaster 
General,  and  George  Bancroft  as  Secretary  of 
the  Navy. 

The  events  of  his  administration  are  recorded 
in  history.  The  war  with  Mexico  enlarged  the 
limits  of  our  Republic,  and  general  prosperity 
smiled  on  our  country.  His  administration  was 
prosperous  and  glorious.  In  his  letter  accept- 
ing the  nomination,  he  declared  that  he  would 
serve  only  one  term,  and  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  J.  G. 
M.  Ramsey  of  Tennessee,  he  reiterated  this 
determination,  when  many  thought  his  name 
was  the  only  available  means  of  success.  He 
died  at  Nashville  on  June  15,  1849.  *-*"  ^'^ 
tomb  is  inscribed  this  sentence : 

"By  his  public  policy  he  defended,  estab- 
lished, and  extended  the  boundaries  of  his 
country.  He  planted  the  laws  of  the  American 
Union  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  His  influ- 
ence and  his  councils  tended  to  organize  the 
National  Treasury  on  the  principles  of  the  Con- 
stitution, and  to  apply  the  rule  of  Freedom  to 
navigation,  trade,  and  industry."* 

Thomas  Polk,  son  of  William  Polk  and  Pris- 
cilla  Roberts,  was  the  grand-uncle  of  President 
Polk.t 

■■■■'See  "  Life  of  James  K.  Polk,"  by  John  S.  Jenkins,  Au- 
burn, James  M.  Alden,  1S50. 

tLossing's  Field  Book  of  the  Revolution,   11,  617,  624. 


He  was,  originally,  a  survej  or  in  the  early 
days  of  the  colony,  uniformly  popular  and  re- 
spected. He  was  the  Colonel  of  the  county, 
and  represented  Mecklenburg  in  the^^Colonial 
Legislature. 

He  was  with  Abram  Alexander  a  Member  of 
Assembly,  in  1771  and  1775-,  from  Mecklenburg 
and  appointed  by  the  Provincial  Congress  in 
1775,  Colonel  of  the  2d  Battalion  of  Minute 
Men,  with  Adam  Alexander  as  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  and  Charles  McLean  as  Maj'or. 

He  succeeded  General  Davidson  after  the  fall 
of  that  officer  at  Cowan's  Ford. 

The  first  opportunity  for  showing  his  zeal,  in 
defense  of  his  country,  was  in  South  Carolina, 
in  1775.  The  Tories  had  embodied  themselves 
under  Fletchal,  Cunningham,  and  others,  by 
the  inducement  of  Sir  William  Campbell,  the 
last  of  the  Royal  Governors  in  South  Carolina. 
They  attacked  the  Whigs  under  General  Wil- 
liamson,at  Cambridge, and  at  "Ninety  Six"  and 
forced  him  to  capitulate.  The  Council  of  Safety 
ordered  out  General  Richard  Richardson's  bri- 
gade, supported  by  Colonel  William  Thompson's 
Regiment  of  Rangers,  and  called  upon  the 
Whigs  of  North  Carolina,  to  aid  in  crushing  the 
Royalists.  They  promptly  responded,  and 
marched  with  nine  hundred  men,  under  Colonels 
Polk,  Rutherford,  Martin,  and  Graham.  In  a 
severe  battle  they  vanquished  the  Royalists. 

The  clouds  of  the  Revolutionary  War  had 
now  begun  to  lower,  and  the  brave  spirits  of 
Mecklenburg  were  preparing  for  the  fearful 
storm  to  burst  upon  them.      They  were  : 

"  Men  who  understood  their  rights, 
And  knowing,  dared  maintain  " 

Colonel  Thomas  Polk  issued  orders  to  each 
captain  of  his  Regiment,  to  send  delegates  to  a 
meeting  at  Charlotte,  to  be  held  on  May  19, 
1775  ;  which  met,  and  on  the  20th  issued  a 
Declaration  of  Independence,  avowing  them- 
selves "a  free  and  independent  people,  under 
the  control  of  no  power  other  than  that  of  God 
and  the  General  Government    of  the  Congress, 


262 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


to  the  maintenance  of  which  they  solemnly 
pledged  to  each  other  their  mutual  co-opera- 
tion, their  lives,  their  fortunes,  and  their  sacred 
honor." 

This  is  the  proudest  page  in  the  history  of 
North  Carolina,  and  is  full  of  patriotism,  moral 
grandeur  and  sublimity.  That  some  who 
have  never  risen  to  the  height  of  this 
great  argument,  should  endeavor  to  throw  some 
doubts  on  this  sublime  act,  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at,  as  the  doubting  Thomas  would  not  be- 
lieve in  his  Savior's  resurrection  unless  he  had 
tangible  and  visible  proof;  yet  to  all  fair 
minds  its  verity  safely  rests  on  the  dispatch  of 
the  Royal  Governor  Martin,  dated  Fort  John- 
son, North  Carolina,  30th  June,  1775,  to  the 
Earl  of  Dartmouth,  in  which  he  says  : 

"The  resolves  of  the  Committee  of  Meck- 
lenberg,  which  your  Lordship  will  find  in  the 
enclosed  newspaper,  surpasses  all  the  horrid 
and  treasonable  publications  that  the  inflamma- 
ble spirits  on  this  continent  have  yet  produced, 
and  your  Lordship  may  depend  its  authors  and 
abettors  will  not  escape  my  due  notice,  when- 
ever my  hands  are  sufficiently  strengthened  to 
attempt  the  recovery  of  the  lost  authority  of 
this  government.  A  copy  of  these  resolutions, 
I  am  informed,  was  sent  off  immediately  by 
express  to  the  Congress  at  Philadelphia." 

I  have  copied  the  whole  dispatch,  the  original  of 
which  is  extant,  in  the  Rolls  Office  in  London. 
The   dispatch  is   in    the    handwriting    of   Gov. 
Martin.      Endorsed  upon  it  are  these  words  : 
"  Enclosures. 
"  I.   Minutes  of  the  Council. 
' '  II.   Resolves  of  the  Committee  of  Mecklen- 
berg  County. 

"III.  Printed  Proclamation. " 
These  Resolutions  were  sent  off  (as  Governor 
Martin  states  he  was  informed)  to  the  Congress 
at  Philadelphia,  by  Captain  Jack,  and  "referred 
to  a  committee,  who  reported  on  the  first  of 
September,  that  the  present  Association  ought 
to  be  further  relied  on  for  bringing  about  a  rec- 


onciliation with  the  parent  State."  No  fur- 
ther notice  was  taken,  and  this  brilliant  spark 
was  lost  in  the  blaze  of  the  Federal  Declaration 
of  Independence,  published  the  following  year.* 

There  were  Resolves  of  Mecklenberg  passed 
on  May  31,  1775,  which  were  equally  patriotic. 
Their  authenticity  has  never  been  questioned. 
Therefore,  it  was  very  essential  to  obtain  the 
, enclosure  of  Governor  Martin.  This  paper  was 
missing  from  the  files  of  the  British  rolls  office. 
To  produce  this  would  settle  the  doubts  of  all. 
Mr.Jefferson,  in  ahasty  letter  to  Mr.  Adams,  dated 
July  9,  1819,  had  pronounced  the  whole  affair  a 
myth.f  Mr.  Bancroft, when  Envoy  to  England, 
has  searched  in  vain  for  this  newspaper  en- 
closed in  Governor  Martin's  dispatch,  and 
offered  a  reward  for  its  recovery. 

The  following  note  was  then  addressed  to 
the  Deputy  Master  of  the  Rolls,  who  has  charge 
of  these  papers  : 

"  No.  28  Bury  .St.,  St.  James',  London,  I 
28  Jan.,  1864.      / 

' '  To  Hon.  St7'  Thomas  Hardy  Duff  us,  Dep.  Master 

of  tlie  Rolls  House,  Cliancery  Lane,  London  : 

"Sir:  Under  instructions  of  the  Duke  of 
New  Castle,  you  have  allowed  me  full  and  free 
access  to  all  the  papers  in  your  office  relative 
to  the  Colonial  History  of  North  Carolina. 

"  In  Vol.  222,  the  official  dispatch  of  Josiah 
Martin,  (No.  34)  then  the  Royal  Governor  of  the 
Province  of  North  Carolina,  dated  30th  June, 
1775,  enclosed  several  papers. 

"One  of  these,  'The  Cape  Fear  Mercury, ' 
stated  by  Governor  Martin  to  contain  the  Meck- 
lenburg Resolves  of  the  Independent  Com- 
mittee has  been  removed,  and  in  the  place 
thereof  is  this  endorsement  in  pencil : 

"  'A  paper  taken  out  by  Mr.  Turner  for  Mr.  Ste- 
venson,  13  Au£r-,  i837.'t 


■■■Lossing  ii.,  621. 

tMr.  Stevenson,  of  Virginia,  was  at  the  time  Envoy  from 
the  United  States  at  London. 

tAs  it  is  now  settled  that  Mr.  Jefferson  at  the  time  was 
opposed  to  independence,  the  North  Carolina delegatesmay 
not  have  apprised  him  of  the  Mecklenburg  dispatch,  and  in 
such  a  fr.ame  ihe  piihl'calion  which  he  must  have  seen  made 
no  lasting  impression  on  his  mind. 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY, 


263 


"  I  wish  very  much  to  examine  the  newspa- 
per in  question,  and  will  be  obliged  if  you  will 
take  such  steps  as  you  may  conceive  necessary 
to  have  it  restored  to  the  Volume  from  whence 
it  has  been  removed,  or  ascertain  its  where- 
abouts. 

"  I  have  the  honor,  &c., 

JNO.  H.  WHEELER." 
The  following  answer  was  received  by  me: 

*  "  Public  Rolls  Office,  London,  "1 

27  Feb.,  1864.      J 

"  Sir  :  With  reference  to  your  letter  of  the 
28th  January,  I  am  directed  by  the  Master  of  the 
Rolls  to  inform  you,  that  he  has  communicated 
with  the  Colonial  Office  on  the  subject,  and  has 
this  day  received  an  explanation  to  the  follow- 
ing effect  :  That,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Libra- 
rian of  the  Foreign  Office,  whatever  papers 
were  removed  by  Mr.  Turner  in  1837,  were 
subsequently  replaced  in  the  Volume,  and  that 
the  omission  to  rub  out  the  pencil  memoranda 
of  their  being  taken  out  by  Mr.  Turner,  has 
led  to  the  supposition  that  they  have  not  been 
restored. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 
"T.  DUFFUS  HARDY. 
"Col.  John  H.  Whekler,  St.  James,  London." 

This,  if  not  satisfactory,  showed  that  this 
important  paper  was  not  in  place — if  not  lost. 
Hon.  John  W.  Stevenson,  late  United  States 
Senator  from  Kentucky,  who  is  executor  of 
Mr.  Stevenson,  his  father,  has  promised  to  look 
among  his  father's  papers  for  this  newspaper. 
But  this  paper  is  not  indispensable  to  establish 
the  verity  of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration. 

The  sworn  statement  of  General  Joseph  Gra- 
ham, who  was  present  at  the  place  and  time, 
(see  page  228),  uncontradicted  and  uncoiitra- 
dictable,  states  all  the  facts  in  a  lucid,  and  im- 
pregnable manner.  The  masterly  and  unan- 
swerable argument  of  Governor  Wil'iam  A. 
Graham,  at  Charlotte,  Feb.  4,  1875,  exhausts 
the  question,  to  say  nothing  of  the  researches 


of  Rev,    Francis  L.  Hawks  (see  page   141)  and 
others. 

Of  this  meeting  Thomas  Polk  was  a  promi- 
nent member.  Associated  with  him  in  this 
band  of  patriots  was  Abram  Alexander,  who 
was  the  Chairman  of  the  Convention,  born 
1718.  He  had  been  the  Chairman  of  the  Inferior 
Court  before  and  after  the  Revolution,  and  a 
Member  of  the  Colonial  Legislature  1774-75. 
He  died  April  23,  1786,  and  is  buried  in  the 
cemetery  of  Sugar  Creek  Church  He  was  grand- 
father of  Dr.  Cyrus  Alexander,  now  of  Cabar- 
rus county.  His  eldest  son,  Dr.  Isaac  Alex- 
ander, was  at  the  Convention,  but  not  a  mem- 
ber; he  graduated  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  in  the 
class  with  James  Madison  and  Aaron  Burr,  and 
was  the  first  President  of  the  Queen's  Museum 
at   Charlotte,   N.    C. 

Adam  Alexander  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Convention;  he  was  born  in  1720; 
was  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  a  battalion  of 
Minute  Men,  appointed  thereto  by  the  Provincial 
Congress  at  Johnston  Court  House,  in  1775, 
with  Thomas  Polk,  as  Colonel,  and  Charles 
McLean  as  Major.  He  was  appointed  Colonel 
of  Mecklenburg  county,  with  John  Phifer  as 
Lieutenant  Colonel,  and  John  Davidson  and 
George  A.  Alexander  as  Majors,  by  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  at  Halifax,  on  the  4th  of  April, 
1776.  He  was  the  father  of  Hon.  Evan  Alex- 
ander, who  was  educated  at  Princeton,  and 
member  of  9th  Congress  from  the  Salisbury 
district  ([8o5-'09),  elected  vice  Nathaniel  Al- 
exander, elected  Governor.  He  was  the  grand- 
father of  Adam  Alexander  Springs,  the  common 
ancestor  of  all  the  Springs  family  of  the  two 
Carolinas. 

Adam  R.  Alexander,  who  was  a  member  of 
Congress  from  the  Memphis  district,  Tennessee, 
was  another  grandson.  Ezra  Alexander,  was 
also  a  member  of  this  body.  He  was  a  Cap- 
tain in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  in  1780 
fought  the    Tories  in    Lincoln    county,*  when 

■■See  declaration  of  James  Knox,  on  file  in  Pension  Office. 


264 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


they  were  suppressed  at  the  battle  of  Ramsour's 
Mil'. 

He  died  in    1790,  aged   70,  and  is  buried  in 
Sharon  Graveyard. 

Hezekiah  Alexander  was  also  a  member. 
He  was  more  of  a  statesman  than  a  soldier. 
He  was  born  in  1728,  in  Pennsylvania.  By  the 
Provincial  Congress  at  Hillsboro,  (21st  of  Au- 
gust, 1775)  he  was  appointed  with  Griffith 
Rutherford,  John  Brevard,  Benjamin  Patton, 
and  others,  a  Committee  of  Safety  for  the  Salis- 
bury District.  In  April,  1776,  with  William 
Sharp  he  was  appointed  on  the  Council  of 
Safety.  In  April,  1776,  he  was  appointed  Pay- 
master of  the  Fourth  Regiment  North  Carolina 
Continentals,  of  which  Regiment  Thomas  Polk 
■  was  Colonel,  James  Thackston  Lieutenant  Col- 
onel, and  William  Davidson  Cajor.  In  Nov- 
ember, 1776,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Provincial  Congress  from  Mecklenburg  county, 
with  Waighstill  Avery,  Robert  Irwin,  John 
Phifer  and  Zaccheus  Wilson  as  colleagues, which 
Assembly  formed  the  first  Constitution  of  the 
State.  He  died  and  was  buried  in  Sugar 
Creek  Churchyard.*  The  head-stone  placed 
over  his  grave  has  the  following : 

"IN    MEMORY 

of 

HEZEKIAH  ALEXANDER, 

Who  departed  this  life  July  i8th,  1801." 

John  McKnitt  Alexander  was  one  of  the 
members  in  this  celebrated  Convention.  He  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1733,  and  when  twea- 
ty-one  years  of  age  came  to  North  Carolina. 
He  was  elected  to  Provincial  Assembly  in  1772; 
also  as  a  Delegate  to  Hillsboro  on  the  21st  of 
August,  1775  ;  at  Halifax  in  April,  1776.  As 
we  have  stated,  he  was  an  active  participator  in 
the  Convention  of  May  19th  and  20th,  1775,  and 
preserved  for  25  years  the  record  of  this  proud 
event,  and  sent  copies  thereof  to  General  Wil- 


*CaIled  from  a  creek  on  which  it  is  built,  named    by  the 
Indians  Suga,  or  rather,  Sooga  Creek. 


Ham  R.  Davie,  Dr.  Hugh  Williamson  and  oth- 
ers. The  original  was  consumed  by  fire  in  1800, 
when  Mr.  Alexander's  house  was  burned.  He 
was  the  first  Senator  elected  under  the  Consti- 
tution from  Mecklenburg  county.  Waighstill 
Avery  and  Martin  Phifer  were  his  colleagues 
in  the  Commons. 

Robert  D.  Graham,  Esq.,  a  member  of  the 
Charlotte  Bar,  whose  researches  have  shed  much 
light  upon  the  details  of  the  organizafion,  and 
the  several  manuscripts  of  the  Independent 
Committee  of  Mecklenburg,  writes  of  John 
McKnitt  Alexander  as  follows  : 

'  'He  was  a  man  of  great  versatility  of  talent ; 
thorough  and  successful  in  whatever  he  under- 
took. Put  to  the  trade  of  a  tailor  when  a  boy, 
he  soon  became  widely  known  among  his 
cotemporaries  as  a  surveyor,  and  long  after 
the  war,  was  often  a  witness  in  land  suits  in  the 
western  counties.  He  was  an  elder  in  his 
church,  and  also  Treasurer  of  the  synod  of  the 
two  Carolinas,  a  member  of  the  Royal,  and 
after  the  20th,  of  the  Independent  County 
Court,  and  several  times  a  delegate  in  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress.  His  paper  of  the  19th  of 
May  marks  him  as  a  statesman  of  the  first  order. 
His  advanced  sentiments  of  patriotism  were 
acknowledged  by  making  him  a  secretary  of  the 
convention  of  delegates  of  "the  citizens  of 
Mecklenburg  county" — two  from  each  militia 
company — which  met  on  May  19,  1775,  re- 
solved upon  independence,  and  on  the  next  day, 
made  "a  more  formal  declaration"  from  the 
old  court  house  steps,  together  with  "a  long 
string  of  grievances,"  "a  military  order  for 
purchasing  ordnance  stores"  and  "by-laws." 

At  the  same  time  they  also  formed  a  County 
Committee — which  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  previously  done,  in  propria  fonua ; 
although  the  leading  spirits  were  on  the  alert, 
and  had  had  frequent  meetings  at  Oiicrn's 
Museum — whose  duty  defined  in  the  last  para- 
graph of  the  Declaration,  was  as  "Justices  of  the 
Peace  in    the  character  of  committee-men,    to 


MECKLENBURG   COUNTY. 


365 


issue  process,  hear  and  determine  all  matters  of 
controversy,  according  to  said  adopted  laws  ; 
and  to  preserve  peace,  union,  and  harmony  in 
said  county  ;  and  to  use  every  exertion  to  spread 
the  love  of  country  and  fire  of  freedom  through- 
out America,  until  a  more  general  and  organized 
government  be  established  in  this  province." 

'Ho  publication  of  these  (5)  bold  resolves  was  or- 
dered, and  the  committee  went  into  office,  not 
to  glorify  themselves,  or  their  county,  as  the 
first  in  the  race,  but  to  discharje  a  specified 
duty.  How  well  they  did  that,  may  be  seen  in 
the  Resolves  which  they  proceeded,  it  seems,  to 
prepare  for  publication  "to  spread  the  love  of 
country  and  fire  of  freedom."  They  bear  date  in 
print  May  31,  but  has  the  newspaper  publication 
correctly  copied  the  tn'O  figures  from  the  manu- 
script? They  begin  with  this  significant  clause  : 
"  Tliis  day  the  Conninttce  of  this  County  met  and 
passed  the  following  resolves, etc.  "  A  county 
committee  was  a  body  duly  acknowledged,  au- 
thorized, and  provided  for,  by  the  last  Congress, 
which  had  met  in  the  Province,  the  Fall  preceding. 
The  manner  of  forming  such  committees  was  not 
prescribed,  nor  the  number  of  constituent  mem- 
bers. Once  formed,  it  was  a  lawful  body,  and 
might  communicate  with  other  lawful  bodies 
throughout  the  country.  It  was  natural,  there- 
fore, that  its  resolves  should  be  published  by 
the  newspapers  in  preference  to  the  original 
Declaration  of  the  convention  of  delegates  which 
formed  it,  and  the  evidence  of  participants  is 
that  Captain  Jack  bore  a  copy  of  all  the  proceedings 
with  him  to  Philadelphia — probably  as  digested 
by  Brevard. 

The  Convention's  Resolves  had  declared  the 
county  independent,  not  of  Congress,  but  of 
Great  Britain.  The  committee's  resolves — 
evidently  recommendatory — went  much  far- 
ther, and  declared  all  the  colonies  indepen- 
dent—  "all  commissions,  civil  and  military, 
heretofore  granted  by  the  Crown  to  be  exercised 
in  the  colonies,  are  null  and  void."  The  con- 
vention had  expressed  themselves  to  the  people 


in  a  paper  of  five  resolves  adopted  just  after  the 
heated  debate  of  the  night  before.  To  these 
the  "more  formal  declaration  "  added  a  sixth, 
authorizing  a  dispatch  to  Congress.  The  com- 
tee  set  forth  in  a  duly  attested  paper  of  "XX"  Re- 
solves all  that  had  been  done  on  the  19th  and 
20th  by  way  of  Declarations,  "a  long  string  of 
grievances,"  the  military  order  on  ordnance 
supplies,  and  even  the  principal  argument  that 
had  then  secured  unanimity  of  action.  Resolve 
XVIII,  showed  "a  decent  respect  for  the  opin- 
ions" of  those,  elsewhere,  who  still  "abhorred 
the  idea  ol  independence,"  (as  did  the  prudent 
Washington,  until  the  month  of  May,  1776, 
and  preferred  "dependence  on  Great  Britain, 
properly  limited,  than  on  any  nation  on  earth, 
or  than  on  no  nation,"  as  the  sage  of  Monticello 
expressed  himself  to  John  Randolph,  August 
-5'  1 775-)  By  its  authors  it  w-as  well  understood 
to  be  at  once  a  defiance  of  the  Crown,  and  a 
justification  before  the  world. 

After  the  utter  rout  of  the  cavillers,  who 
questioned  the  fact  of  any  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence at  all  emanating  from  this  county,  a 
recent  spirit  of  criticism  has  arisen  which  tells 
us  that  this  committee  certainly  deserved  well 
of  their  country,  but  that  their  consolidated 
resolves  of  May  31st,  are  "glory  enough  for 
Mecklenburg."  The  doubting  Thomases,  who 
could  not  be  convinced,  until  they  had  found 
the  proceedings  of  a  meeting,  several  days  after 
the  feast,  which,  therefore,  made  so  little  im- 
pression, that  it  was  soon  entirely  forgotten,  are 
hardly  fair  judges, 

On  July  5,  1824,  Dr.  M.  W.  Alexander  in  a 
public  address  at  Hopewell  church,  in  which  he 
gave  a  detailed  statement  from  the  secretary  of 
the  proceedings,  on  May  19  and  20,  1775,  used 
this  language:  "These  are  transactions  with 
which  you,  together  with  the  citizens  of  this 
and  the  adjoining  counties,  have  long  been  fa- 
miliar— these  have  been  the  frequent  topics  of 
conversation  amongst  us  for  nearly  fifty  years — 
these  were  the  proceedings,  of  our  relatives,  of 


266 


whp:fxer's  reminiscences. 


our  fellow-citizens,  every  individual  of  whom 
has  descended  to  the  silent  tomb; — but  these 
are  their  living  deeds  of  patriotism,  which  mis- 
fortune cannot  now  tarnish,  and  which  the  ma- 
lignant breath  of  envy  dare  not  now  assail  to 
blast." 

And  now  at  the  end  of  nearly  three  score 
years  more,  there  are  still  some  living  who  have 
conversed  with  the  participants,  and  eye  wit- 
nesses of  the  proceedings  of  this  county  con- 
vention, who  smile  at  the  suggestion  that  the 
old  patriots,  in  recounting  the  adoption  of  the 
original  county  declaration  of  five  resolves, 
might,  possibly,  have  imagined  it,  and  formu- 
lated in  their  old  age  in  the  sincere  belief  that 
it  was  a  reproduction  of  a  paper  containing  XX 
Resolves,  with  no  allusion  to  the  Battle  of  Lex- 
ington, but  covering  much  more  ground,  and 
not  signed  by  the  delegates,  but  by  the  clerk, 
by  order  of  the  committee. 

The  attention  of  the  reader  is  called  to  the 
following  language  in  this  oration  of  Dr.  Moses 
Winslow  Alexander  at  Hopewell,  July  5,  1824. 
One  paragraph  we  quote  : 

"A  full  copy  of  the  whole  proceedings  was 
then  made  out  and  attested,  and  Captain  James 
Jack,  of  Charlotte,  was  deputied  as  express  to 
Congress,  then  sitting  in  Philadelphia,  accom- 
panying said  proceedings  with  a  letter  addressed 
to  Richard  Caswell,  Wm.  Hooper,  and  Joseph 
Hewes,  then  our  representatives  from  this  Prov- 
ince— enjoining  it  on  our  said  representatives  to 
use  all  possible  means  to  have  said  proceedings 
sanctioned  and  approved  by  the  general  Con- 
gress. 

On  the  return  of  Captain  Jack,  the  delegation 
learned  by  a  joint  letter  from  said  three  repre- 
sentatives, that  their  proceedings  were  individu- 
ally approved  by  the  members  of  Congress,  but 
that  it  was  deemed  premature  to  have  them  be- 
fore the  House ;  recommending  perseverence, 
order,  energy,  etc. 

The  Committee  of  Safety  (mark  you,  not  the 
Delegation)  of  which  Abraham  Alexander  was 


chairman,  held  their  regular  and  stated  meetings 
alternately  at  Charlotte,  at  James  Harris'  and 
John  Phifer's.  This  was  a  civil  court  founded 
on  military  process.  Before  this  Judicature  all 
suspicious  persons  were  made  to  appear,  who 
were  formally  tried,  banished,  or  bound  to  good 
behavior.  Its  jurisdiction  was  unlimited  as  to 
Toryism,  and  its  decrees  as  final  as  the  confi- 
dence and  patriotism  of  the  country.  Several 
were  arrested  and  brought  before  them  from 
Tryon,  (now  Lincoln,)  Rowan,  and  the  adjacent 
counties." 

The  point  that  I  make  is  this :  the  above  is 
the  conclusion  of  that  part  of  the  Doctor's 
speech  which  was  in  quotation  marks,  as  pub 
lished.  He  prefaced  it  with  these  words: 
"  You  will  now  permit  me  to  read  the  proceed- 
ings of  that  meeting,  as  drawn  up  and  certified  by 
their  clerk,  and  deposited  in  the  safe  keeping  of 
General  W.  R.  Davie,  for  the  benefit  of  some 
future  historian."  Here  then  we  have  the 
"  foregoing  statement  "  (covering  the  transac- 
tions of  the  Delegation  on  two  days,  19th  and 
20th)  as  to  which  the  old  secretary  had  certified 
that  though  fundamentally  correct,  it  might  not 
literally  correspond  with  the  record,  but  contain- 
ing nevertheless  the  original  Declaration,  which, 
but  shortly  thereafter  he  assured  Judge  Cam- 
eron, he  knew  to  be  correct.  Here,  too,  with- 
a  microscope,  I  think  we  may  find  the  mention 
of  the  three  declarations,  which  have  appeared  to 
vex  the  historiographers.  After  detailing  the 
transactions  of  May  19th,  tht  statement  proceeds 
thus : 

"  May  20th,  Delegation  met.  The  select 
committee  reported  a  formal  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence (believed  to  be  drawn  by  Dr.  Eph- 
raim,  chairman  of  said  committee)  which  was 
unanimously  approved  'and  signed  ;  and  which 
together  with  the  foregoing  resolves,  was  pub- 
licly read  and  proclaimed  from  the  Court  House 
door,  by  Colonel  Thomas  Polk,  to  a  large  and 
approving  concourse  of  citizens,   who  had  con- 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


C67 


vened  to  sanction  the  proceedings  of  their  dele- 
gates. " 

So  that  independence  was  resolved  upon  by 
the  delegation  on  the  19th  of  May;  reiterated 
by  "a  more  formal  Declaration  on  the  20th, 
which  was  read  by  Colonel  Polk,  to  the  people, 
and  then,  (why  not  on  the  31st?  )  a  full  copy  of 
the  whole  proceedings  (plural)  was  made  out  and 
attested"  for  Congress.  The  Delegation  had 
met  on  Tluirsday,  the  "more  formal  Declara- 
tion "  was  made  and  a  county  committee  ap- 
pointed on  Friday,  and  time  was  still  left  for  the 
"full  copy  of  the  whole  proceedings"  to  be 
made  out,  the  attestation  being  placed  thereto 
upon  Saturday,  in  these  words: 

"Signed  by  order  of  the  Committee, 
Eph.  Brevard, 
Clerk  of  the  Committee," 

This  Saturday  was  the  21st  of  May,  and  I 
believe  that  a  sleepy  (?)  devil  mistook  the  2  for 
a  3,  and  thus  has  enabled  Ephraim  so  long\.o 
vex  Manasseh  with  the  "31st  May." 

The  resolutions  thus  quietly  drawn  off  and 
attested  "  the  day  after  the  feast,"  were  pub- 
lished in  full,  on  June  13,  1775,  in  Timothy's 
Carolina  Gazette,  and  in  The  South  Carolina  Ga- 
zette, SinA  Country  Jo nmal  of  June,  1775,  No. 
4g8,  printed  at  Charlestown  by  Charles  Crouch, 
on  the  Bay,  corner  of  Elliott  street,"  and  also 
in  "  New  York  Jonrnal d^nd  General  Adveitiser" 
of  June  29,  1775.  They  appeared,  partially, 
in  the  Massachusetts  Spy  of  the  next  month. 
Besides  these,  publication  was  made  in  the  Cape 
Fear  Mercury  of  June  30,  1775,  either  of  this 
full  copy  of  the  "luholc  proceedings,"  or  else 
the  simple  Declaration  itself. 

Here  the  presumption  of  a  negative  is  very 
strong,  viz:  that  each  Gazette  was  not  furnished 
with  a  manuscript  from  the  committee.  In  its 
absence  they  accepted  as  correct  the  13th  of 
June  edition  of  the  "attested"  copy.  As  un- 
derstood by  the  delegation,  and  by  the  commit- 
tee, there  is  not  a  word  of  compromise  in  either 
paper.     The  committee's  document  was  a  sub- 


stantial copy  of  all  that  concerned  the  colonies, 
generally  to  be  found  in  the  several  papers, 
passed  upon  and  adopted  in  the  two  preceding 
dajs  by  the  convention.  Governor  Martin,  if 
it  was  the  latter  which  he  saw,  evidently  under- 
stood it  as  "declaring  the  entire  dissolution  of 
the  laws,  government,  and  constitution  of  this 
country."  He  properly  appreciated  the  i8th 
Resolution,  as  at  once  a  modestly  expressed 
justification,  and  a  defiance." 

Nothing  could  have  more  disgusted  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  than  the  suggestion  that  he  had 
given  a  certificate  to  the  effect  that  the  Davie 
copy  of  the  Declaration  itself  might  not  be 
correct. 

General  William  R.  Davie  was  about  the  most 
prominent  man  in  the  State  at  that  day,  and 
was  still  residing  at  Halifax.  With  the  Declara- 
tion, Alexander  sent  him  a  statement  of  the 
transactions  attending  its  adoption,  which  may 
be  found  in  the  speech  at  Hopewell,  alluded  to 
above.  Of  this  statement,  he  conscientiously 
wrote:  "It  may  be  worthy  of  notice  hereto 
observe  that  the  foregoing  statement,  though 
fundamentally  correct,  yet  may  not  literally  cor- 
respond with  the  original  record  of  the  trans- 
actions (plural)  of  said  delegation  and  court  of 
inquiry,  as  all  those  records  and  papers  were 
burned,  with  the  house,  in  April  6th,  1800. 
But  previous  to  that  time  (1800)  a  full  copy  of 
said  records,  at  the  request  of  Dr.  Hugh  Wil- 
liamson, then  of  New  York,  but  formerly  a 
representative  in  Congress  from  this  State,  was 
forwarded  to  him  by  Colonel  William  Polk,  in 
order  that  those  early  transactions  might"  fill 
their  proper  place  in  a  history  of  this  State, 
then  being  written  by  said  Doctor  Williamso  1 
of  New  York." 

But  on  this  certificate  he  has  placed  his  con- 
struction beyond  cavil.  He  gave  it  September 
3,  1800.  Within  a  year,  he  met  Judge  Duncan 
Cameron  at  the  Salisbury  Court  and  told  him 
that  he  had  sent  to  General  Davie  a  copy  of  the 
Declaration  "  which  he  knew  to  be  correct,  and 


268 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


therefore  the  document  is  safe. "  .  Judge  Cameron 
met  him  there  at  a  subsequent  term,  when  he 
says  his  language  was  that  the  Davie  copy  is 
perfectly  correct. 

The  Martin  copy  may  be  that  of  the  day  pre- 
ceding, or  the  alteration  may  have  been  other- 
wise made  in  inadvertance  in  transcribing,  etc. 
In  this  connection  we  will  state  that  the  Cen- 
tennial celebration  brought  out  the  fact  that 
there  is  still  in  e.xistence,  a  copy  of  the  Declara- 
tion, drawn  off  by  Adam  Brevard,  the  attorney, 
and  younger  brother  of  Ephraim.  See  Smtth- 
crii  Home,  July  5,   1875. 

Yours  truly, 

R.  D    Gr.\ham. 

Dr.  J.  G.  M.  Ramsay,  the  eminent  historian 
of  Tennessee,  writes  that  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence mentioned  by  Governor  Graham  in 
his  address  on  page  twenty-five,  as  shown  by 
General  Andrew  Jackson  at  the  Hermitage  in 
the  year  1828,  to  the  Hon.  Theodore  W.  Bre- 
vard, Comptroller  General,  and  Colonel  Isaac 
W.  Hayne,  the  Attorney  General  of  the  State 
of  South  Carolina,  the  declaration  being  printed 
on  satin  and  in  a  gilt  frame,  with  the  signatures 
of  the  signers  attached  thereto,  was  undoubt- 
edly a  copy  of  the  resolutions  of  May  20,  1775. 
General  Jackson  unquestionably  treated  the  in- 
cident as  a  well  known  fact  in  the  history  of 
that  region  of  the  State,  the  memory  of  which 
he  thus  perpetuated.  And  as  Governor  Gra- 
ham says ;  Let  it  be  noted  that  at  the  time  of 
the  conversation,  the  Legislature  of  North  Car- 
olina had  never  noticed  the  matter  of  the  Dec- 
laration (it  remained  for  subsequent  cavillers  to 
doubt  its  authenticity)  and  no  publication  had 
been  made  touching  it,  except  the  original  com- 
munication by  John  McKnitt  Alexander,  in 
1 8 19,  the  evidence  collected  by  Colonel  Polk, 
in  1820,  and  two  or  three  letters  collected  by 
Mr.  Macon;  neither  had  Martin's  History  yet 
appeared,  for  its  publication  was  in  1829. 
Alexander  Genealogy." 

John  McKnitt  Alexander  is  buried  at  Hope- 


well church,  ten  miles  north  of  Charlotte — not 
far  from  the  grave  of  General  William  Davidson. 
His  tomb  bears  this  inscription  : 

''Sacred  to  the  memory  of  John  McKnitt 
Alexander,  who  departed  this  life,  July  10, 
1817  ;  aged  84." 

By  his  side  is  his  wife,  Jane  Baine,  who  died 
March  16,  1798,  aged  30.  (The  name  is  spelled 
Bean  on  the  tombstone  ) 

He  left  two  sons,  (a)  Joseph  McKnitt  Alex- 
ander, M.D.,  and  (b)  William  Baine  Alexander. 

The  first  married  Dovey  Winslow,  who  died 
September  6,  1801,  aged  25,  leaving  one  son, 
Moses  Winslow  Alexander,  M.  D.  See  the 
Graham  genealogy. 

(a)  Dr.Joseph  McKnitt  Alexander  was  born  in 
1 774,  and  died  October  18, 184 1.  His  son,  Moses 
W.,  was  born  May  3,  1798,  and  died  February 
27,1845.  Both  were  well  known  throughout 
the  country  for  integrity  and  skill  in  their  com- 
mon profession,  and  in  death,  as  is  seen  above, 
were  only  divided  by  the  space  of  four  years. 
To  distinguish  them,  the  elder  was  oftener  men- 
tioned as  Dr.  McKnitt,  than  as  Dr.  Alexander, 
and  thus  came  to  attest  his  written  communica- 
tions by  the  well  known  abbreviated  signature 
of  /.    McKnitt. 

The  Greek  name  of  Alexander  had  long  been 
the  most  common  patronymic  in  Mecklenburg, 
and  was  borne  by  no  less  than  seven  of  the 
delegates  to  the  convention, or  committee,*  that 
assembled  on  May  19,  1775. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  ancestral  name  of 
McKnitt  was  held  by  no  family  in  the  county, 
and  he  accepted  the  soubriquet  from  the  mouth 
of  those  who  held  him  in  the  highest  esteem 
both  in  Church  and  State. 

A  record  of  fourteen  children,  thirteen  of 
whom  married  and  left  issue,  reminds  us  of  the 
early  days  of  Israel.  Such  a  people  were  not 
dependent  on    "  the  historians  of  the  adjacent 

'■■■The  term  commiltee  in  ihose   cnr'y  days  was  sometimes  . 
applied    evtii    to   the  Conlinental  Congress  (see  J<  nes' De- 
fence ;    and   tlie  veleian   John  Simeson,  speaker  of  llic  au- 
thorized County  Committees  cr  Congresses) 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


269 


States,"  or  the  memory  of  Mr.  Adams  (who 
certainly  forgot  the  issue  of  the  j\lassaclmsctts 
Spy,  of  July  12,  1775)  for  the  preservation  of 
their  traditions. 

(b)  William  Baine  married  Violet  Davidson — 
issue,  fourteen  children. 

(1)  Joseph  married  Nancy  Cathey. 

(2)  William  married  Clarissa'  Alexander. 

(3)  Robert  D.  married  Abigail  Caldwell — is- 
sue, (a)  Rev.  S.  C.  C.  Alexander  married  Mary 
Brown,  (b)  J,  B.  Alexander,  M.  D.,  married 
Annie  Lowrie,  (c)  William  Davidson  Alexander 
married  Susan  Ramsay,  (d)  Agnes  married  to 
Dr.  W.  Fewell. 

(4)  Benjamin  married  Violet  McKoy. 

(5)  James  McKnitt  married  Mary  Wilson. 

(6)  George  Washington  married,  first,  Gilles- 
pie ;  second,  Jelton. 

(7)  John  married  Harriet  Henderson. 

(8)  Jane  married  John  Sharpe. 

(9)  Margaret  D.  married  David  R.  Henderson. 

(10)  Rebecca  married  Marshall  McKoy. 

(11)  Sally  D. 

(12)  Abigail  married  Henderson  Robinson. 

(13)  Betsy  married  Dr.  Isaac  Wilson. 

(14)  Isabella  married  Dr.  Calvin  Grier. 

John  McKnitt  Alexander  in  1801  gave  to 
General  William  R.  Davie,  to  preserve  for 
historical  use  a  copy  of  the  Mecklenburg 
Declaration  of  Independence  of  May  20, 
1775,  which  in  the  same  year  (1801)  he 
assured  Judge  Duncan  Cameron  he  kiiciu  to 
be  correct.  Of  the  statement  accompanying  it, 
as  to  list  of  delegates,  sequence,  etc.,  he  gave 
the  following  certificate  :  "It  may  be  worthy 
of  notice  here  to  observe  that  the  foregoing 
statement  though  fundamentally  correct,  yet 
may  not  literally  correspond  with  the  original 
record  of  the  transactions  of  said  delegation 
and  court  of  inquiry,  as  all  those  records  and 
papers  were  burned  with  the  house  on  April  6, 
1800;  but  previous  to  that  time  (1800)  a  full 
copy  of  said  records,  at  the  request  of  Dr. 
Hugh     Williamson,    then    of   New   York,    but 


formerly  a  representative  in  congress  from  this 
State,  was  forwarded  to  him  by  Colonel  William 
Polk,  in  order  that  those  early  transactions 
might  fill  their  proper  place  in  a  history  of  this 
State,  by  said  Dr.  Williamson  in  New  York.* 

Certified  to  the  best  of  my  recollection  and 
belief  this  3d  day  of  September,  1800,  by  J. 
McK.  Alexander,  Mecklenburg  county,  N.  C. 

Dr.  Samuel  Henderson  states  that  the  copy 
of  the  declaration  in  John  McKnitt  Alexander's 
handwriting,  was  found  in  the  possession  of 
General  William  Richardson  Davie,  after  the 
General's  death. 

General  Davie  was  the  foremost  man  of  his 
day,  in  North  Carolina.  The  idea  is  perfectly 
absurd  that  such  a  man  could  be  imposed  upon, 
or  that  any  one  would  dare  impose  upon  him, 
b)  the  fabrication  of  the  declaration  only 
twenty-five  years  after  its  date,  when  his  facul- 
ties were  so  well  preserved  that  several  years 
subsequently,  his  friends  considered  him  their 
mos't  available  candidate  in  the  Halifax  district, 
to  overcome  their  opponents  then  in  the  ma- 
jority. Just  after  this,  in  1805,  he  removed  to 
South  Carolina  and  the  anonymous  article, 
which  Dr.  Welling  {A-orth  Avicrican  Rci<ira<, 
April,  1874)  attributes  to  Prof.  Phillips,  erro- 
neously locates  him  in  South  Carolina,  when 
McKnitt  Alexander  sent  him  a  copy,  which  he 
repeatedly  declared  was  correct. 

The  fate  of  the  original  of  this  document, 
should  that  be  of  any  historical  importance,  is 
not  without  its  parallel  in  history,  for  in  an  arti- 
cle by  W.  L.  Stone  in  the  July  number  of  Hiv- 
pcrs  Magazine  (1883)  we  find  the  following 
recited  on  the  subject  of  the  signing  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  of  July  4,  1776: 
"  In  thinking  of  that  instrument,  one'ls  apt 

■•"It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Williamson's  History  of 
North  Carolina,  terminated  with  the  events  of  the  year 
1771  ;  ill  his  preface  he  says  that  he  intended  to  continue 
his  history  to  1790,  but  it  was  not  done,  and  Mr  Jefferson 
may  well  say  Williamson's  Histrry  affords  no  record  of  the 
Declaration  of  1775.  Governor  Stokes  unqualifiedly  asserts 
that  he  saw  this  copy  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Williamson, 
in  1793,  and  that  it  wns  in  ihe  handwriting  of  John  Mc- 
Kniit  Alexander.      (Graham's  Centennial  Address,  p.  80) 


270 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


to  call  up  before  him  an  august  assemblage 
gravely  seated  around  a  table,  with  the  Decla- 
ration spread  out  upon  it,  and  each  member  of 
the  Continental  Congress  in  turn  taking  a  pen 
and  with  great  dignity  affixing  to  it  his  name. 
Nothing,  however,  can  be  further  from  that 
which  actually  took  place,  very  few  of  the  dele- 
gates, if  indeed  any,  signed  the  original  docu- 
ment on  the  4th,  and  none  signed  the  present 
one  now  in  Independence  Hall,  for  the  very 
good  reason  that  it  was  not  then  in  existence. 

"On  July  19th,  Congress  voted  that  the  Decla- 
ration be  engrossed  on  parchment.  Jefferson, 
however,  says  that  New  York  signed  on  July 
15th.  Consequently,  New  York  must  have 
signed  the  original  Declaration  before  it  had 
gone  into  the  hands  of  the  engrosser.  On  what 
day  the  work  was  done  by  the  copyist,  is  not 
known.  All  that  is  certainly  known,  is  that  on 
August  2d,  Congress  had  the  document  as  en- 
grossed. This  is  the  document  in  existence 
now  in  Independence  Hall.  It  is  on  parchment 
or  something  that  the  trade  calls  parchment. 
On  that  day(August  2d)  it  was  signed  by  all  the 
members  present. 

"  The  original  Declaration  is  lost,  or  rather  was 
probably  purposely  destroyed  by  Congress. 
All  the  signatures  were  made  anew.  When  the 
business  of  signing  was  ended,  is  not  known. 
One,  Matthew  Thornton,  from  New  Hampshire, 
signed  it  in  November,  when  he  became  a  mem- 
ber for  the  first  time  ;  and  Thomas  McKean, 
from  Delaware,  as  he  says  himself,  did  not  sign 
till  January,  1777.  Indeed,  this  signing  was, 
in  effect,  what  at  the  present  day  would  be 
called  a  "test  oath."  The  principles  of  many 
of  the  new  delegates  coming  into  Congress 
from  the  different  States,  were  not  known  with 
certainty — some  of  them  might  be  Tories  in 
disguise — and  thus  each  one  was  required,  on 
first  entering  Congress  to  sign  the  Declaration. 
In  January,  1777,  an  authenticated  copy,  with 
the  names  of  all  the  signers,  was  sent  to  each 
State  for  signatures — a  fact  which  may  have  put 


a  stop  to  the  business  of  signing.  It  shows, 
■  however,  the  little  importance  that  was  attached 
to  this  ceremony,  that  Robert  R.  Livingston 
was  one  of  the  committee  of  five  that  reported 
the  Declaration,  and  yet  did  not  sign  it,  unless 
his  signature  is  lost  with  the  original  docu- 
ment- *  *  * 

"The  truth  is  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  considered  at  that  time,  of  much  less  im- 
portance than  now,  nor  did  the  signers  dream 
of  its  becoming  a  shrine  almost  of  worship  at 
the  present  day.  It  was  like  the  Scottish  Cove- 
nants of  the  previous  century,  which  so  strongly 
tinctured  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  May 
20,   1775." 

Another  distinguished  member  of  this  Com- 
mittee or  Congress  was  Waighstill  Avery.  We 
have  already  recorded  his  biography.  (Seep.  76.) 
Rev.  Hezekiah  James  Balch  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  this  body.  He  was  a  native  of  Deer 
Creek,  Harford  county,  Maryland,  born  1748. 
He  was  the  uncle  of  Rev.  Stephen  B.  Balch, 
late  of  Georgetown,  D.  C.  He  graduated  at 
Princeton,  in  1766,  in  the  same  class  with 
Waighstill  Avery,  Oliver  Ellsworth,  Luther 
Martin,  and  others.  He  studied  for  the  minis- 
try and  was  appointed  by  the  synods  of  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  a  missionary  to  North 
Carolina.  He  was  the  first  pastor  of  Rocky 
River  and  Poplar  Tent  churches,  and  so  con- 
tinued until  his  death.  He  was  as  an  exem- 
plary Christian  as  he  was  a  devoted  patriot. 
He  combined  great  enthusiasm  with  unques- 
tioned firmness.  He  died  in  1776,  and  lies 
buried  in  the  churchyard  of  Poplar  Tent.  The 
following  inscription  is  over  his  remains: 

"Beneath  this  marble  are  the  mortal  remains 
of  the  Rev.  Hezekiah  J.  Balch:  the  first  pastor 
of  Poplar  Tent  Congregation,  and  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Orange  Presbytery. 
He  was  licensed  a  preacher  of  the  Everlasting 
Gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal  in  1766, 
and  rested  from  his  labors  in  1776,  having  been 
pastor  of  Poplar  Tent  and    Rocky  River  about 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY, 


271 


seven  years.  He  was  distinguished  as  one  of 
the  committee  of  three,  who  prepared  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  and  his  eloquence, 
the  more  effectual  from  his  acknowledged  wis- 
dom, purity  of  motfve,  and  dignity  of  character, 
contributed  much  to  the  unanimous  adoption  of 
that  instrument  on  May  20,  I775-" 

John  Davidson,  another  member  of  this  body, 
was  born  December  15,  1735,  in  Chester  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  the  son  of  Robert  Da- 
vidson of  Chestnut  Levels,  in  that  State.  He 
was  much  esteemed  and  popular.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Colonial  Assembly  in  1771. 
He  was  appointed  by  the  Provincial  Congress 
in  April  1776,  a  Major  in  the  Army,  with  Adam 
Alexander  as  Colonel ;  John  Phifer,  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  and  George  A.  Alexander,  Second 
Major,  and  as  such  served  in  the  campaign  of 
1776,  under  General  Rutherford,  against  the 
Cherokee  Indians. 

He  was  with  Sumter  in  August,  1780,  at  the 
battles  of  Hanging  Rock  and  Rocky  Mount. 
He  was  enterprising  and  successful  in  business. 
With  Joseph  Graham  and  Alexander  Brevard, 
he  established  Vesuvius  Furnace,  Terza  Forge, 
and  other  Iron  Works  in  Lincoln  county. 

Prior  to  the  Revolution  he  came  to  Meck- 
lenburg, in  North  Carolina,  and  settled  on 
the  Catawba  in  Hopewell  congregation.  He 
was  a  de'egate  to  the  county  convention 
on  May  19,  1775,  signed  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  which  was  proclaimed  in  the 
name  of  "the  citizens  of  Mecklenburg  county, 
on  the  next  day,"  and  afterward  told  his  grand- 
son, A.  B.  Davidson,  Esq.,  of  Charlotte,  North 
Carolina,  (now  living),  that  in  coming  to  the 
next  meeting,  that  he  was  apprehensive  that 
some  Tory  might  attempt  to  way  lay  him  on 
the  big  road,  which  he  ordinarily  travelled,  and 
therefore,  being  alone,  came  to  Ciiarlotte  by  the 
bridle-paths. 

He  was  well  informed  as  to  the  merits  of  the 
question  in  dispute  between  Great  Britain  and 
the  American  Colonies,  and  uncompromisingly 


advocated  independence  as  the  only  solution  of 
the  controversy.  He  was  appointed  by  the 
Provincial  Congress,  a  Major  in  the  Mecklen- 
burg Regiment,  under  Thomas  Polk  as  Colonel, 
and  was  re  commissioned  on  the  reorganization, 
but  then  accpted  a  transfer  of  service  to  the  staff. 
He  had,  prior  to  the  Revolution,  entered  the 
military  service  against  the  Indians,  and  won  his 
way  from  the  ranks  as  a  private  to  the  commis- 
sion of  Major.  He  declined  to  accept  the  same 
rank  under  an  officer  who  had  never  seen  ser- 
vice ;  but  nevertheless,  he  was  one  of  the  most 
active  "Hornets."  Besides  his  service  with 
General  Sumter,  he  was  in  the  battles  of  Hang- 
ing Rock  and  Ramsour's  Mill,  He  furnished  the 
transportation  to  General  William  Davidson  for 
the  Cowan's  Ford  expedition, February  i,  1781. 

He  was  of  a  very  prepossessing  appearance, 
and  preserved  his  mental  faculties  to  the  last.  A 
generous  host,  he  often  found  an  interested 
audience  among  the  rising  generation,  as  he 
related  to  them  many  transactions  of  "the 
olden  time,"  of  which  'the  historians  of  the 
adjacent  States '  had  not  yet  taken  the  pains  to 
inform  themselves. 

He  died,  January  10,  1832  in  the  ninety- 
seventh  year  of  his  age,  at  the  house  of  his  son- 
in-law,  Wm.  Lee  Davidson.  His  wife  was  Vio- 
let Wilson,  a  sister  of  Samuel  Wilson,  and  half- 
sister  of  Captain  James  Jack.  She  died  Decem- 
ber 3,  1 8 18,  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of 
her  age.      Issue  : 

I.  Robert,  born  April  7,  1769, — died  June 
14,  1853;  married  Mrs.  Margaret  McQuirter, 
daughter  of  Colonel  Adlai  Osborne  of  Rowan. 
She  was  born  April  7,  1776  and  died  January  9, 
1864,  without  issue. 

II.  Wilson  married  Betsy  Latta — issue,  (a) 
Robert  F.  married  Eliza  McCombs,  (b)  John 
R.  married  Eugenia  Conneghay,  (c)  James  mar- 
ried  Sarah  Springs,    (d)   William   Lee  married 

-Pagan,    S.  C,    (e)  Joseph  married    Mary 

Caldwell,  (f)  Benjamin  (killed  in  C.  S.  A.)  mar- 
ried Kate  Landon  of  Connecticut. 


272 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


III.  John  married  Sally  Brevard  (daughter  of 
Adam  Brevard,  the  attorney  and  one  of  "  the 
seven  rebels"),  died  in  1870  in  the  ninety-first 
year  of  his  age — issue,  (a)  Matthew,  (b)  Adam 
Brevard,  (c)  Robert,  (d)  William  Speight  Mc- 
Lean, (e)  Augustus,  (f)  Eugene  Constantine, 
(g)  Isabella  married  J.  W.  Moore,  (h)  Violet, 
(i)  Mary. 

Of  these  children,  the  following  were  issue  : 
(a)  Matthew  married  Mary  J.  Sylvester — issue, 
Robert  H.  M.  Davidson,  Member  of  Congress, 
1882-83,  from  Florida,  and  had  eight  children, 

to  wit  :   (i)  Joseph  (M.  D.)  married,  first,  

Blake ;  second,  Laura  Springs ;  (2)  Edward  ;  (3) 
William,  (4)  Egbert,  (5)  Julia  married  Stockton, 
(6)  Sally  married Milligan,  (7)  Mary  mar- 
ried        Drisdale,     (8)    Alice    married    

Stark. 

(b)  Adam  Brevard  married,  first,  Mary 
Springs;*  second,  Cornelia,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Franklin  H.  Elmore,  United  States  Senator  from 
South  Carolina.  Of  the  first  marriage,  issue  is 
as  follows:  (i)  John  Springs  married  Minnie  Cald- 
well, (2)  William,  (3)  Robert,  (4)  Richard  Aus- 
tin, (5)  Adam  Brevard,  jr.,  (6)  LeRoy,  (7)  Bax- 
ter ;  daughters,  (8)  Laura  married  Rev.  A.  Sin- 
clair, (9)  Sally,  (10)  Jenny  married  Dr.  J.  M. 
Miller,  (11)  Isabella  married  C.  G.  Montgomery, 
(12)  Amanda  married    A.    J.  Beall,  (13)    Julia 


'iy 


^   |i.<S-\.-J- 

1,-    i . 


U- 


■■'The  Springs  Family. — The  father  of  Hon.  John  Springs, 
camejrom ^Germany  and  settled  on  an  island  in  the  Dela.- 
ware  Bay,  a  few  miles  below  Philadelphia.  He  removed  to 
South  Carolina,  and  married  Jane  Baxter,  daughter  of  the 
distinguished  Judge  of  that  name.  By  purchase  from  the 
Catawbas,  he  became  a  large  land-owner,  to  which  his  son, 
John  Springs,  added  largely  by  purchase  from  the  same 
tribe  of  Indians.  The  son,  in  this  way,  became  a  man  of 
prominence  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  whilst  his  high 
character,  enlightened  and  liberal  spirit,  added  to  attractive 
manners,  commanded  universal  esteem.  An  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  he  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  in- 
stitutions of  learning;  never  emulous  of  political  preferment, 
he  nevertheless,  at  the  solicitation  of  neighbors,  frequently 
served  in  the  Legislature. 

On  January  9,  1806,  he  was  married  to  his  first  cousin, — 
issue  as  follows  :  (a)  Richard  Austin  Springs,  born  January 
19,  1807,  died  1874;  (b)  LeRoy  Springs,  born  November 
24,  iSii,  died  1863;  (c)  Mary  Laura,  born  Novemder  3, 
1813,  died  October,  1S72,  wife  of  Hon.  Adam  Brevard  Da- 
vidson ;  (d)  Andrew  Baxter  Springs,  born  October2i.  iSig; 
(e)  Sophia  Convert,  born  December  30,  1821,  wife  of  Hon. 
W.  R.  Myers,  a  distinguished  politician  and  banker  in 
North  Carolina. 


married  Rev.  T,  J.    Strohecker,  (14)   Blandina, 

(is)  Fanny,  (16) ._ 

(c)  William  Speight  McLean,  M.  D.,  married 
first,  Jane  Torrence — issue,  James  T.  ;  second, 
Rebecca  Reid,  no  issue ;  third,  Mary  Johnston. 

(e)  Augustus,  died  while  a  cadet  at  West 
Point,  monument  erected  by  his  classmates. 

(f)  Engene  Constantine,  Lieutenant  United 
States  Army,  in  Mexican  War,  married  Jane 
Henderson — issue,  (i)  Egbert,  (2)  Sinclair,  (3) 
John,  (4)  Mary,  (5)  Sarah. 

(g)  Isabella  married  J.  W.  Moore — issue,  (i) 
Robert,  killed  in  C.  S.  A.,  (2)  John  married 
Sally  Erwin,  (3)  Harvey  B.  married  Lucile  Hall, 
(4)  Sally  married  Rev.  Pharr,  (5)  Augusta,  (6) 
Catherine  married  R.  A.  Bost,  (7)  Laura  mar- 
ried Dr.  F.  H.  Glover. 

(h)  Violet  married  Joseph  H.  Sylvester  of 
Florida. 

(i)Mary  married  George  Doby  of  South  Caro- 
lina. 

IV.  Polly  married  William  McLean,  M.  D., 
an  Assistant  Surgeon  in  the  Revolutionary 
Army,  at  the  battle  of  Stono  and  King's  Moun- 
tain. He  was  the  orator  of  the  day  on  the 
occasion  of  the  semi-centennial  of  the  battle  of 
King's  Mountain.  Mrs.  Polly  McLean  sur- 
vived until  185-,  the  ninety-sixth  year  of  her 
age. 

Issue:  (a)  Richard  Dobbs  Spaight  married 
Jane  Adams.  To  them  were  born  :  Joseph  A. 
of  Yorkville,  South  Carolina,  married,  first, 
Crenshaw  ;  second,  Clara  Dargon. 

(b)  Eliza  married  William  Campbell — issue, 
(i)  George  married,  first,  Sarah  Sandifer;  sec- 
ond Ellen  Guthrie,  (2)  Eliza  married  William 
Pitts,  (3)  William, 

(c-d)John  and  Augustus  Alexander  (twins.) 
John  married,  first,  Jane,  daughter  of  Ephraim 
Davidson ;  second,  Martha  Bigger  ;  to  John 
(c)  and  Jane  were  born,  John  married  An- 
nie Erwin;  Augustus ;  \Vm.  Spaight;  Martha 
Jane  married  Dr.  R.  S.  Adams ;  and  Robert 
Alexander. 


MECKLENBURG   COUNTY. 


273 


(d)  Augustus  Alexander  married  Catherine 
Schenck — issue,  Mary  married  Dr.  John  Mc- 
Lean (son  of  Thomas);  Violet  married  to'Dr. 
George  Hoke. 

(e)  William  Baine  married,  first,  Amanda 
Hill;  sec  :)nd,  Mrs.  Stringfellow  nee  Hope  ;  third, 
Mrs.  John  D.  Graham  nee  Johnston  ;  by  first 
marriage  he  had  William  Lee ;  Mary  married 
Rev.  Parks,  M.  D.  ;  Jane ;  and  Harvey ;  by 
the  second  marriage  he  hid  Robert,  M.  D., 
and  Aminda  married  Henry  Pitts  of  Alabama; 
Violet  married,  first,  Samuel  Lindsay,  and  had 
one  daughter  who  married  Rufus  Adams  ;  and 
second,  to  John  Hart. 

(g)    Rebecca  married    Dr.  Wilson — no 

issue. 

(h)  Thomas  Brevard  married  Harriet  Pegram 
and  had  John,  M.  D. ,  who  married,  first,  Mary, 
daughter  of  Augustus  A.  McLean  ;  second  El- 
mira  Salmon,  and  had  Alice,  Lizzie,  Annie  and 
Charles. 

(i)  Mary  married  Randolph  Ervvin,  M.  D. — 
issue,  Sarah;  Violet;  Margaret;  and  Randolph. 

(k)  Robert  Graham  married,  first,  Emma  Mc- 
Neal — no  issue  ;  second,  Catherine  Sandifer — 
issue,  Lucius  Spaight ;  James  Graham  married 
Sabina  Holland ;  Sally ;  Charles  ;  William 
Thomas  ;  Robert  Brevard  ;  and  John  Augustus. 

V.  Elizabeth  married  Wm.  Lee  Davidson, 
son  of  General  Wm.  Davidson,  who  was  killed 
at  Battle  of  Cowan's  Ford,  February  i,  1781. 

VI.  Isabella  married  General  Joseph  Gra- 
ham.    (See  page  231.) 

VII.  Violet  married  Wm.  Baine  Alexander 
and  had  Moses  Winslow  Alexander,  who  mar- 
ried Violet  Graham.     (See  Graham  genealogy. ) 

VIII.  Sally  married  Rev.    Alexander  Cald 
well,  son  of  Rev.  David  Caldwell,  of  Guilford — 
issue,  (a)  John,  father    of  Mary  Caldwell,  who 
married    Joseph  Davidson,    M.   D. ,   (b)  David 

'■  Alexander  married  Mrs.  Martha  Caldwell  ncc 
Bishop — issue,  (i)Sally  married  Dr.  Edward 
White,  Surgeon  C.  S.  A.,  and  (2)  Edward.  M. 
D. ,  (3)  Patsy  married  Davidson  of  Alabama.    , 


IX.  Rebecca  married  Alexander  Brevard,  one 
of  "the  eight  rebel  sons  "  of  John  Brevard,  for 
whose  zeal  Cornwallis's  troops  burned  his  house 
on  the  march  from  Cowan's  Ford — issue,  (a) 
Robert  who  had  (i)  Ephraim,  (2)  Alexander; 
(b)  Theodore  married  Caroline  Mays  of  Florida 
— issue,  ( i)  Theodore,  Jr. ,  married  a  daughter  of 
Gov.  Call,  of  Florida,  Brigadier  General  C.  S. 
A.;  (2)  Ephraim,  M.  D  ,  a  Surgeon  C.S.A.,  and 
(3)  Robert,  M.  D. ,  married  Mary  Stoney. 

X.  Peggy  married  James  Harris — issue,  Vio- 
let who  married  Hayes. 

William  Graham  was  another  signer  of  this 
Declaration.  He  was  Irish  by  birth,  but  no 
way  connected  with  the  distinguished  family  of 
the  same  name  mentioned  in  Lincoln  county 
sketches.  In  the  spring  of  1776,  he  raised  a 
regiment  in  Lincoln  county,  then  Tryon,  and 
marched  to  Fort  McFadden,  in  that  portion 
now,  Rutherford  county,  against  the '''Schoffold- 
ite  Tories,  and  again  he  marched  to  Charles- 
ton. His  command  was  at  the  battle  of  King's 
Mountain  under  Colonel  Dixon.  He  died 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Hopewell  Congrega- 
tion, a  wealthy  member  of  that  church  (see  letter 
of  Wm.  S.  Harris).  Another  authority.  Dr.  C. 
L.  Hunter,  states  he  died  in  Rutherford  county, 
very  wealthy,  and  at  a  good  old  age.  One  of 
his  sons  lived  in  Augusta,  Georgia,  where  he 
was  a  merchant  of  great  wealth. 

Henry  Downs  was  from  the  Providence  settle- 
ment, and  John  Ford  from  the  Clear  Creek 
county. 

John  Flenniken  was  also  a  member  of  this 
body.  He  was,  by  birth,  an  Irishman,  and 
came  first  to  Pennsylvania  and  finally  settled  in 
North  Carolina  on  the  Catawba  river,  below 
Beattie's  Ford,  where  some  of  the  name  still 
reside. 

Robert  and  James  Harris  were  both  born  at 
Harrisburg,    Pa. 


■■■■"Schoftbld  or  Schophot,a  Tory  Colonel  of  militia, a  man 
of  some    influence,     but  a    stupid,    ignorant    blockhead." 
Moultrie's  Revolution  in  North  and  South  Carolina. 


274 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Robert  owned  much  land  near  the  Harrisburg 
Depot,  in  Cabarrus  county,  and  is  buried  at  the 
Spear  graveyard,  near  Rocky  River  Church. 

James  lived  in  the  Clear  Creek  country.  He  was 
the  great-grandfather  of  Dr.  Jno  B.  Harris  and 
William  A.  Harris.  Others  came  to  the  State 
in  1741.  Some  of  the  descendants  of  Robert 
are  still  living,  The  late  William  Shakespeare 
Harris  of  Davidson  College,  was  the  grandson 
or  the  youngest  brother  of  this  family. 
'  Robert  Irwin  was  a  prominent  politician  and 
an  active  member  of  this  meeting  of  May  20, 
1775.  He  was  with  Sumter  in  August,  1780,  at 
the  battle  of  Hanging  Rock,  and  his  military 
reputation  was  high.  He  was  a  General  in  the 
State  militia.  He  was  popular  with  all  classes, 
and  was  a  Member  of  the  Provincial  Congress, 
from  Mecklenburg,  at  Halifax,  October,  1776, 
with  Waighstill  Avery,  Hezekiah  Alexander 
and  Zacheus  Wilson,  as  colleagues,  which  body 
formed  the  first  State  Constitution.  He  was  a 
delegate  to  both  conventions  (the  first  at  Hills- 
boro,  and  the  second  at  Fayetteville,)  which 
considered  the  Federal  Constitution  (the  first 
rejecting,  the  latter  approving)  with  General 
Joseph  Graham  as  a  colleague.  He  was  long  a 
Senator  in  the  Legislature  from  Mecklenburg, 
(from  1778  to  1783,-1797  to  1800.)  He  was  an 
-exemplary  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

He  died,  leaving  seven  children,  and  lies  bur- 
ied in  Steel  Creek  churchyard.  One  of  his 
daughters  married  Washington  Morrison ;  an- 
other daughter  married  McDowell — ^the  father 
of  Robert  Irwin  McDowell,  Esq.,  who  now  re- 
sides in  Charlotte.  General  Irwin  married  a 
second  time.  Miss  Barry  of  Hopewell. 

William  Kennon,  whose  name  appears  among 
the  Mecklenburg  men  as  one  of  the  Convention 
of  May  20,  1775,  was  active,  intelligent  and 
zealous.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
of  Safety  of  Rowan  county,  in  1774,  whose 
records  have  been  preserved  and  published. 
He  resided  in  Salisbury,  was  a  practicing  law- 
yer, and  with  his  brother-in-law,    Mr.   Willis, 


Adlai  Osborne,  and  Samuel  Spencer,  seized 
John  Dunn,  also  a  lawyer,  "  as  a  person  dan- 
gerous to  liberty,"  and  sent  him  to  South  Caro- 
lina. He  was  a  Member  of  the  First  Provincial 
Congress  that  met  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
Royal  Government  at  New  Berne  in  August, 
1 774,  and  was  appointed  Commissary  to  the  First 
Regiment  in  1776. 

Matthew  McClure  was  also  one  of  this  band 
of  heroes.  He  was  born  in  Ireland,  came  to 
Mecklenburg  quite  young,  settled  six  miles  be- 
low Davidson  College;  died  in  1808.  The 
Kerns  are  his  wife's  relatives. 

Neil  Morrison  was  a  member  of  this  Conven- 
tion. He  has  three  grandchildren  now  living, 
James  H.  Morrison  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Wilson, 
now  residing  in  Mecklenburg  county  and  Mrs. 
Margaret  Osborne  of  Corinth,  Mississippi, 

Benjamin  Patton,  another  signer,  was  a  man 
of  iron  firmness  and  indomitable  courage.  De- 
scended from  the  stern  Covenanters,  he  had 
their  inflexibility  of  purpose,  and  their  purity 
of  principle.  He  was  elected  to  the  Provincial 
Congress  in  1774,  a  stirring  epoch  in  the  history 
of  the  State,  for  it  was  already  in  open  contempt 
of  the  royal  power  in  North  Carolina. 

The  Governor  fulminated  a  furious  proclama- 
tion declaring  the  meeting  as  against  legal  au- 
thority and  in  open  defiance  of  the  Royal  Gov- 
ernment. The  Council  was  summoned  on  this 
occasion  ;  the  Governor  laid  before  them  the 
alarming  condition  of  affairs.  But  this  Council, 
either  alarmed  at  the  threatening  aspect  of 
affairs,  or  tinctured  themselves  with  the  inde- 
pendent spirit  of  the  times,  declared  that  the 
powers  of  the  Executive  were  exhausted ;  and 
' '  that  nothing  could  be  done.  " 

Tradition  states  that  such  was  the  zeal  of  Mr. 
Patton,  that  when  he  could  not  get  a  horse,  or 
any  conveyance,  that  he  walked  from  Charlotte 
to  New  Berne,  rather  than  not  join  these  patriots, 
determined  on  liberty  or  death.  He  lived  in 
that  part  of  Mecklenburg  which  is  now  Cabarrus. 
John  Paul  Barringer,  Martin  Phifer,  and  Renja- 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


275 


min  Patton  formed  the  Committee  of  Safety  for 
this  section,  with  very  full  powers.  They  held 
their  meetings  at  the  Red  Hill,  on  the  Salisbury 
road,  and  were  truly  "  a  terror  unto  evildoers, " 
and  "a  defense  to  those  who  did  well."  He 
died  near  Concord,  on  the  banks  of  the  Irish 
Buffalo. 

John  Query  was  also  one  of  this  Convention, 
a  native  of  Scotland,  came  this  country  and  set- 
tled on  Clear  Creek,  in  this  county.  He  was  a 
man  of  good  estate  and  of  literary  tastes.  He 
left  one  son,  Cyrus,  who  died  in  this  county 
some  few  years  ago. 

Of  John  Phifer,  one  of  this  immortal  band 
of  worthies — a  sketch  has  already  been  pre- 
sented.     (See  page  96.) 

David  Reese,  another  signer,  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
settled  near  Poplar  Tent.  He  was  an  extensive 
landowner  on  Coddle  Creek.  He  had  three 
sons  and  three  daughters.  One  of  his  sons  was 
educated  at  Princeton — studied  for  the  ministry, 
and  died  at  Pendleton,  South  Carolina.  One  of  his 
daughters  married  Hon.  William  Sharpe,  whose 
biography  we  have  given.  She  was  the  grand- 
mother of  Judge  David  F.  and  Hon.  Joseph  P. 
Caldwell. 

George  Reese,  one  of  his  grandsons,  lived  at 
West  Point,  Troop  County,  Georgia. 

Zaccheus  Wilson  was  one  of  this  band  of  pa- 
triots. He  was  much  esteemed  for  his  worth 
and  patriotism.  He  was  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention that  met  at  Hillsboro  in  1788,  to  delib- 
erate on  the  Federal  Constitution. 

We  have  now  in  a  rapid  manner  attempted  to 
gather  up  the  fleeting  traditions  that  patriotism 
and  affection,  have  preserved  of  these  immortal 
men — who  declared  the  independence  of  the 
Colony  of  North  Carolina,  on  May  20,  1775, 
more  than  a  year  in  advance  of  the  Declaration 
of  Congress  at  Philadelphia. 

Both  papers  are  equally  true  and  authentic. 
The  one  is  the  unanimous  declaration  of  thirteen 
States,  pledged  to  mutual  support  and  co-opera- 


tion ;  the  other  without  any  prompting  or  hope 
of  support  made  equally  as  bold  and  daring  a 
declaration.  The  one  challenges  our  admira- 
tion, the  other  our  veneration.  Botli  are  hnmor- 
tal.  If  the  one  was  destined  to  become  the 
Savior  of  the  Country,  the  other  was  its  fore- 
runner, for  it  was  truly  as  "  the  voice  of  one 
crying  in  the  wilderness,  preparing  the  way,  and 
making  the  paths  straight." 

To  the  memory  of  Rev.  Alexander  Craighead, 
whose  influence  in  this  behalf  was  greater, 
possibly,  than  that  of  any  other  one  man,  the 
following  is  written  : 

"  This  eminent  divine  belonged  to  a  race  dis- 
tinguished for  their  love  of  liberty.  He  was 
the  son  of  Rev.  Thomas  Craighead,  who  came 
to  New  England  in  17 15,  and  the  grandson  of 
Rev.  Robert  Craighead  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  one 
of  the  thirteen  ministers  who  constituted  the 
Presbytery  of  Lagan ;  he  became  one  of  the 
subjects  of  a  most  unrelenting  persecution  ;  was 
compelled  to  preach  in  barns  and  administer  the 
holy  sacrament  at  night.  The  death  of  Charles 
I.  only  dissuaded  them  from  emigration  to  Amer- 
ica as  far  back  as  1649,  but  the  ascendency  of 
James  I.  renewed  the  former  persecutions  of  all 
Protestants,  with  increased  vigor.  The  memory 
of  the  horrid  scenes  of  1641,  is  familiar  to  all, 
and  the  bare  mention  of  the  "  seige  of  Derry  " 
is  sufficient  to  make  the  cheek  blanche  and  the 
heart's  blood  turn  cold. 

But,  although  the  arbitrary  counsels  of  James 
I.  were  defeated  and  the  Crown  secured  to  Wil- 
liam of  Orange,  yet  the  warfare  waged  upon 
them  in  Ulster,  suppressed  Protestant  worship 
and  the  ministers  were  compelled  to  flee  for  the 
time.  On  their  return  to  their  former  parishes 
they  took  every  occasion  to  express  their  loyalty 
and  devotion  to  the  Crown,  nevertheless  they 
became  the  objects  of  unfriendliness  on  the  part 
of  the  Established  Church,  and  in  their  desire 
to  seek  freedom  in  religious  matters,  such  a  vast 
emigration  to  Pennsylvania  took  place  as  to  be- 
come a  subject  of  investigation  on  tb°  part  ol 


276 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


the  Crown  officers;  it  was  1780  before  a  repeal 
of  the  Test  Act  was  obtained,  however,  and  not 
until  1782,  were  marriages  solemnized  by  Dis- 
senters pronounced  valid,  and  consequently, 
between  1713  and  1782,  the  tide  of  emigration 
to  America  was  constant  and  full.  The  records 
of  the  English  Rolls  Office  mention  tliis  as  re- 
sembling "  a  contagious  distemper,"  and  the 
President  of  the  Proprietary  Council  of  Penn- 
sylvania, James  Logan,  in  1729  voiced  "the 
common  fear  that  if  the  Scotch-Irish  continued 
to  come,  they  will  make  themselves  proprietors 
of  the  province."  It  is  estimated  that  from 
1729  to  1750  about  twelve  thousand  annually 
came  from  Ulster  to  America — a  few  went  to 
New  England. 

"The  tide  of  emigration  into  South  Carolina, 
settled  on  the  fertile  lands  of  North  and  South 
Carolina,  and  meeting  the  influx  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, flowed  in  a  health-giving  body,  over  be- 
yond the  mountains  into  what  is  now  known  as 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  They  have  left  their 
name  and  mark  in  almost  every  State  of  this  Un- 
ion. Chambers,  in  his  "Irish  and  Scotch  Set- 
tlers in  Pennsylvania,  "rightfully  claims  for  these 
people  a  tendency  to  reform  and  elevate  public 
sentiment  and  morals,  being  men  of  intelligence, 
resolution,  energy,  and  of  a  religious  and  highly 
moral  character,  devoted  to  religious  and  civil 
freedom.  They  brought  with  them  the  West- 
minster Confession  of  Faith,  with  its  catechisms 
and  its  Directory  of  Worship,  endeared  to  them 
by  years  of  fierce  trial  and  persecution.  They 
certainly  were  not  the  cut  throats  and  villians 
supposed  to  have  emigrated  from  England  by 
legal  compulsion,  nor  yet  was  their  heroism  and 
attachment  to  liberty,  of  the"  Bob  Acres"  stamp, 
as  charged  by  a  writer  in  the  North  American 
Review,  of  April,    1874. 

It  is  to  these  same  men  that  we  are  indebted 
"  for  the  germs  of  our  civil  liberties,  "for,  as  Ban- 
croft says  :  "  The  first  public  voice  in  America 
for  dissolving  all  connection  with  Great  Britain, 
cam  e  not  from  the   Puritans  of  New  Enfjland 


the    Dutch  of  New  York,    nor  the  Planters  of 
Virginia,  but  from  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians." 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  Alexander  Craig- 
head, was  certainly  educated  in  all  the  elements 
considered  necessary  for  the  discipline  of  a 
Presbyterian  Clergyman,  to  which  sacred  calling 
he  was  licensed  in  1734.  He  was  an  earnest, 
and  fervid  preacher,  a  zealous  promoter  of  re- 
vivals, a  great  admirer  and  friend  of  George 
Whitefield,  whom  he  accompanied  in  some  of 
his  tours. 

As  early  as  1743  he  evinced  his  ardent  love  of 
personal  liberty  and  freedom  of  opinion  by  pub- 
lishing a  pamphlet  that  was  denounced  as  calcu- 
lated to  "  foment  or  encourage  sedition  or  dis- 
satisfaction with  the  civil  government  that  we 
are  now  under,  or  rebellion,  treason,  or  any- 
thing that  is  disloyal,"  and  history  records  the 
fact  that  upon  complaint  made  to  the  Synod  of 
Philadelphia,  in  the  name  of  the  Governor, 
against  this  pamphlet,  they  declared  their  ab- 
horrence of  the  paper,  and  inasmuch  as  it  was 
published  anonymously,  the  Synod  denied  any 
knowledge  of  Mr.  Alexander  Craighead  being 
the  author  thereof.  It  was  evidently  premature 
in  its  denunciation  of  George  II.  as  an  unchristian 
king. 

On  November  11,  1743,  at  a  meeting  at  Mid- 
dle Octorara  in  Pennsylvania,  after  various  relig- 
ious services,  Mr.  Craighead  and  his  congregation 
renewed  "the  covenants,  the  national  and  sol- 
emn league,"  and  after  formally  denouncing 
George  II.  as  an  unfit  king,  then  and  there  swore, 
holding  their  swords  in  their  uplifted  hands 
according  to  the  custom  of  their  ancestors  and 
of  soldiers  ready  to  conqueror  die,  to  keep  their 
bodies,  property,  and  consciences,  against  all 
attacks,  to  defend  Christ's  Gospel  and  the  na- 
tional liberty,  from  foes  within  or  without.  This 
movement  greatly  troubled  the  political  as  well 
as  the  religious  waters,  for  in  1 745  we  find  that 
Governor  Morris,  in  his  message  to  the  Assem- 
bly, denounced  certain  people  for  their  aspira- 
tions and  machinations  to  obtain  "Independ- 
ency." 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


^^^ 


Mr.  Craighead  found  in  this  attack  upon  him, 
one  of  the  causes  for  leaving  the  confines  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1749  we  find  him*  in  Vir- 
ginia, on  Cowpasture  river,  joined  to  a  settle- 
ment of  farmers  who  came  from  Pennsylvania, 
a  few  years  before.  This  was  then  on  the  fron- 
tier of  the  colony.  The  failure  of  Braddock's 
Expedition  (1755)  had  laid  the  whole  country 
open  to  the  devastation  of  the  Indians  and 
French. 

During  the  six  years  of  his  residence  in  Vir- 
ginia, Mr.  Craighead  found  little  sympathy  in 
his  yearnings  for  civil  and  religious  liberty;  he 
became  exceedingly  restive  under  the  tithings 
and  other  exactions  of  the  Established  Church, 
and  in  the  autumn  of  1755,  we  find  him  and 
most  of  his  congregation  seeking  peace  and  lib- 
erty in  Mecklenburg  County,  North  Carolina. 

Henceforth,  we  can  plainly  see  the  influence 
of  this  "man  of  God,"  for  the  good  of  man. 
He  received  a  call  from  the  "Sugar  Creek 
Church,"  three  miles  northeast  of  Charlotte  on 
the  road  to  Salisbury,  and  became  its  first  pastor. 
He  was  installed  in  September,  1758,  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Richardson,  (his  son-in-law,  and  the  patron 
of  that  noble  hero.  General  Wm.  Richardson 
Davie,)  in  charge  of  this,  which  was  the  oldest 
church  in  the  upper  country.  It  was  organized 
in  1756,  and  to  a  great  measure  became  \h&  par- 
ent of  the  seven  churches  so  largely  represented 
in  the  Convention  of  1775  at  Charlotte,  f 

Over  twenty  of  the  members  of  the  Conven- 
tion at  Charlotte,  who  on  May  20,  1775,  pro- 
nounced the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, were  connected  with  the  seven  Pres- 
byterian churches  of  the  county  ;  two  of  which 
were  Rocky  River  and  Sugar  Creek.  From 
these  two  the  other  five  took  "life  and  being." 
Such  were  the  men,  who,  when  informed  of  the 


*Foote's  Sketches  of  North  Carolina,  p.  189. 

tFoote. — In  this  charge  lie  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev. 
John  Alexander,  afterwards  by  Rev.  Thomas  Craighead,  but 
the  latter  only  temporarily;  next  by  his  grandson,  Rev. 
Samuel  Craighead  Caldwell  who  was  ihe  beloved  past'^r 
of  Hopewell  and  Sugar  Creek  Churches  for  thirty-five 
years;  then  by  Rev.  Dr.  Robert Ilall  Morrison. 


troubles  "  to  the  eastward,"  rallied  to  the  cry: 
"The  cause  of  Boston  is  the  cause  of  all!" 
With  Craighead  they  held  that  the  rights  of  the 
people  were  as  divine  as  the  rights  of  Kings, 
for  their  fathers,  and  they  themselves,  had  often 
listened  in  rapt  attention  to  his  thrilling  elo- 
quence, and  felt  as  if  himself  were  he  on  whose 
sole  arm  hung  victory. 

Abram  Alexander,  a  ruling  Elder  of  Sugar 
Creek  Church,  was  chairman  of  this  conven- 
tion. It  was  addressed  by  Rev.  Hezekiah  James 
Balch,  pastor  of  Rocky  River  and  Poplar  Tent, 
who  was  also  one  of  the  committee  of  three  to 
draft  the  "more  formal  declaration,"  and  nine 
other  ruling  elders,  of  these  seven  churches, 
were  active  participants  in  the  proceedings. 
Although  Mr.  Craighead  died  before  the  conven- 
tion of  May  20,  1775,  at  Charlotte,  yet  the  whole 
American  Nation  should  revere  his  memory  as 
the  fearless  champion  of  those  principles  of  civil 
and  religious  freedom,  which  they  now  enjoy 
and  which  first  found  expression  from  his  old 
comrades  in  the  immortal  Declaration,  the  true 
date  of  which,  in  the  language  of  another,  "  has 
been  as  clearly  established  as  the  given  name  of 
any  citizen  then  living  in  the  county." 

A  ^vriter  in  the  Nezv  York  Review,  reviewine 
the  '  'Life  of  Jefferson, "  by  Tucker,  clearly  shows 
that  the  preamble  to  the  Bill  of  Rights,  the 
Mecklenburg  Declaration  and  the  Virginia  Bill  of 
Rights  contain  nearly  everything  of  importance 
in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  of  July  4, 
1776,  upon  which  rests  so  much  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's fame.  Of  this  latter  instrument  and  the 
Mecklenburg  Declaration,  Judge  Tucker  says: 
(Vol.  2,  p.  627)  "  Every  one  must  be  per- 
suaded, at  least  all  who  have  been  minute  ob- 
servers of  style,  that  one  of  these  papers  had 
borrowed  from  the  other." 

(See  also  the  observations  in  the  writings  of 
Thoinas   Jefferson,     by   H.     Lee,    Philadelphia, 

1839-) 
The  spirit  which  moved  Craighead  to  the   use 

of  expressions  frequent  in  documents  prepared 


278 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


and  used  on  similar  occasions  in  Scottish  history, 
evidently  influenced  the  mind  of  Jefferson,  when 
he  indited  the  Declaration  of  July  4,  1776.  He 
tells  us  in  his  autobiography  that  when  engaged 
in  preparing  that  National  Declaration,  he  and 
his  colleagues  searched  everywhere  for  formulas, 
among  the  writings  of  the  Puritans,  as  well  as  else- 
where. The  greatest  interest  had  attached  to  the 
"  proceedings  at  Middle  Octorara,"  so  that  a  re- 
print of  those  proceedings  was  demanded  and 
appeared  in  Philadelphia  ;  and  we  must  see  that 
most  naturally  a  similarity  of  expression  would 
occur  in  these  documents  where  they  most 
probably  had  a  common  origin,  whose  aid 
was  invoked  to  give  vehemence  to  their  denun- 
ciation of  an  "unchristian  king,"  and  to  give 
pledges  of  mutual  faith  and  declarations  of  sacred 
duty,  and  thus  similar  phrases  are  found  in  these 
two  great  American  Declarations  to  give  form 
and  presence  to  kindred  thoughts. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  A.  W.  Miller  in  a  sermon,  de- 
livered at  Charlotte  on  May  14,  1876,  most  truth- 
fully used  the  following  language  : 

"If  to  the  people  of  Mecklenburg  county, 
Providence  assigned  the  foremost  position  in  the 
ranks  of  patriots,  a  century  ago,  let  them  never 
cease  to  hallow  the  memory  of  that  illustrious 
hero,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Craighead,  who  pre- 
pared them  for  it,  at  so  great  toil  and  pains,  and 
for  years  and  years  diligently  sowed  the  seed  that 
produced  the  glorious  harvest.  No  ordinary 
work  was  given  him  to  do,  and  no  ordinary  train- 
ing and  discipline  fitted  him  for  it. 

"Deeply  imbibing  the  spirit  of  the  Scottish 
Covenant,  contending  earnestly  for  the  descend- 
ing obligations  of  those  covenants  upon  all  whose 
ancestors  were  parties  to  the  same,  and  insisting 
upon  making  the  adoption  of  the  Solemn  League 
and  Covenant  a  term  of  communion  for  members 
of  the  church  in  the  colonial  as  well  as  the  mother 
country,  testifying  continually  to  the  Headship 
of  Christ  over  the  State,  and  the  responsibility 
of  all  kings  and  rulers  to  Him,  a  failure  of  whose 
allegiance  to  Him  would  forfeit  the  allegiance  of 


the  people  to  them ;  proclaiming  everywhere 
these  good  old  doctrines,  with  a  fidelity,  and  a 
courage,  and  a  zeal,  and  a  constancy,  that  ought 
to  have  secured  sympathy  and  commanded  admi- 
ration. Instead  of  this,  he  experienced  the 
usual  fate  of  those  who  are  in  advance  of  the 
age.  He  was  opposed,  resisted,  denounced  as  an 
extremist  and  ultra  reformer,  calumniated  as  an 
agitator,  and  even  censured  by  the  General  Synod 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church!  It  was  not  until  he 
came  to  North  Carolina,  that  he  found  a  conge- 
nial element  which  he  could  mould  and  train 
successfully  in  devotion  to  principles  bearing  fruit 
in  splendid  achievements,  which  now,  at  this  an- 
niversary season,  in  another  city,  are  command- 
ing the  homage  of  the  representatives  of  the 
world — so  successfully  tiained,  that  Charlotte  oc- 
cupied the  front  rank  more  than  a  year  in  advance 
of  Philadelphia — the  latter  on  May  20,  1775, 
counselling  submission,  the  former  declaring  in- 
dependence, and  so  Mecklenburg  became  the 
leader  of  the  land." 

Space  forbids  the  recital  of  further  facts  which 
would  but  serve  to  justify  the  grandeur  of  this 
pen  portrait,  nor  can  we  incorporate  herein  all 
the  distinguished  members  of  this  Craighead 
family,  but  must  content  ourselves  with  a  bare 
reference  to  several  of  them. 

Nancy,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Alexander  Craig- 
head, was  married  to  Rev.  William  Richardson, 
pastor  of  Waxhaw  Church,  South  Carolina, 
almost  on  the  Mecklenburg  line.  They  had  no 
children  born  to  them,  but  brought  up  as  their 
own,  his  nephew,   William    Richardson    Davie, 

' '  great 
a  patriot,  a  sol- 
dier, a  jurist,  a  statesman  and  a  diplomatist. 

The  second  daughter,  Rachael,  in  1766,  was 
married  to  Rev.  Dr.  Caldwell  of  Guilford,  the 
educator' of  a  large  number  of  the  most  eminent 
men  of  the  South, — di\'ines,  statesmen,  lawyers, 
and  physicians.  His  log  cabin  served  for  many 
years  to  North  Carolina  as  an  academy,  a  college, 
and  a  Theological  Seminary. "    Wheeler  i,p.  1 17. 


and   under    this   training    he   became   a 
man  in  the  age  of  great  men, 


MECKLENBURG   COUNTY. 


279 


The  third  daughter,  Jane,  married  Patrick 
Calhoun  -who  by  a  second  wife,  a  Miss  Caldwell 
of  Abbeville,  became  the  father  of  the  renowned 
John    Caldwell  Calhoun. 

The  sister  of  Rev.  Alexander  Craighead, 
named  Jane  or  Janet,  married  the  Rev.  Adam 
Boyd,  October  23,  1725,  and  their  son,  Rev. 
Adam  Bo\-d  (born  November  25,  1738,  died  in 
Natchez,  Mississippi,  1800)  was  the  true  friend  of 
the  liberties  of  our  colony  ;  he  became  editor  of 
the  Cape  Fear  Jllcrciny,  and  one  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  Safety  in  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  in 
1775.  Could  the  copy  of  the  Caf>c  Feai  Mcremy, 
loaned  from  the  Rolls  Office  in  London,  to  Mr. 
Stevenson,  the  United  States  Minister,  as  men- 
tioned by  the  author,  be  found,  it  would  either 
give  us  the  original  text  of  the  Da\-ie-\Villiamson 
copy,  or  show  that  the  royal  governor  consid- 
ered the  copy  of  the  whole  proceeding  as  good 
as  the  original  declaration,  or  in  his  own  language, 
as  "declaring  an  entire  dissolution  of  the  laws." 

A  nephew,  Colonel  George  Craighead,  born 
May  10,  1733,  lived  near  Wilmington,  Delaware. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  wealth,  and  in  the  Indian 
War,  prior  to  the  Revolution,  equipped  his  own 
regiment  for  that  service. 

He  was  the  intimate  friend  of  George  Wash- 
ington, "  dining  at  the  same  table,  and  calling 
each  other  by  the  familiar  name  of  George." 

The  oldest  son  of  Rev.  Alexander  Craighead, 
the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Craighead,  was  born  in 
Mecklenburg  county,  in  1750.  He  was  a  gradu- 
ate of  Princeton,  1775,  and  admitted  to  the  Pres- 
byterian ministry  in  1780.  Subsec]uently  he 
removed  to  Hay.sborough,  Tennessee,  si.x  miles 
east  of  Nashville,  and  there  established  the  first 
Presbyterian  church,  in  the  middle  division  of 
the  State.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Brown 
of  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  and  so  became  allied  to 
a  family  distinguished  for  high  social  standing, 
intellect,  and  national  reputation.  The  descend- 
ants of  this  marriage  are  still  numerous  in  Ten- 
nessee, and  in  several  other  States  of  the  South 
and    Southwest.  ■  \\\    1785    he    became  the  first 


President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Davidson 
Academy.  Among  the  board  were  Senator 
Smith,  General  Robertson,  and  General  Andrew 
Jackson.  This  academy  became  merged  into  the 
Cumberland  College  in  1806.  In  the  latter  part 
of  his  life  he  had  some  difficulties  that  hindered 
for  a  time,  his  usefulness,  but  which  served  to 
draw  forth  the  friendly  influence  and  unquali- 
fied approbation  of  General  Jackson.*  This 
friendship  is  accounted  for,  b}-  Dr.  Ramsey,  as 
influenced  by  a  sense  of  gratitude  as  \\ell  as  af- 
fection toward  all  who  bore  the  name  ;  for  when 
he  was  taken  prisoner  at  Waxhaw,  after  Buford's 
defeat  by  Tarleton,  and  carried  to  the  prison- 
ship  in  Charleston  harbor,  his  mother  found  a 
refuge,  and  home,  and  kind  friends,  in  Mr.  Craig- 
head's father's  congregation,  at  Sugar  Creek, 
North  Carolina,  and  when  Mrs.  Jackson  visited 
Charleston  to  see  her  son,  she  was  accompanied 
by  Mrs.  Nancy  Dunlap,  who  had  married  again 
after  the  death  of  her  first  husband.  Rev.  Wm. 
Richardson.  She  was  the  oldest  daughter  of 
Rev.  Alexander  Craighead.  The  General's 
mother  died  of  fever  at  the  Quarter  House,  si.x 
miles  from  Charleston,  and  was  cared  for  to  the 
last  by  Mrs.  Dunlap.  The  kindness  shown  his 
mother  by  the  family,  in  this  trying  period,  was 
never  forgotten  by  General  Jackson,  and  was  the 
motive  assigned  to  the  writer  by  President  James 
K.  Polk,  for  the  strong  personal  regard  and  at- 
tachment which  existed,  and  for  the  fact  that 
when  Mr.  Craighead  was  arraigned  by  the  Synod 
of  Kentucky,  Jackson  appeared  as  his  Judge 
Advocate. 

Further,  the  General  was  descended  from  the 
same  Scotch-Irish  stock,  born  in  the  southern 
part  of  Mecklenburg,  as  the  line  is  now  estab- 
lished, spent  his  boyhood  in  this  county,  and 
began  the  practice  of  law  at  Salisbury.  His 
mother  was  a  member  of  Waxhaw  church,  and 
had  her  son  baptised  there,  with  the  hope  that 
he  might  some  day  become  a  minister.  The 
impressions  received  at  home,  and  in  his  earlier 

»Parton's  Jackson, II  p.  655. 


28o 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


years,  never  were  wholly  lost.  "The  family 
Bible,  covered  with  check  cloth,  as  his  mother's 
was,  lay  on  the  stand  at  the  Hermitage,  where  he 
ended  his  days ;  and  he  died  at  last  the  death  of 
a  Christian,  in  the  communion  of  the  church  of 
his  mother,  a  member  in  full  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church."*  Howe's  Churches  of  South  Caro- 
lina, 539. 

Samuel  Craighead  Caldwell,  son  of  Rev.  Dr. 
David  Caldwell,  died,  June  3,  1825  ;  and  Rachel, 
(second  daughter  of  Rev.  Alexander  Craighead, 
who  was  married  1766);  married,  first,  Abigail 
Baine  Alexander — issue,  (a)  David  Thomas  and(b) 
Jane,  (a)  David  Thomas  married  Harriet  David- 
son, and  to  them  were  born  :  Samuel  Craighead, 
William  Davidson,  1  homas,  Sarah  Jane,  Robert 
Baxter,  Minnie  and  Alice ;  married  second,  Ad- 
eline Hutchinson,  and  had  one  child,  Addic. 
(b)  Jane  married  Rev.  Dr.  Walter  Smiley  Pharr, 
who  first  married  Miss  Springs;  (2)  Samuel  Craig- 
head Caldwell  married  Elizabeth  Lindsay  and  had 
(a)  Robert  Lindsay,  graduate  of  University  of 
Georgia,  and  of  Union  Theological  Seminary  of 
Virginia,  pastor  at  Statesville,  North  Carolina, 
married  Martha  Bishop,  and  died  aged  twenty- 
seven,  leaving  one  son,  John  Rice  ;  (b)  Abigail 
B.,  married  to  Robert  D.  Alexander  and  had 
issue,  Agnes,  Brevard,  Davidson,  Lottie,  and 
Samuel  Craighead  Caldwell.  The  last,  born 
February  24,  1830,  graduate  of  Davidson  Col- 
lege, 1848,  Columbia  Theological  Seminary, 
1853;  pastor  of  Thyatira  and  Black  Creek 
churches,  married  Mary  Holmes  Brown,  May  21, 
1857,  and  had  Samuel,  Bettie  Brown,  Robert 
Owen,  Mary  Abigail ;  lived  at  Wadesboro,  North 
Carolina;  (c)  Samuel  Craighead  born  18 10, 
merchant  at    Grenada,    Mississippi,    lost  on  the 


■'■■The  author  acknowledges  his  obligations  to  a  genealrg- 
ical  memoir  of  the  Craighead  family  (1658-1876)  printed 
for  the  descendants  in  [Philadelphia,  1S76,  by  Tbonia-  &  Co. 
— an  exceedingly  intereslirg  compilation  conlaini-g  one 
hundred  and  seventy-three  psge",  'which  shows  in  the  con- 
cise and  beautiful  language  of  the  distingui-hed  auihor. 
Rev.  Dr.  Jsmes  Geddes  Craighead,  who,  f.  r  four  een  years 
edited  the  "New  York  Evangelist,"  the  great  influence  and 
ability  of  this  distinguished  family,  now  so  widely  scattered 
over  the  whole  United  States. 


"Pathfinder,"  on  the  Mississippi  Ri\'er,  unmar- 
ried; (d)  John  McKnilt  Madison,  born  1S12, 
graduate  of  University  of  Georgia  and  of  L-nion 
Theological  Seminary  of  Virginia,  licensed  1835, 
ordained  1836,  pastor  of  Sugar  Creek  church 
1837;  '^^  Rome,  Georgia,  in  1845  ;  proprietor  of 
Roiiie  Female  College  in  i860.  He  married 
Caroline  E.  Livy  and  had  eight  sons :  Thomas 
Parsons  born  November,  185  i,  died  April,  1852, 
Edwin  Harper,  born  1S53,  died  1872;  Samuel 
Craighead,  born  1846,  graduated  (1868)  at  Prince- 
ton ;  Professor  of  Natural  Science,  Rome,  Geor- 
gia ;  married  Kate  Pearson  ( 1 870)  and  had  two 
sons;  Alfred  Shorter  born  1848,  married  Lizzie 
Hutchinson,  1874,  and  had  one  daughter;  John 
Livy,  born  1850,  graduate  of  Princeton,  1870, 
and  at  Princeton  Seminary  1874;  pastor  at  Pleas- 
ant Hill,  Mo.;  Franklin  Hawkins,  born  1857,  a 
merchant  in  Rome,  Ga. ;  and  two  who  died  in 
infancy ; 

(3)  Andrew  Harper,  born  1814,  graduate  of 
Centre  College,  Ohio,  and  of  Union  Theological 
Seminary  of  Virginia,  married  Sarah  Ann  Wil- 
liamson, and  had  issue  as  follows  :  John,  Samuel 
Craighead,  Sarah  lilizabeth,  Willie  Dobie,  Wal- 
ter Lindsay,  and  Anna;  (f)  Seled,  born  1816,  a 
Baptist  preacher,  lived  in  Texas,  has  three  chil- 
dren ;  (g)  Septemus,  born  18 18,  an  eminent  law- 
yer of  Grenada,  Mississippi,  killed  b}' accident ; 
(h)  Cyrus  King.sbury,  born  1821,  graduate  (184 1) 
at  Davidson  College  and  Union  Theological  Serni 
nary,  Virginia,  1846,  ordained  1847,  married 
Fannie  A.  McKinley,  1850,  and  had  issue  as 
follows:  Ida  Lindsay,  Anna  Hope,  Fannie  Ma- 
ria, Bessie  Morrison ;  was  pastor  of  Buffalo  and 
Bethel  churches  at  Pittsboro  and  Denmark,  Ten- 
nessee, where  he  died,  March  1876;  (i)  W'alter 
Pharr,  born  1822,  a  la\\')'erat  Greensboro,  North 
Carolina,  married  Nannie  Weatherly,  and  had 
issue,  Earnest,  Maggie,  Mamie,  Carrie,  Nannie, 
Daisy,  Abby  Wood. 

The  editor  of  these  reminiscences  in  acknowl- 
edging the. invaluable  aid  contributed  by  Captain 
Robert  D.    Graham,   a  member    of  the  Bar   of 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


281 


Charlotte,  in  execution  of  his  work,  deems  it  a 
duty  to  notice  the  articles  prepared  by  that  gen- 
tleman on  the  subject  of  the  Mecklenburg 
Manuscripts. 

These  articles  have  attracted  very  general  atten- 
tion, as  they  present  this  subject  in  a  new  and  very 
strong  Hght.  Some  of  his  salient  points  are,  in 
effect,  as  follows  : 

The  "20th  of  May"  is  found  to  have  been 
"  confirmed  by  an  oath."  That  should  be  the 
end  of  controversy  as  to  that  date,  when  consid- 
ered with  the  additional  fact  that  no  participant 
or  eye-witness  of  that  impressive  occasion,  ever 
named  a  different  day  for  "the  throwing  up  of 
hats."  No  one  doubts  that  every  witness  who 
certified  to  it  on  honor,  was  prepared  unhesitat- 
ingly to  swear  to  it.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Charleston  printer's  date  of  the  "  Mecklenburg 
Resolves  "  as  subsequently  found  in  their  digest- 
ed form,  has  never  had  a  single  witness  to  testify 
in  its  favor.  It  is  a  niillius filius,  brought  to  the 
attention  of  the  people  of  Mecklenburg  for  the 
first  time  in  1837 — "an  Ishmacl  with  whom  Isaac 
can  make  no  division  of  the  inheritance."  He 
calls  for  the  21st  May,  "a  day  after  the  feast," 
when  the  committee,  for  this  special  work,  from 
the  preceding  manuscripts,  and  without  the 
further  attendence  of  the  popular  assemblage' 
"digested  the  system  which  formed  in  effect  a 
declaration  of  independence,  as  well  as  a  com- 
plete system  of  government."  Accepting  the 
abridged  statement  of  Mr.  Bancroft  as  a  Delphic 
oracle,  Mr.  Graham  quotes  his  emphatic  opinion 
in  confirmation  of  this  conclusion.      Hist.  U.  S. 

VII,  370-374- 

The  printed  Mecklenburg  Resolves,  as  intended 
b)'  the  parties  who  had  enacted  and  witnessed 
the  promulgation  of  the  several  papers  from 
which  they  are  digested,  as  construed  by  the  two 
cotemporary  royal  governors,  and  as  accepted  by 
the  great  historian,  contain  the  true  sentiment 
and  substance  of  the  Davie  copy  of  the  first 
paper  unanimously  adopted  and  sigjied  by  the 
delegates,    after  an  exhaustive  debate  to  satisfy 


every  conscientious  scruple,  at  2  a  m. — the 
morning  of  the  20th  May. 

The  2 1st  May  would  have  been  Sunday  by 
our  calendar,  but  Mr.  Graham  has  presented  an 
array  of  incontestable  facts  showing  that  it  ^\•as 
not  Sunda\-  with  the  ancient  Mecklenburgers, 
but  that  the  31st,  instead,  did  fall  on  Sunday  b_\' 
their  calendar. 

Also, THAT  there  were  three  MSS.  ix  Meck- 
lenburg in  May,  1775  (all  declaring  imiepexd- 
ence, special  or  general,  of  Gke.vl  Britain,  but 
.mot  of  Congress,  th.-^t  neither  alluded,  ix  so 

MANV  words,  to  A  PRECEDING  PAPER  OF  THE  SA.ME 
KIND,  AND  NEITHER  OF  THEM  WAS  D.ATED  MaV  3  1ST. 

While  the  several  papers  of  the  20th  of  May, 
were  the  only  documents  in  this  connection  ever 
talked  of  at  home  among  the  people,  that  which 
was  least  heard  of  there,  was  for  reasons  given — 
ex  lino  omnes  disces — the  only  one  which  the  offi- 
cers sent  out  for  publication.  The  issue  is 
squarely  stated  that  either  the  date  of  the  actors, 
(the  20th),  or  else  that  of  the  printer  (the  31st) 
is  an  error ;  and  such  facts,  as  he  remarks,  have 
hitherto  been  overlooked,  b}-  both  sides,  in  the 
heat  of  debate.  His  work  as  to  the  dates  and 
number  of  papers  will  fill  the  only  gap  that  seems 
to  have  been  left  open  by  the  many  able  advocates 
of  the  original  declaration.  Several  of  the  arti- 
cles have  appeared  in  the  Charlotte  Home  ami 
Denioerat,  and  in  the  Faniiei  and  Meehanie  of 
Raleigh.     The  latter  pertinently  observes  : 

Others  had  suggested  that  the  difference  be- 
tween the  O.  S.  and  N.  S.  might  disprove  the 
evidence  of  the  eye-witnesses,  or  demonstrate 
the  fallacy  of  their  memories  as  to  //:r  document 
and  the  day,  but  he  is  the  first  to  establish  the 
facts,  and  they  corroborate  'the  signers'  in  every 
particular.  He  shows  that  Mr.  Bancroft  has 
been  as  much  misunderstood  on  the  question  of 
dates,  as  on  that  of  the  absolute  character  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

General  Thomas  Polk,  with  whose  biography 
this  article  on  the  Declaration  of  20th  May, 
1775,  was   commenced,   read  the  resolves,   from 


282 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


the  steps  of  tlie  Court  House  to  the  people.* 
We  propose  to  continue  his  biography  from 
that  time. 

•  By  the  Provincial  Congress,  which  met  at 
Halifax,  April  4,  1776,  the  State  was  placed  on 
a  war  footing;  Thomas  Polk  was  elected  Colonel 
of  the  4th  Regiment  in  the  Continental  service, 
with  James  Thackston  as  Lieutenant  Colonel, 
and  William  Davidson  as  Major.  Tradition  as 
well  as  history  is  silent  as  to  the  military  ser- 
vices of  Colonel  Polk,  during  the  excitingscenes 
of  Gates'  advance  and  defeat,  through  this  part 
of  the  State ;  when  Lord  Cornwallis  advanced, 
flushed  with  the  victory  at  the  battle  of  Camden, 
fought  August  1 6,  1 780,  over  Gates,  to  Charlotte, 
hundreds  who  were  true  patriots  accepted  protec- 
tion for  they  saw  no  alternative  but  that,  or  the 
ruin  of  their  families  and  destruction  of  their 
substance. 

Among  Gates'  papers  in  the  New  York  His 
torical  Society  is  the  following  : 

"  From  a  number  of  suspicious  circumstances 
respecting  the  conduct  and  behavior  of  Colonel 
Thomas  Polk,  Commissary  of  Provisions  for  the 
Continental  Troops,  it  is  our  opinion  that  the 
said  Colonel  Polk  should  be  ordered  to  Salisbury, 
to  answer  for  his  conduct,  and  that  the  persons 
of  Duncan  Ochiltree,  and  William  McAferty, 
be  likewise  brought  under  guard  to  Salisbury. 
Given  unanimously  as  our  opinion  this  Novem- 
ber 12,  1780. 

Horatio  Gates, 
Isaac  Huger, 
Allen  Jones, 
John  Butler,  "j 

This  was  doubtless  produced  by  the  panic 
which  followed  the  defeat  of  Gates  (in  the  Au- 
gust previous)  while  Gates  was  flying  with  speed 
before  the  British  forces.  That  whatever  "  sus- 
picious circumstances  respecting  the  conduct  of 
and   behavior    of  Colonel  Thomas  Polk  "    may 

•' Jolinson's  "Traditions  and  Reminiscences  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution,   77. 
tLossing  II,    624. 


have  excited  in  the  distempered  mind  of  Gen- 
eral Gates  and  others,  history  shows  no  record 
of  any  investigation  or  coiidciiuiation  of  his  con- 
duct, or  any  condemnation  of  his  course,  public 
or  private,  and  that  any  distrust  of  the  loyalty 
of  Colonel  Polk,  was  not  the  opinion  of  General 
Gates,  and  made  no  impression  on  his  mind,  is 
shown  by  the  following  letter,  written  soon  after 
he  took  command  at  Charlotte,  North  Caro- 
lina : 

"  Cami' Charlotte,  Dec.  15,  1780. 
To  Colonel  Polk : 

Sir — I  find  it  will  be  impossible  to  leave  camp 
as  early  as  I  intended,  as  Colonel  Kosciusko  has 
made  no  report  yet,  respecting  a  position  on 
the  Pedee. 

"I  must  therefore  beg  you  to  continue  the 
daily  supplies  of  the  Army  and  keep  in  readi- 
ness three  days  provisions  beforehand.  I  have 
just  received  some  intelligence  from  General 
Nash  and  from  Congress,  which  makes  me  wish 
to  see  you.      I  am  &c. , 

Nathaniel  Greene." 

This  letter  proves  the  confidence  which  the 
commanding  General  had  in  the  energy  and  pa- 
triotism of  Colonel  Polk,  who  owned  extensive 
mills  near  Charlotte  and  stores  in  the  town. 

He  had  been  appointed  Commissary  of  Pro- 
visions for  the  Continental  Troops  in  this  region, 
that  had  been  stripped  to  destitution  by  an  in- 
vading army,  and  this  was  a  position  at  once 
perplexing,  arduous  and  ungracious.  In  a  let- 
ter, the  original  I  have  in  my  possession,  he 
resigned  the  irksome  office. 

"Charlotte,  13th  Dec,  1780. 

On    my  Informing    General    Greene    of   my 

resignation,  he  maid  menshun  of  Col.    Willm. 

Davie,    which  I  think  will   do   exceeding  well, 

will  be  always   in  Camp;   I  think  him  clever  in 

business.      If  it  should  meet  your  approbation  I 

should  be  happy  in  rcleasment. 

I  am.  Sir,  with  great  respect. 

To  the  Hon.     )^         Your  humble  serv't, 
B'd  of  War    J  Thos.  Polk." 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY, 


283 


That  his  resignation  was  not  produced  by  any 
abatement  of  his  zeal  for  the  cause  of  his  coun- 
try, is  shown  by  the  following,  the  original  of 
which  is  in  my  possession: 

"Camp  Yadkin  River, 

Oct.  nth,   [780. 
Gentlemen : 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  on  Sat- 
urday last,  the  noted  Colonel  Ferguson  with 
150  men  fell  on  King's  Mountain,  800  taken 
prisoner,  and  1,500  stand  of  arms. 

"Cleaveland  and  Campbell  commanded.      A 
glorious    affair.      In  a  few    days    we    will  be  in 
Charlotte,  and  I  will  take  possession  of  m}'  house 
and  his  Lordship  take  the  woods. 
I  am  Gentlemen, 
with  respect  your  humble  servant, 

Thomas  Polk." 

He  was  appointed  in  1781,  Brigadier  General 
to  succeed  the  lamented  General  Davidson,  who 
fell  at  Cowan's  Ford,  in  battle. 

He  died  in  Charlotte  in  1793,  and  lies  buried 
in  the  churchyard  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

He  married  Susan  Spratt  and  left  several  chil- 
dren. 

L    Ezekiel. 

n.  Charles  married  Miss  Alexander,  whose 
son  Thomas  Independence  Polk,  so  named  by  his 
father  because  born  on  the  20th  of  May,  (prior 
to  1790J  married  Sarah  Moore,  and  was  the 
father  of  Horace  M.  Polk  and  Charles  Polk. 

III.  William  Polk,  whose  biography  we  have 
given  (see  page — )  was  another  son,  killed  at 
Eutaw  or  Cane  Creek. 

IV.  James. 

General  Polk-,  after  the  Revolution,  purchased 
of  the  disbanded  soldiers  the  land  warrants  issued 
by  the  State  for  military  services,  and  died  pos- 
sessed of  princely  estates,  which  his  sons  inher- 
ited, but  did  not  improve.  They  loved  fun  and 
frolic  better  than  study  or  work.  Two  of  them 
settled  in  Sumter  District,  South  Carolina;  mar- 
ried and  died  there,  leaving  no  family. 

His  son,  Ezekiel  Polk,  who  was  also  a  member 


of  the  Convention  of  May  20,  1775  (see  certifi- 
cate of  Captain  Jack,  who  was  present,  and 
bore  the  proceedings  of  the  Convention  to  Phil- 
adelphia American  Archives,  4th  series,  2d  vol- 
ume, 858),  and  although  partaking  of  the  wild 
and  frolicsome  spirit  of  the  age  in  which  he 
lived,  was  brave  and  patriotic.  He  commanded 
a  company  in  1775,  in  the  3rd  Regiment,  South 
Carolina  State  Troops,  Colonel  William  Thomp- 
son, and  marched  to  subdue  the  Tories  at  "96," 
and  was  in  a  severe  engagement  on  December 
22d,  1775,  at  Cane  Creek.  His  nephew,  W'il- 
liam,  was  an  official  in  this  company,  and  was 
severely  wounded  (see  declaration  of  Colonel 
Polk).      Here  his  brother  was  killed. 

He  was  elected  a  Member  of  the  Legislature 
from  Mecklenburg,  in  1792-93-94  with  General 
Joseph  Graham,  and  William  Graham,  as  col- 
leagues. Ezekiel  was  reckless  as  well  as  frolic- 
some. 

"I  heard,"  says  Dr.  Joseph  Jo'nnson,  in  his 
'Traditions  and  Reminiscences  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  in  the  South'  (page  85)  of  one 
instance  told  by  himself:  '  I  was  driving  my 
wagon  with  another  young  man,  a  friend.  We 
had  just  finished  our  dinner  and  had  each  taken 
a  good  stiff  drink,  when  a  gentleman  rode  up  in 
a  sulky.  We  concluded  to  havesomefun.  We 
asked  him  to  alight  and  take  a  drink.  He  did 
so.  We  then  told  him  that  it  was  '  a  way  we 
had'  to  make  strangers  dance  for  us.  Then  we 
commenced  cracking  our  whips  about  his  legs, 
for  music  to  cheer  him  up.  As  he  seemed  to 
take  it  gentl)'  and  when  we  stopped  the  music, 
he  stopped  the  dance.  He  then  said  after  such 
a  jig,  we  must  have  another  drink  with  him, 
this  time  and  while  he  was  opening  his  sulky- 
box  we  dropped  our  whips,  preparing  to  join 
him,  instead  of  producing  a  bottle,  he  drew  a 
pair  of  loaded  pistols,  and  cocking  them,  pre- 
sented them  at  us,  with  a  look  of  earnestness 
that  showed  he  meant  Itiis/mss.  He  said  that 
we  must  dance  for  him,  or  pay  the  piper,  At 
it  we  went ;    while    he  whistled  a  rapid  time,  a 


284 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


Virginia  reel,  that  kept  us  active.  I  never  had 
such  a  sweat  in  all  my  li!"e,  and  was  glad  when 
he  stopped.  He  told  us  that  it  would  not  al- 
ways do  '  to  play  tricks  upon  travellers.'  He 
then  offered  us,  politely,  a  drink  of  brandy, 
which  we  took,  shook  hands,  and  parted  friends. 
We  had  the  lead;  he  followed  suit,  beat  us  with 
our  own  cards,  and  won  the  odd  trick.  But  all 
was  fair." 

"In  the  fall  of  1782,"  says  Dr.  Johnson,  al- 
ready just  quoted,  "I  remained  two  or  three 
months  at  Charlotte,  and  saw  much  of  Gencrcd 
Polk  and  his  sons.  The  General  was  plain  and 
unassuming  in  his  deportment  ;  more  like  an  old 
farmer  or  miller  than  a  soldier  or  General." 

His  sons,  Ezekiel,  William,  James  and  "  Devil 
Charley'  Polk,  were  wild  and  frolicsome, 
and  in  their  fun,  did  not  even  spare  their  father. 
On  one  occasion  the  General,  speaking  of  "higli- 
way  robberies  committed  by  one  nian,  as  im- 
possible and  ridiculous,  that  no  one  man  cnuld 
rob  him — that  he  never  was  robbed,  m  r  woulJ 
any  one  man  dare  attem[)t  it. " 

Charley  who  by  his  mad  cap  freaks  had  won 
the  sobriquet,  throughout  the  whole  country,  of 
'■'Devil  Charley,"  heard  all  this  and  he  resolved 
to  try  the  pluck  of  the  General.  Hearing  that 
his  father  was  going  on  some  byroad  to  rec  ive 
a  sum  of  money,  he  way-laid  him  and  demanded 
instant  delivery  of  all  he  had.  The  General 
grasped  at  his  pistols,  but  Charles  was  too  quiek 
for  him,  and  the  General  seeing  a  pistol  aimed 
at  his  breast,  surrendered  the  money.  He  went 
home,  fretted  and  mortified  at  the  result  The 
young  men  condoled  witli  their  father,  and  in- 
quired the  cause  of  his  depression.  He,  then 
narrated  his  mishap  :  "  that  he  had  been  robbed 
of  a  large  sum  of  money  on  the  public  road." 
They  all  expressed  surprise  that  he  had  not 
gone  armed  on  the  occasion.  He  acknowledged 
he  was  armed  and  had  pistols,  but  had  no  time 
to  use  them.  They  then  with  much  increased 
surprise  as  they  stated  concluded  that  there 
must  have  been  several  men  who  attacked  him; 


but  the  General  acknowledgid  that  there  was 
only  one  ;  but  he  added  he  was  taken  by  surprise 
and  was  off  his  guard.  Charle}'  then  returning 
the  money  acknowkdgi-d  that  he  had  taken  it 
from  him. 

"What!"  said  the  Geneial,  "and  did  you 
endanger  and  threaten  )(jur  old  f.tlur's  life  ;" 

"No  sir!"  said  Charles 

"  Did  you  not  present  a  ['i.slol  a',  my  breast?" 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Ciiarles, 

"How  can  you  say  that?"  said  the  father. 

"I  assure  you  sir,  it  was  only  mother's  brass 
candlestick  that  I  took  off  from  5  our  own  mantle- 
piece, "  said  Charles  producing  them. 

Of  his  son  William,  we  have  alread}- written. 

Leonidas  Polk,  son  of  William  Polk  and  Sa- 
rah Hawkins,  was  a  Christian,  a  soldier  and  a 
scholar. 

He  was  educated  at  the  United  States  Mili- 
tary Academy,  at  West  Point,  and  graduated 
i8-'7;  one  j'car  before  Jefferson  Davis,  and  two 
years  before  Generals  Lee  and  Johnson.  After 
a  few  years  service,  he  exchanged  the  sword  for 
the  gown,  and  became  such  a  shining  light  in 
the  church,  that  he  attained  the  position  of 
Bishop  in  the  Episcopal  church  for  his  piety, 
zeal  and  ability,* 

The  Civil  War  aroused  his  military  instincts 
implatited  by  a  long  line  of  ancestry,  and  by  his 
own  predilectionsand  education.  He  tendered  his 
services  in  defence  of  his  home;  he  was 
commissioned  a  Major  General  in  the  Confed- 
erate Army,  ordered  to  command  at  Meniphis. 
He  achieved  a  decided  victory  at  Belmont  (No- 
vember 27,   1861)  over  General  Grant. 

At  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro,  December  31, 
1862,  between  Bragg  and  Rosencrans,  General 
Polk,  commanded  the  le/^t  wing;  General  Bragg 
in  his  official  report  commended  him  for  his  skill 
and  ability  in  that  sanguinary  engagement.      In 


*This  State  li,is  funiisheil  liberally,  her  portion  of  ability 
to  the  church. 

Bishop  liecl<wilh  to  (Joorgia;  Bishop  Davis  to  South 
Carolina;  Bishop  (Ir  en  to  Missouri;  Bisliop  Cicero  Hnwks 
to  Mississippi;  Bishop   Polk  to  Lousiana. 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


28. s 


miny  otlier  battles  General  Polk  did  good  ser- 
vice. In  high  position  which  exempted  him 
from  military  duty,  with  ample  fortune  and  every 
comfort  of  life,  lie  left  all,  to  serve  the  cause  he 
deemed  just,  and  laid  down  his  life  in  its  defense. 
He  was  killed  on  the  14th  day  of  June,   1864. 

He  married    Frances   Devereux,  of  Raleigh, 
by  whom  he  had  eight  children  : 
I.    Hamilton  married  Miss  Buck. 
n.    Catherine  married  W.  Gale. 

HI.    Frances  married  P.  Skipvvith. 

IV.    Sally    married    Blake  of  South  Carolina. 
V.    Susan  married  Dr.  Joseph  Jones. 

VI.    Lilly  married  Wm.  Huger. 

VII.   William  married  Miss  Lyon. 
VIII.    Lucia  married  Ed.  Chapman. 

William  Polk,  son  of  John,  who  was  the 
son  of  Robert,  had  among  others  the  following 
children,  Ezekiel,  Thomas,  and  Margaret  who 
way  married  to  McRee.  From  these  have  sprung 
all  the  Polks  in  our  State. 

Ezekiel,  son  of  William  Polk  and  Priscilla 
Roberts,  married,  first.  Miss  Wilson  ;  second, 
Miss  Leonard,  had    eleven  children,  as  follows: 

I.  William  married  Elizabeth  Dodd — issue, 
(i)  Clarissa,  married  to  Taylor,  had  (a)  Isaac, 
(b)  Caroline,  (c)  Clarissa,  (d)  Thomas,  and  (e) 
Laura;  (2)  Olivia  married  to  D.  D.  Berry — is- 
sue, (a)  Elizabeth,  (b)  Clarissa,  (c)  Mary  E.,(d) 
John  T.,  (e)  David  D.,  (f)  William,  (g)  Olivia, 
(h)  Louisa  and  (i)  Laura;  (3)  Thomas  ;  (4)  Jo- 
seph ;  (5)  Caroline  married  to  John  Wirt  and  had 
(a)  Catherine,  (b)  Caroline;  (6)  Jackson — issue, 

(a)  Ann,  (b)  Oscar,  (c)  Virginia,  (d)  William; 
(7)  Mary  married  to  Howard — issue,    (a)  Sarah, 

(b)  William;  (8)  Laura  married,  first,  to  Manly  ; 
second,  to  Taylor — issue,  (a)  Clarissa  Manly, 
(b)  Elizabeth,  (c)  William. 

II.  Louisa  married,  first,  to  Niely  ;  second, 
to  D.  C.  Collier — issue,  (i)  Rufus  P.  married 
Miss  Lea,  had  (a)  Harriet,  (b)  Kate,  (c)  Charles, 
(d)  Mary,  (e)  James,  (f)  Prudence,  (g)  Louisa, 
(h)  William;  (2)  Thomas  Collier — issue,  Wil- 
liam ;  (3)  Fanny ;  (4)  Jackson  Niely ;  (5)  Adela 


Bell  ;  (6)  Mary  Atwood— issue,  (a)  Adda,  (b) 
Josephine. 

III.  Mary  married  to  Hardeman — issue,  (i) 
Monroe,  (2)  Mary  Fentress — issue,  Thomas  ; 
(3)  Leonidas,  (4)  Owen    married    S.  M.  Berry  ; 

(5)  William. 

IV.  Charles  P. — issue,  (i)  Charles  E. ,  (2) 
Eugenia,  (3)  Perry,  (4)  Ann  C,  (5)  James  K. 

V.  Benigna  married  Wood — issue,  (i)  Be- 
nigna,  who  had  Mary  and  Benigna. 

VI.  Eugenia  married  Nelson — issue,  (i)  Sa- 
rah, (2)  Ada,  (3)  Sophia,  (4)  Charles,  (5J  Wil- 
liam (6)  Hugh. 

VII.  Clarissa  married  to  Thomas  McNeal — 
issue  (a)  Jane  married  to  Brown,  had  (i)  Mary, 
(2)  Clara,  (3)  Cordelia,  (4)  Lycurgus,  fj)  Albert, 

(6)  James  ;  (b)  Clara  married  to  Fulton,  (c)  Mary 
married  to  Mark  R.  Roberts — issue,  (i)Jane 
Jewctt,  (2)  Prudence  McRay,  (3)  Evelina,  (4) 
Mary,  (5)  Ann,  (6)  Samuel,  (7)  Mark,  (8)  Albert, 
(9;  Eliza,  (10)  Napoleon,  (11)  Thaddeus,  (12) 
Mary  Baker,  ( 1 3)  Thomas  F  ;  Evelina  L.  married 
Peters — issue,  (1)  Arthur,  (2)  Clara,  (3)  George 
W  (4)  Thomas  ;(e)  Prudence  married  John  H.  Bells 
had  (i)  Leonidas,  (2)  Wilson,  (3)  Evelina,  (4) 
Clara,  (5)  Mary  Wood — issue,  Fanny. 

Among  the  notable  celebrities  of  Mecklenburg 
county,  was  Susan  Sm.art  //jvBarnett,  remarkable 
for  her  great  age,  and  her  accurate  and  vivid 
recollections  of  the  events  of  the  Revolution. 

Her  father  was  John  Barnett,  who  emigrated 
from  Ireland,  and  who  married  Ann,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Spratt,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
of  this  county.  Thomas  Spratt  was  the  first 
who  crossed  the  Yadkin  River  with^  wagon; 
and  the  first  court  ever  held  in  Mecklenburg 
county,  was  convened  at  his  house. 

Her  brother,  William  Barnett  was  but  a  youth 
in  the  Snow  Campaign  of  1776,  and  did  good 
service.  Her  grandfather  on  the  mother's  side, 
Thomas  Spratt,  had  two  sons,  Thomas  and  Wil- 
liam, and  six  daughters.  Thomas  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  War  under  Davie.  Jane,  one  of 
these  daughters  married  Colonel  Thomas  Neil, 


286 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


One  of  her  sons  fell  most  gallantly  at  the  battle 
of  the  Rocky  Mount,  commanding  a  regiment, 
and  another  at  Wright's  Bluff;  another  daugh- 
ter, Susan  married  Colonel  Thomas  Polk,  on 
whom  we  have  written. 

Susan  Barnett,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  1761  ;  and  her  sister  Mary  was  the  first 
white  child  born  between  the  two  rivers,  th,e 
Catawba  and  the  Yadkin.  She  married  Captain 
James  Jack,  of  whom,  and  whose  genealogy,  a 
full  and  accurate  account  is  given  in  the  sketches 
of  North  Carolina  by  Dr.  C.  L.  Hunter  (1877). 

Captain  Jack  was  the  bearer  of  the  Meck- 
lenburg Declaration  of  May  20,  177S,  to 
the  Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia. 

Mrs.  Smart  was  present  at  Charlotte  on  this 
glorious  occasion  ;  and  many  now  alive  have 
listened  with  great  pleasure  to  her  glowing  and 
graphic  accounts  of  the  enthusiasm  which 
pervaded  the  whole  community.  ■  It  was  truly 
a  day  of  "the  throwing  up  of  hats,"  many  of 
which  she  stated,  fell  on  the  roof  of  the  Court 
House, 

Many  interesting  incidents  of  the  horrors  of 
war,  were  narrated  by  her. 

After  the  surrender  of  General  Lincoln  to 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  at  Charleston  (May  12, 1780), 
Tarleton  was  sent  by  Lord  Cornwallis  to  repel 
troops  approaching  Charleston,  under  Colonel 
Buford.  These  were  surprised  at  Waxhaw  and 
mercilessly  sabred.  In  this  bloody  affair  Cap- 
tain John  Stokes  was  severely  wounded,  losing 
one  of  his  arms.  General  Sumter  narrowly  es- 
caped capture  at  another  point.  He  fled,  how- 
ever, and  came  to  her  father's  home. 

When  asked  how  the  defeat  happened,  Sum- 
ter said;  "It  was  a  complete  surprise.  The 
enemy  crossed  the  creek  and  before  we  knew  of 
their  presence,  was  in  the  middle  of  our  camp. 
I  was  in  the  marque  asleep  at  the  time,  and  was 
carried  out  in  the  rear  of  the  tent,  mounted  a 
horse  and  escaped  with  the  loss  of  my  hat  and 
plume." 

There  were   many  others    who  fled  to  Char- 


lotte. Among  them  a  lad,  who  appeared  much 
jaded ;  his  face  careworn  and  sunburnt.  She 
asked  him  where  he  was  from.  He  replied, 
"  the  ^Vaxhaws. " 

"Doyoknow   Major    Crawford?" 

"To  be  sure  I  do,  he  is  my  uncle.  Who 
are  you  ?" 

"I  am  Audi  CIV  Jackson." 

"What  is  the  news  about  the  British  ?" 
-"^They  are  on  their  way  to  Charlotte." 

"And  what  have  you  been  doing  down 
there?" 

"We  arc  popping  them  occasionally." 

His  long  and  slender  face  was  then  lit  up  with 
a  smile,  and  with  grace  and  ease,  he  bid  her 
good-morning. 

When  the  British  came,  they  plundered  the 
house  and  then  burned  it. 

Shortly  before  they  left  Charlotte,  an  express 
was  captured  by  the  Whigs,  from  Lord  Corn- 
wallis to  Camden.  His  Lordship  wrote  that 
"he  was  going  to  leave  Charlotte,  for  its  inhab- 
itants were  so  inimical  that  they  killed  his  men 
from  every  bush,  in  cold  blood,  while  engaged 
in  collecting  forage  for  his  army." 

Miss  Susan  Barnett  married  in  1775,  George 
W.  Smart,  who  died  in  May,  1809.  The  house 
she  occupied  for  years  was  built  by  him.  She 
had  been  always  in  the  habit  of  entertaining 
travellers,  as  she  lived  on  the  public  road. 
William  H.  Crawford  always  stopped  at  her 
house  on  his  way  to  and  from  Washington,  and 
was  highly  esteemed  by  her.  She  used  to  say 
'  T  have  rarely  been  from  home,  but  I  have  known 
well,  two  of  our  Presidents,  "Andrew  Jackson 
and  James  K.  Polk.  Little  Jimmy  Polk  used 
to  pass  along  this  road  often  to  his  school ;  bare- 
footed, with  his  breeches  rolled  up  to  his  knees. 
He  was  a  mighty  bashful  little  fellow." 

Many  of  the  connections  of  Aunt  Susan 
Smart  still  reside  in  this  region.  One  of  them, 
George  W.  Smart,  represented  the  county  in 
the  Legislature  in  1808.* 


■  Much  in  this  is  gathered  from  an  article  in  the  "CItesUr 
Palmetto  Standard,"  October  i,  1S51,  signed  B.  G.  S. 


MECKLENBURG   COUNTY. 


287 


Mrs.  Susan  J.  Hancock  is  a  native  of  New 
Berne — born  1819 — «f<fBianey.  Her  father  was 
a  prosperous  merchant,  and  bestowed  on  her 
the  best  possible  education. 

She  wasalways  of  a  romantic  turn  of  mind,  but 
never  wrote  a  line  until  she  was  thirty-five  years 
old,  when  she  wrote  articles  for  various  South- 
ern periodicals,  which  were  well  received.  Her 
poetry  is  impromptu  and  written  to  elicit  much 
of  joy  as  well  as  sorrow. 

New  Berne  at  an  early  period  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Union  troops,  and  Mr.  Hancock 
was  sent  with  many  others  over  the  lines  without 
provisions  or  protection.  Her  son  fell  in  battle 
near  Richmond.  He  was  a  member  of  the  2d 
North  Carolina  Regiment,  commanded  by  Col- 
onel Tew.  After  the  war  was  over  she  returned 
to  New  Berne,  there  remained  until  she  moved 
to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota. 

She  says,  "if  anything  could  make  me  forget 
the  unhappy  past  and  my  beautiful  Southern 
land,  beautiful  even  in  her  desolation,  it  would 
be  the  warm-hearted  kindness  with  which  I  have 
been  welcomed  to  my  new  Western  home." 

Samuel  Lowrie  (born  1756,  died  18 18)  lived 
and  died  in  Charlotte.  He  was  born  in  Wil- 
mington, State  of  Delaware,  August  12,  1756, 
and  came  with  his  parents  to  Rowan  county, 
N.  C,  when  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  He  was 
educated  in  Iredell  county  at  the  Clio  Academy, 
under  charge  of  Rev.  James  Hall.  When  the 
Revolutionary  War  came  on  he  entered  the 
army,  and  was  in  the  Battle  of  Kings  Mountain 
(October  7,  1780),  and  at  the  surrender  of 
Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  (October  19,  178 1). 
After  the  war  closed  he  studied  law,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Camden,  South  Carolina, 
where  he  lived  until  his  marriage  in  1788,  to 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Captain  Robert  Alexan- 
der, who  had  served  in  the  war  as  a  Commis- 
sary, and  whose  wife  was  the  sister  of  Captain 
James  Jack,  who  bore  the  proceedings  of  the 
Mecklenburg  Declaration  to  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Lowrie,  on  his  marriage,  settled  in  Char- 
lotte in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 


In  1804  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Leg- 
islature from  Mecklenburg  county,  with  Gene- 
ral George  Graham,  George  W.  Smart  and 
Thomas  Henderson  as  colleagues.  He  was  re- 
elected in  1805-06.  This  last  year  he  was 
elected  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts 
for  the  State,  which  elevated  position  he  held 
till  his  death  (December,  18 18). 

He  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife  he 
had— 

I.  Mary,  married  Dr.  David  Dunlap. 

II.  Eliza — died  unmarried. 
HI.   Margaret — same. 

IV.  Lillie,  married  Brawley  Oats. 

V.  Robert  Jack  Alexander. 

VI.  Samuel  M. 

By  his  second  wife,  Mary,  daughter  of  Mar- 
maduke  Norfleet,  of  Bertie  county,  he  had  one 
daughter,  who  married  Rev.  Mr.  Henderson,  of 
Huntsville,  Alabama. 

Andrew  Jackson. 

We  have  alluded  to  the  interview  between 
Mrs.  Smart  and  Andrew  Jackson  when  he  was 
quite  a  youth.*  It  seems  to  be  settled  in  the 
public  mind  that  he  was  born  in  South  Carolina, 
but  there  is  no  certainty  of  the  fact,  f 

His  early  life  was  very  obscure  and  he  himself 
was  uncertain  of  his  birthplace.  He  remembered 
many  incidents  of  the  Revolution  more  especially 
these  that  transpired  in  North  Carolina.  Unques- 
tionably he  was  of  Irish  descent,  and  read  law 
wiht  Judge  McCoy  in  Salisbury.  Judge  Alex- 
ander Porter,  of  Louisiana,  was  an  Irishman, 
and  from  the  same  neighborhood  where  were 
born  and  raised  the  parents  of  Jackson. 

Judge  Porter  visited  Europe  a  short  time  be- 
fore his  death,  and  made  dilligent  search  into 
this   matter.     He  was   satisfied    that   Andrew 


*The  Memories  of  Fifty  Years,  by  William  H.  Sparks, 
Philadelphia.    1870. 

tGovernor  Swain  one  cf  Ihe  most  accurate  genealogists 
of  the  country,  in  his  Tuclter  Hall  address,  states  positively 
that  General  Jackson  was  born  at  the  house  of  George  Mc- 
Camie,  in  Mecklenburg  county.  North  Carolina,  in  the 
15th  of  March,  1767.  The  line  was  not  ascertained  on  that 
locality  until  long  after  Jackson  had  removed  to  Tennessee. 


288 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


Jackson  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  brought  to 
the  United  States  when  only  two  years  old. 
This  was  also  the  opinion  of  Thomas  Crutchfer, 
who  came  with  General  Jackson  to  Nashville, 
and  it  was  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Boyd  McNairy, 
and  his  elder  brother,  Judge  McNairy,  who 
came  with  him  (Jackson)  from  North  Carolina. 
His  early  education  was  very  limited,  and  so 
defective  that  his  orthography  was  almost  ludi- 
crous, and  his  general  reading  amounted  to 
nothing.  So  far  as  his  legal  knowledge  was 
concerned,  at  no  time  was  he  a  respectable 
county  court  lawyer,  so  far  as  mere  legal  train- 
ing was  concerned.  It  is  wonderful  how  the  nat- 
ural vigor  of  his  mind  supplied  the  absence  of 
learning. 

"The  triumphs  of  mind,  unaided  by  educa- 
tion, are  no  more  astonishing  in  the  case  of 
General  Jackson  than  others,"  says  Mr.  Sparks. 
The  great  Warwick  of  England,  "the  King 
Maker,"  never  knew  his  letters.  Marshal 
Soult,  one  of  France's  greatest  Marshals,  could 
not  write  a  court  sentence  ;  and  Stevenson,  the 
greatest  engineer  the  world  ever  saw,  the  in- 
ventor of  the  locomotive,  did  not  know  his  let- 
ters at  twenty-one.  The  Duke  of  Marlborough 
could  hardly  write  his  own  name.  But  Jackson 
was  naturally  great.  He  did  not  need,  as  says 
Johnson  of  Shakespeare,  "the  spectacles  of 
books  to  read  the  great  volume  of  human  na- 
ture." As  a  Judge,  his  greatest  aim  was  to  get 
the  facts  of  a  case,  and  decide  all  points  upon 
the  broad  principles  of  justice.  He  never 
seemed  to  reason,  On  the  presentation  of  any 
subject  to  his  mind,  it  seemed,  with  electrical 
velocity,  to  cut  through  to  a  conclusion,  as  if 
by  intuition.  He  was  more  correct  in  his  con- 
clusions than  any  man  of  his  age.  His  opin- 
ions were  formed  at  the  first  glance,  and  rarely 
or  never  changed.  He  was  eminently  self-reli- 
ant. In  all  matters  concerning  himself  he  was 
his  own  counsellor  ;  he  advised  with  no  man  ; 
cool  and  quick  in  thought,  he  seemed  to  leap 
at  a  conclusion,    from    which  he  took  no  back- 


ward step.  His  knowledge  of  men,  from  his 
intimate  and  extended  intercourse  with  all 
classes  of  society,  had  so  educated  his  faculties 
that  in  a  few  moment's  intercourse  he  meas- 
ured the  very  inmost  nature  of  a  man.  That 
he  was  sometimes  deceived  is  but  natural,  and 
when  the  deception  was  ascertained  he  was 
fierce  and  furious  in  his  resentments.  He  was 
quick  and  irascible  in  his  temper,  and  when 
angry  was  exceedingly  violent  in  manner  and 
words  ;  his  passion  towered  in  proportion  to 
the  provocation,  and  at  times  he  was  almost 
savage.  In  the  affair  with  Dickerson,  after 
he  had  received  his  adversary's  shot,  which 
from  his  skiU  had  been  well-nigh  fatal,  he  stood 
immovable,  deliberately  fired,  and  Dickerson 
fell  dead.  He  is  said  to  have  remarked,  "  had 
his  shot  killed  me,  I  would  have,  in  dying, 
killed  him."  But  in  private  and  social  life,  and 
in  the  company  of  ladies  especially,  his  man- 
ners were  as  urbane  and  polished  as  any  knight 
of  chivalry.  This  was  the  emanation  of  his 
great  soul  which  marked  every  movement  in 
the  presence  of  ladies,  and  which  brooked  no 
indignity  from  men. 

"To  the  froward  he  was  as  fierce  as  fire, 
But  to  the  kind  as  gentle  as  a  lamb." 

In  his  attachments  he  was  almost  fanatical. 
To  any  one,  however  humble,  who  was  his 
friend  and  had  proven  it,  he  went  to  any  length 
to  serve  and  protect  him.  His  course  toward 
Dr.  Gwinn  and  thousands  of  others  prove  the 
devotion  of  his  friendship.  Rather  than  desert 
the  good  name  of  his  Biographer  and  Secretary 
of  War,  Eaton,  he  dissolved  his  Cabinet — a 
step  that  no  other  President  would  ever  have  at- 
tempted. This  devotion  to  his  family,  his  friends, 
and  to  his  conceived  duty,  was  not  assumed, 
or  counterfeited,  but  bubbled  up  from  his  mag- 
nanimous heart  as  naturally  as  does  pellucid 
water  spring  from  the  crystal  fountain.  His 
principles,  his  undaunted  courage,  his  frank 
and  outspoken  temper,  his  sincerity  in  private 
as  well  as  public  life ;   his  unsullied  patriotism, 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


289 


made  him  the  cherished  idol  of  the  nation,  and 
captivated  the  hearts  of  admiring  milHons.  He 
was  one  of  those  rare  creations  of  nature,  which 
appear  at  long  intervals  to  astonish  and  delight 
mankind. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  in  this  sketch  to 
give  facts  and  dates  as  to  General  Jackson's 
career  or  services,  for  these  are  all  recorded  and 
here  become  part  of  the  nation's  history,  but  we 
opened  this  sketch  to  show  the  claim  of  our 
State  to  this  offspring  of  patriotism  and  genius. 
It  has  been  my  fortune  to  see  and  read  of  the 
illustrious  men  of  our  own  and  other  times,  but 
no  one  that  I  have  ever  seen  or  read  of,  exceeded 
Andrew  Jackson  in  all  those  qualities  that  can 
adorn  or  dignify  our  nature. 

Joseph  Wilson  (born ,  died  Au- 
gust, 1829),  who  resided  in  Charlotte,  was 
distinguished  as  an  advocate  and  criminal  law- 
yer. 

His  ancestors  on  the  paternal  side  were 
Scotch,  and  settled  in  1730  near  Edenton,  and 
in  Perquimans  county.  On  the  maternal  side 
they  were  English,  and  settled  on  Nantucket 
Island.  His  father  moved  first  to  Guilford 
county.  North  Carolina,  and  then  to  Randolph, 
where  he  married  Eunice  Worth.  His  parents 
were  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

His  early  education  was  directed  by  Rev. 
David  Caldwell,  and  he  studied  law  with  Reu- 
ben Wood,  whose  daughter  he  married.  He 
was  licensed  to  practice  law  in  1804;  he  came 
to  the  bar  at  the  same  time  with  Israel  Pickens. 
He  settled  in  Stokes  county,  and  by  force  of 
his  talents,  application  to  his  studies,  and  force 
of  character  he  soon  rose  to  the  uppermost 
ra.nks  of  his  profession.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  in  i8io-'i  i-'i2,  and  was  distin- 
guished as  a  firm  and  constant  advocate  of  the 
war.  He  was  elected  the  latter  year  Solicitor 
of  the  mountain  circuit,  then  embracing  nearly 
the  whole  western  portion  of  the  State.  The 
unsurpassed  ability,  fearless  zeal,  and  unflinch- 
ing courage  with  which  he  discharged  his  du- 


ties as  Prosecuting  Attorney,  are  still  remem- 
bered by  the  people  of  this  section,  which  was 
infested  by  many  lawless  men,  who  defied  the 
restraints  of  justice.  He  continued  in  the  faith- 
ful discharge  of  these  duties  until  his  death. 
He  left  several  children.  One  of  them — Cath- 
arine— married  William  J.  Alexander;  Rox- 
anna  married  Dr.  Pinkney  Caldwell ;  another 
married  Marshal  Polk. 

William  Julius  Alexander,  who  married  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Wilson,  was  long  a  resident  of 
Charlotte,  born  in  Salisbury  in  March,  1797. 
His  early  education  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Robinson,  and  he  graduated  at  the  University 
in  18 16,  in  same  class  with  John  Y.  Mason, 
(afterwards  Attorney  General  of  the  United 
States,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  and  Envoy  to 
France),  and  others.  He  studied  law  with  his 
relative,  Archibald  Henderson.  He  settled  in 
Charlotte,  and  was  distinguished  as  an  advo- 
cate and  politician.  He  was  a  member  of 
House  of  Commons  from  Mecklenburg  county 
in  1826,  re-elected  in  1827-2S,  at  which  session 
he  was  chosen  Speaker,  and  in  1830  he  was 
elected  Solicitor  of  the  mountain  circuit,  made 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Wilson.  In  1846 
he  was  appointed  Superintendent  of  the  Branch 
Mint  at  Charlotte.  He  died  leaving  a  widow 
and  several  children,  one  of  whom,  Catherine, 
m.arried  Colonel  John  F.  Hoke,  of  Lincolnton. 

The  United  States  Branch  Mint  was  located 
at  Charlotte,  by  act  of  Congress  of  1835.  It  is 
now  used  only  as  an  Assay  Office  and  is  in  charge 
of  Calvin  J.  Cowles,  Esq.  Its  first  superin- 
tendent was  John  H.  Wheeler,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded (in  1841)  by  Burgess  S.Gaither;  Greene 
W.  Caldwell,  William  J.  Alexander,  and  James 
W.  Osborne. 

Calvin  J.  Cowles  is  now  in  charge  of  this  in- 
stitution as  Assayer. 

Greene  W.  Caldwell  lived  and  died  in  this 
county.  He  was  born  April  13,  1811,  in  Gas- 
ton county,  near  the  Tuckasege  Ford  on  the 
Catawba  River.     He  studied  medicine  with  a 


290 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Dr.  Doherty  near  Beattie's  F©rd,  but  became 
dissatisfied  with  this  profession  and  abandoned  it 
for  the  law.  But  his  element  was  political  life, 
and  he  was  eminently  successful  as  a  politician. 
In  1836,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature. He  was  re-elected  to  each  Legislature 
until  1 841,  when  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  27th  Congress  (1841-43).  In  1844  he 
was  appointed  Superintendent  of  the  Mint  at 
Charlotte,  and  in  1846  he  was  nominated  by  the 
Democratic  Convention  as  Governor,  but  de- 
clined. He  resigned  his  place  in  the  Mint  and 
went  to  Mexico  as  a  Captain  of  Dragoons.  On 
his  return  (1849)  he  was  elected  Senator,  with 
his  two  Lieutenants  (E.  C.  Davidson  and  Harri- 
son) as  colleagues  in  the  Legislature.  In  1861 
he  was  defeated  for  Congress  by  Hon.  Alfred 
Dockey. . 
^/  General  D.  H.  Hill,  long  a  resident  of  Char- 

lotte, is  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  but  his  ser- 
vices and  fame  are  shared  by  North  Carolina. 
He  was  educated  at  the  United  States  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point,  at  which  he  graduated 
in  1842,  in  same  class  with  Generals  Newton, 
Rosecrans,  Rains,  Whiting,  Longstreet  and 
others,  and  was  commissioned  a  Lieutenant  of 
Artillery.  In  1847  he  was  promoted  for  gallant 
and  meritorious  conduct  in  the  battles  of  Con- 
treras  and  Churubusco,  and  the  storming  of  Cha- 
pultepec,  in  the  Mexican  War.  He  resigned  in 
1849  and  accepted  a  Professorship  of  Mathe- 
matics in  Washington  College,  Lexington,  Vir- 
ginia. This  he  subsequently  resigned  and 
accepted  a  similar  position  in  Davidson  College, 
in  this  State,  which  he  resigned  to  accept  the 
Superintendency  of  the  Military  Institute  at 
Charlotte,  of  which  flourishing  school  he  was 
the  head,  when  the  Civil  War  began. 

He  is  esteemed  as  an  admirable  and  able  pro- 
fessor, thoroughly  versed  in  the  studies  of  his 
department,  and  possessing  the  faculty  of  stim- 
ulating his  students  to  their  greatest  efforts. 
He  published  in  1858  a  text-book  on  Algebra, 
which  Stonewall   (T.  J.)  Jackson,   then  also  a 


Professor  in  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  re- 
garded "  as  superior  to  any  other  work  in  the 
same  branch  of  science." 

In  i860  he  delivered  a  lecture  in  several  places 
in  this  State,  complaining  of  the  gross  injustice 
done  to  the  South,  by  the  Northern  historians, and 
asserted  that  all  the  battles  gained  by  the  North 
were  insignificant  compared  with  those  of  "the 
South  which  did  all  the  open,  real,  and  hard  fight- 
ing."  This  feeling  with  General  Hill  is  intense  and 
has  characterized  his  whole  life  and  has  become 
as  near  a  passion  as  his  nature  permits.  He 
has  quiet  and  determined  manners — not  genial, 
but  reserved,  it  gives  the  impression  to  strangers 
of  one  who  is  content  to  mind  his  own  business 
without  concerning  himself  with  the  business  of 
any  one  else. 

Having  served  with  distinction  in  the  Mexican 
War  rising  to  the  grade  of  Major  by  brevet, 
he  entered  with  great  zeal  into  the  cause  of 
the  Confederacy,  and  took  a  conspicuous  part 
in  our  Civil  War.  To  detail  all  the  military 
movements  and  battles  in  which  General  Hill 
bore  a  conspicuous  part,  would  be  to  write  a 
history  of  this  war ;  which  is  not  the  aim  of 
these  sketches.  The  correspondence  between 
General  Hill  and  Edward  Stanley,  Military  Gov- 
ernor of  North  Carolina  (March  1863)  is  one  of 
the  keenest  specimens  of  invective  since  the 
days  of  Junius. 

After  the  war  was  over  he  edited  a  magazine 
called  the  Land  wc  Love,  and  weekly  paper  at 
Charlotte  called  the  Soiitheni  Home.  In  these 
periodicals  the  future  historian  will  find  rich 
materials  for  his  task.  He  is  eminently  and 
sincerely  religious  in  his  temperament,  an  elder 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  exemplary,  con- 
scientious, and  zealous;  and  has  written  several 
essays  on  Theology. 

He  removed  to  the  Southwest,  a  few  years 
since  and  is  the  head  of  the  University  of 
Arkansas,  at  Fayetteville  in  tnat  State. 

He  married  Isabella,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
Rev.  Dr.   Robert  Hall  Morrison  ;  whose  sister 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


291 


Anna   is  the  widow  of  Thomas  J.    'Stonewall' 
Jackson. 

The  Osborne  family  is  distinguished  in  the 
annals  of  North  Carolina  for  integrity,  patriot- 
ism and  talents. 

Twenty  years  before  the  Mecklenburg  Decla- 
ration of  Independence,  the  Rev.  Hugh 
McAden  made  a  tour  through  the  western 
part  of  North  Carolina  and  found  it  a  settled 
country,  with  churches  located  here  and  there. 
He  kept  a  diary,  and  records  that  in  September 
1755,  he  was  entertained  at  the  house  of  Cap- 
tain Alexander  Osborne,  and  preached  at  a 
church  near  there. 

The  Osbornes  settled  at  an  early  day  in  New 
Jersey.  Alexander  Osborne  was  the  founder  of 
the  family  in  North  Carolina,  he  came  to  this 
province  sometime  previous  to  17SS,  and  settled 
in  the  county  of  Rowan. 

Captain  Osborne  was  at  that  time,  forty-six 
years  of  age.  When  Governor  Tryon  reviewed 
the  troops  in  Salisbury  in  1768,  the  Major  Gen- 
erals were  John  Ashe  and  Thomas  Lloyd.  The 
Colonels  were  Alexander  Osborne,  Edmund 
Fanning,  Robert  Harris,  James  Samp.=on,  Sam- 
uel Spencer,  James  Moore  and  Maurice  Moore. 

In  1768  he  marched  to  Hillsboro,  with  a  reg- 
iment of  Rowan  troops,  under  orders  of  Gov- 
ernor Tryon,  to  aid  in  suppressing  the  regula- 
tors. 

Colonel  Alexander  Osborne  married  Agnes 
McWhorter,  sister  of  Rev.  Alexander  Mc- 
Whorter,  President  for  a  time  of  Queen's  Col- 
lege in  Charlotte. 

Colonel  A.  Osborne's  name  is  found  on  the 
Committee  of  Safety  for  Rowan  county,  in 
1775.  This  was  the  last  year  of  his  life;  he 
died  in  1776.  In  the  graveyard  at  Centre 
Church,  his  grave  is  seen  marked  by  a  slab,  on 
which  are  two  panels,  one  for  his  own  epitaph 
and  one  for  his  wife,  Agnes,  who  had  died  two 
days  before  Colonel  Osborne.  He  was  buried 
at  Centre  Church  in  the  county  of  Iredell,  only 
a  short  distance  from  his  home.     Previous   to 


the  erection  of  a  church  at  Centre,  the  early 
settlers  congregated  at  his  house  for  worship,  a 
fact  mentioned  in  McAden's  diary. 

Colonel  A.  Osborne's  only  son  Adlai,  gradu- 
ated at  Princeton  at  the  same  time  with  his 
cousin,  Ephraim  Brevard,  who  was  a  nephew  of 
Mrs.  Alexander  Osborne. 

Colonel  Alexander  Osborne  left  four  daugh- 
ters :  Rebecca,  who  married  Mr,  Nathaniel 
Ewing  :  their  son,  Rev.  Finis  Ewing,  married 
a  daughter  of  General  William  Davidson,  who 
fell  at  Cowan's  Ford.  Their  descendants  are 
found  in  several  of  the  northwestern  States,  as 
also  in  Kentucky,  and  Ohio.  Mary  married  John 
Nesbit, — the  family  of  that  name  in  Georgia, 
are  descendants,  the  late  Chief  Justice  Euge- 
nius  Nesbit,  being  one  of  the  family.  Jean 
married  Moses  Winslow  ;  and  Margaret  married 
Mr,  John  Robinson  of  Providence  township, 
Mecklenburg  county. 

Colonel  Adlai  Osborne  was  born  June  4, 
1744;  he  graduated  at  Princeton  in  1768;  mar- 
ried in  January  30,  1771,  Margaret  Lloyd,  and 
settled  in  Salisbury.  He  studied  law,  was  ap- 
pointed Clerk  of  the  Court  for  Rowan  under 
the  Crown,  and  continued  until  1809.  He  was 
a  man  of  fine  literary  attainments,  the  firm 
friend  of  education,  and  one  of  the  first  Board 
of  Trustees  for  the  University.  He  died  in 
18 15,  leaving  a  large  family. 

He  participated  in  all  the  various  meetings 
held  in  Rowan  during  the  Revolution,  as  will 
be  seen  in  reference  to  the  journal  of  the  com- 
mittee, which  has  been  preserved. 

Four  of  Colonel  Adlai  Osborne's  sons  gradu- 
ated at  Chapel  Hill.  The  two  elder,  Thomas 
Alexander  and  Edwin  Jay,  were  in  the  first 
class  ever  graduated  there,  (in  1798.)  Adlai 
Laurens,  in  1802,  and  Spruce  McCoy,  in  1805. 

Edwin  Jay  Osborne  married  Harriet  Walker, 
daughter  of  Captain  John  Walker  of  Wilming- 
ton, North  Carolina;  studied  law  and  settled  in 
Wilmington  ;  afterwards  removed  to  Salisbury. 
He  was  a  man  of  many  gifts  and  varied  acquire- 


292 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


merits.     He  was  distinguished  as  a  fine  conver- 
sationalist. 

His  family  consisted  of  three  daughters  and 
one  son.  Harriet  Osborne  who  married  Alex- 
ander Duncan  Moore  of  Wilmington,  North 
Carolina;  Julia  who  married  Mr.  Frank  of  New 
London,  Connecticut ;  Charlotte  married  Mr. 
Holman  of  Alabama  and  James  Walker  Os- 
borne. James  W.  Osborne,  only  son  of  Edwin 
Jay  and  Harriet  Osborne,  was  born  in  Salisbury, 
North  Carolina,  on  December  25,  181 1  ,  settled 
in  Charlotte,  North  Carolina  ;  married  Mrs.  Mary 
A.  Moore,  daughter  of  John  Irwin  of  Charlotte, 
on  April  5,  1842.  Mrs.  Osborne  was  the  widow 
of  Thomas,  J.  Moore  of  South  Carolina,  by 
whom  she  had  one  son,  his  namesake. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Moore  is  a  native  of  this 
county,  born  April  30,  1843.  He  is  the  son  of 
the  late  Colonel  Thomas  J.  Moore  of  Madison 
County,  Mississippi,  a  native  of  Spartanburg, 
South  Carolina,  who  died  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-six,  yet  left  behind  him  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  lawyer  and  advocate. 

His  grandfather  was  General  Thomas  Moore, 
of  South  Carolina,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution 
and  served  his  State  as  a  General  of  brigade  in 
the  war  of  1812-15.  He  was  a  Member  of 
Congress  from  South  Carolina  from  1800  to  18 12 
and  again  from  1814  to  1816,  holding  the  posi- 
tion at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  mother  was 
Miss  Mary  Irwin,  daughter  of  the  late  John 
Irwin  of  this  county,  who  after  the  death  of  her 
first  husband,  married  Judge  Osborne,  a  sketch 
of  whose  life  is  given  in  this  volume. 

Dr.  Moore  received  his  academic  education  at 
the  University  of  Louisiana;  served  during  the 
late  war  in  the  Confederate  Army,  going  out  as 
a  private  in  the  first  North  Carolina  Infantry, 
(six  months  volunteers)  (D.  H.  Hill's  regiment) 
and  at  the  disbandment  of  the  regiment 
was  appointed  to  a  staff  position,  serving 
for  some  time  as  one  of  the  aid-decamps 
of  General  D.  H.  Hill.  After  the  war  he  stud- 
ied medicine  at  the   University   of  New  York, 


where  he  graduated  with  distinction  in  aclassof 
seventy-two,  delivering  the  valedictory  of  his 
class.  He  represented  Mecklenburg  in  the  State 
Senate  during  the  session  of  1876-77. 

Judge  Osborne's  family  consisted  of  four  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Three  sons  survived  their 
father,  Robert  D.  Osborne,  who  served  as  a 
private  soldier  in  the  late  Civil  War,  was  noted 
for  coolness  and  courage ;  studied  law,  but  died 
in  the  prime  of  life.  Frank  Irwin  Osborne,  a 
lawyer — practicing  law  in  Charlotte — ,  Solicitor 
of  6th  N.  C,  Judicial  District,  and  James  W. 
Osborne,  a  graduate  of  Davidson  College,  also 
a  lawyer,  residing  in  New  York  City. 

These  data  of  this  able  and  estimable  man 
might  seem  ample,  yet  we  preserve  a  more  ex- 
tended sketch  from  the  pen  of  General  D.  H. 
Hill,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  sketch  of  this 
family. 

Colonel  Adlai  Osborne,  born  June  4,   1744. 

Margaret  Lloyd  Osborne,  born  June  23,  1754, 
married  January  30,   1771. 

Colonel  A.  Osborne,  died  1815. 

Mary  Lloyd  Osborne,  oldest  child  of  Colonel 
Adlai  and  Margaret  Lloyd  Osborne  was  born 
September  6,  1774. 

Margaret  McWhorter  Osborne,  born  April  7, 
1776. 

Thomas  Alexander  Osborne,  born  February 
14,  1778. 

Edwin  Jay  Osborne,  born   March  i,   1780. 

Adlai  Laurens  Osborne,  born  October  19, 
1782. 

Spruce  McCoy  Osborne,  born  December  14, 
1784. 

Ephraim  Brevard  Osborne,  born  February  21, 
1786. 

Nancy  Cecilia  Osborne,  born  April  21,  1788. 

Eliza  Tabitha  Osborne,  born  July  7,  1790. 

PantheaL.  Houston,  born  December  i,  1793. 

Franklin  Washington  Osborne,  born  January 

I,  1795- 

Mary    Lloyd    Osborne    married,     first,    Mr. 

Sharpe,  a  lawyer  who  lived  in  Statesville.     Af- 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


293 


ter  his  death  she  married  John  Young  of  Iredell 
county,  and  General  John  Young  of  Charlotte, 
is  their  son. 

Margaret  McWhorter  married  Robert  David- 
son ;  died  without  children. 

Thomas  Alexander  graduated  at  Chapel  Hill, 
in  1798;  studied  medicine;  went  to  South 
America,  and  died  fighting  in  one  of  their  wars. 

Edwin  Jay  Osborne  graduated  at  Chapel  Hill 
in  1798;  studied  law;  settled  in  Wilmington, 
North  Carolina,  married  Harriet  Walker ;  by 
this  marriage  left  three  daughters  and  one  son : 
Harriet  (Mrs.  Alexander  Duncan  Moore),  Mrs. 
Julia  Frank,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Holman,  James  W. 
Osborne. 

Spruce  McCoy  Osborne  graduated  at  Chapel 
Hill  in  1805;  studied  medicine;  entered  the 
army  as  surgeon  ;  was  killed  at  the  massacre  of 
Fort  Mimms. 

Ephraim  Brevard  Osborne  studied  medicine  ; 
married  in  Alabama  ;  settled  in  Texas  ;  left  a 
large  family ;  one  of  whom,  Colonel  Edwin  Os- 
borne, distinguished  himself  in  our  late  war  ; 
another  is  Ezekiel  Knox  Polk  Osborne  an  at- 
torney at  Charlotte,  N.  C,  and  a  third  is  Frank 
J.  Osborne  a  civil  engineer. 

Col.  Osborne  has  taken  orders  and  is  now  an 
Episcopal  minister,  settled  in  North  Carolina  ; 
he  married  Fanny  Moore,  his  cousin,  in  the 
second  degree,  a  daughter  of  Harriet  and  Alex- 
ander Duncan  Moore,  of  Wilmington,  North 
Carolina  ;  they  have  five  children. 

Nancy  Cecilia  Osborne  married  Mr.  Byers  of 
Iredell  county  ;  left  a  large  family. 

Eliza  Tabitha  married  Mr,  Alexander  Hogan; 
left  no  children. 

Panthea  L.  Osborn  married  Colonel  Houston ; 
lived  in  Alabama;  has  one  descendant,  Thomas 
Houston,  twenty  one  years  of  age;  studying 
for  the  Methodist  ministry  at  the  Vanderbilt 
University,  Tennessee. 

Franklin  Washington  Osborne  studied  medi- 
cine; died  in  Mobile,  Alabama,  a  victim  of  yel- 
low fever,  whilst  devoted  to  his  practice. 


We  have  met  among  the  memoirs,  published 
at  the  time  of  the  death  of  Hon.  James  W. 
Osborne,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  members 
of  this  family,  whose  memory  is  still  warmly 
cherished,  an  obituary  notice  so  just  and  so 
full,  that  we  here  insert  it.  It  is  from  the  pen 
of    General  D.   H.  Hill. 

"The  nations  of  the  earth,  the  most  distin- 
guished in  history  for  prowess  in  the  field,  wis- 
dom in  legislation,  progress  in  science  and  art, 
purity  of  taste  in  polite  literature,  and  refinement 
in  the  social  circle,  are  precisely  those  which 
have  most  cherished  the  memory  of  their  heroes 
statesmen,  scholars  and  patriots.  It  has  been 
well  said  that  the  land  which  erects  no  monu- 
ments to  its  illustrious  dead,  will  soon  cease  to 
produce  men  worthy  of  a  place  in  history.  To 
neglect  departed  greatness  is  to  degrade  living 
eminence. 

"The  Bible,  with  its  wonderful  adaptation  to 
the  wants  of  our  race,  sanctions  cherishing  ten- 
der recollections  of  the  saints  of  the  Lord. 
'The  righteous  shall  be  in  everlasting  remem- 
brance.' '  The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed.' 
Here  we  have  a  prophecy  and  a  command,  both 
involving  a  high  obligation  and  a  glorious  priv- 
ilege— to  keep  fresh  and  green  in  the  minds  of 
men  the  memory  of  those  who  died  in  the  full 
hope  of  a  blessed  immortality.  And  thus  the 
friends  of  the  late  Hon.  J.  W.  Osborne,  feel  that 
in  attempting  a  tribute  to  his  exalted  worth, 
they  are  discharging  a  sad  but  gracious  duty. 
It  is  meet  that  we  should  revere  the  memory  of 
a  man  of  mighty  intellect,  of  profound  scholar- 
ship, and  of  matchless  eloquence,  who  brought 
all  his  rare  and  varied  gifts  and  accomplishments 
and  laid  them  as  an  humble  offering  at  the"  foot 
of  the  Cross.  There  remains  nothing  now  of 
his  manly  person  and  noble  mein,  of  his  vast 
learning  and  attainments,  but 

'The  knell,  the  shroud,  the  coffin  and  the  grave, 
The  deep,  damp  vault ;  the  darkness  and  the  worm.' 

"His  simple  faith  in  Christ  was  worth  a  thou- 
sand-fold more  than  all  his  talents  and  acquire- 


294 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


merits,  and  the  lesson  of  his  life  comes  home  to 
every  bosom,  "With  all  your  gettings,  get  un- 
derstanding." We  can  now  think  with  grateful 
satisfaction  that  those  great  powers  of  mind, 
which  were  our  pride  and  astonishment  on  earth, 
are  ever  expanding  in  knowledge,  ever  getting 
new  revelations  of  Divine  love  and  ever  attain- 
ing new  degrees  of  holiness. 

"The  saddest  sight  on  our  afflicted  earth  is  that 
of  a  man  of  great  gifts,  culture  and  refinement, 
living  out  of  Christ  and  deliberately  choosing 
to  spend  his  eternity  with  the  coarse,  the  brutal 
and  the  depraved.  With  heartfelt  gratitude  we 
adore  that  distinguishing  love  which  made  our 
illustrious  countryman  choose  that  good  part 
which  shall  not  be  taken  away. 

"Judge  Osborne  was  born  in  Salisbury,  North 
Carolina,  on  the  25th  of  December,  181 1,  and 
died  in  Charlotte  on  the  nth  August,  1869,  so 
that  he  had  hardly  passed  the  meridian  of  life, 
and  until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  '  his 
eye  was  not  dim,  nor  his  natural    force  abated.' 

"He  took  his  degree  at  Chapel  Hill  in  June, 
1830.  At  the  University  he  specially  delighted 
in  mathematics,  and  his  success  in  that  study 
was  eminent.  His  logical  mind  peculiarly  fitted 
him  for  the  exact  sciences.  Hence,  a  distin- 
guished lawyer  said  of  him,  that  he  had  the  first 
legal  mind  in  the  State,  though  his  varied  and 
extensive  reading  kept  him  from  being  as  famil- 
iar with  the  formula  and  technicalities  of  the 
law,  as  were  some  of  the  routine  lawyers.  But 
his  keen  perceptions  and  accurate  judgment 
made  him  know  t^jhat  the  lazv  oitglit  to  be  in  any 
new  case  presented. 

"  The  extent  and  variety  of  his  reading  was 
truly  marvelous.  There  was  scarcely  a  subject 
which  he  had  not  looked  into,  if  indeed  he  had 
not  thoroughly  mastered  it.  Few  clergymen 
outside  of  our  Theological  Seminaries  were  so 
well  read  in  theology.  He  said  to  the  writer  of 
this,  that  there  was  a  charm  about  the  study  of 
theology  which  no  other  reading  possessed  for 
him;  and  he  devoured  huge  volumes  of  theo- 
logic  lore  with  the  most  eager  relish. 


"As  an  instance  of  the  multifariousness  of  his 
learning,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  long  before 
the  Civil  War,  he  had  been  a  profound  student 
of  military  history  and  science.  During  the 
siege  of  Yorktown,  he  gave  a  Division  Com- 
mander such  masterly  reasons  for  its  evacuation 
and  so  supported  by  authority  and  precedent, 
that  he  went  to  General  Johnston  and  repeated 
them.  Again,  when  the  battle  was  in  progress 
at  Mechanicsville  on  the  first  of  the  seven  days' 
fights  around  Richmond,  the  same  officer  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  the  Judge  suggesting  the 
very  movement  that  our  troops  were  making. 
Just  after  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  he 
wrote :  'Lee  has  crushed  Hooker  with  one  wing 
of  his  army.  Let  the  other  be  thrown  rapidly 
to  Murfreesboro,  annihilate  Rosecranz  and  seize 
the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  above  Grant  at 
Vicksburg.'  There  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  many  Confederate  officers  thought  that  this 
would  be  a  wiser  move  than  the  advance  into 
Pennsylvania. 

"Fluency  of  speech  was  a  natural  gift  with 
Judge  Osborne,  and  this,  combined  with  his 
vast  acquaintance  with  books,  made  his  language 
the  very  choicest  Anglo-Saxon.  His  warm- 
hearted, genial,  pleasant  manner,  and  bright, 
kindly  face  added  a  charm  to  the  whole,  which 
was  absolutely  irresistible.  He  had  no  equal  as 
a  conversationalist,  and  his  intimate  friends  can 
never  forget  the  grace  and  fascination  of  his 
address.  And  so  his  ready  command  of  the 
best  words,  his  learning,  his  enthusiasm,  his 
sonorous  voice  and  graceful  delivery,  made  him 
one  of  the  very  first  orators  in  the  land,  We 
confess  that  we  have  been  more  impressed  by 
him  than  by  Mr.  Clay,  or  even  by  Mr.  McDufiie. 

"The  magic  spell  thrown  around  Judge  Os- 
borne in  the  social  circle  and  on  the  hustings 
was  his  imperturbable  good  temper,  and  tliat 
proceeded  from  his  large  hearted  humanity,  his 
sincere  and  unaffected  love  for  his  race.  He 
had  a  kind  word  and  a  pleasant  smile  for  every- 
body, simply  because  he  loved  mankind.      He 


MECKLENBURG   COUNTY. 


295 


needed  not  a  veil  of  charity  to  cover  their  crimes 
and  frailties;  in  his  own  simple  guilelessness  he 
did  not  see  their  faults.  Those  who  had  known 
him  for  thirty  and  forty  years,  say  that  they 
never  saw  him  angry.  He  had  not  an  enemy 
among  the  people  with  whom  he  has  lived  since 
early  manhood.  We  doubt  whether  he  has  one 
in  the  world,  notwithstanding  the  many  impor- 
tant trusts  committed  to  him,  the  duties  of  which 
he  discharged  faithfully  and  fearlessly.  We 
have  seen  his  antagonists  quail  beneath  his  bold, 
yet  courteous,  advocacy  of  the  truth.  Yet  the 
most  remarkable  thing  in  the  career  of  this  great 
man,  was  the  hold  he  had  upon  the  hearts  of 
men  of  every  creed  and  party,  although  in  his 
official  capacity  he  had  often  been  opposed  to 
the  interests  and  wishes  of  many. 

"A  brief  summary  of  the  incidents  in  his  life, 
and  of  the  positions  held  by  him,  will  show  how 
universal  must  have  been  the  confidence  in  his 
integrity,  and  how  great  must  have  been  the 
fascination  of  his  amiability  and  philanthropy, 
since  he  was  enabled  to  discharge  all  his  duties 
conscientiously  without  giving'offense  and  with- 
out making  an  enemy. 

"He  studied  law  at  Hillsboro,  with  Hon.  Wm. 
A.  Graham,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Charlotte,  in  1833.  He  took  a  high  stand  in 
his  profession  at  the  very  outset  and  maintained 
it  always.  This  was  not  due  merely  to  his  gen- 
ius, his  learning,  and  his  eloquence,  but  in  a 
large  degree  to  his  unselfish  and  sympathetic 
nature,  which  made  him  adopt  his  client's  cause 
as  his  own  and  identify  himself  thoroughly  with 
the  interests,  the  views,  and  the  feelings  of  the 
client. 

'■He  was  twice  Elector  for  the  State  at  large, 
first  in  the  Clay  campaign,  and  then  in  the  con- 
test between  Seymour  and  Grant.  He  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Fillmore,  Superintendent 
of  the  United  States  Mint  at  Charlotte,  which 
office  he  held  for  four  years.  He  was  chosen 
by  Governor  Ellis  to  fill  a  vacant  Judgeship  in 
1859,  ^^'^  the  General  Assembly  confirmed  the 


selection  November  26,  i860.  His  decisions  as 
a  Judge,  were  eminently  wise,  and  just,  and  no 
breath  of  suspicion  ever  soiled  the  spotlessness 
of  his  ermine.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
a  Senator  in  the  General  Assembly,  as  Meck- 
lenburg still  honored  her  own  eminent  men  and 
was  not  disposed,  like  some  other  counties,  to 
trust  her  interests  to  ignorant  and  incompetent 
persons  or  greedy  adventurers  from  abroad. 

' '  But  it  is  as  the  Christian  gentleman,  we  love 
to  think  of  our  illustrious  statesman.  He  was 
sincerely  and  unaffectedly  devout;  a  lover  of 
God  and  man.  The  Bible  was  a  lamp  to  his  feet 
and  a  light  to  his  path.  For  near  twenty  years 
he  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  church  at  Charlotte. 
In  the  last  trying  scenes  of  life  his  faith  in  Christ 
was  firm  and  unshaken.  He  could  then  say 
with  the  Psalmist:  "My  flesh  and  my  heart 
faileth,  but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart  and 
my  portion  forever." 

"It  has  been  a  favorite  theory  with  Christian 
poets  and  divines,  that  the  characteristics  of 
the  saints  on  earth  will  be  preserved  in  Heaven, 
ennobled,  elevated  and  purified  from  all  carnal 
taint.  Jeremiah  in  glory  will  be  distinguished 
for  his  pensive  meditations,  Isaiah  for  his  re- 
searches into  the  mystery  of  redeeming  love, 
John  will  carry  his  loving  disposition  with  him, 
Paul  will  retain  his  zeal  and  his  energy.  The 
refined  nations  of  antiquity  held  similar  views, 
and  hence  the  classic  allusions  to  death  as  an 
eclipse,  obscuring  for  a  season,  but  afterward 
allowing  the  sa//u-  luminary  to  delight  and  to 
dazzle. 

"  We  who  were  in  the  belt  of  the  late  total 
eclipse,  observed  a  black  spot  projected  on  the 
lower  lirrb  of  the  sun.  Gradually,  the  dark 
shadow  crept  higher  and  higher.  The  great  orb 
sent  out  sickly  and  more  sickly  rays.  The  cat- 
tle came  lowing  home.  The  bewildered  fowls 
of  the  air  sought  their  roosts.  The  black  spot 
crept  higher  and  yet  higher, until  darkness  cov- 
ered the  sky,  with  here  and  there  a  star  sending 
forth  a  ghastly  and  unnatural  light.     Then  the 


296 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


sun,  like  a  mighty  giant,  threw  off  the  black 
mantle  and  came  forth  inall  his  strength,  beauty, 
and  majesty,  rejoicing  our  hearts  with  the  same 
glorious  beams  that  had  been  hid  for  a  time. 

"  And  thus,  as  our  friend  was  a  star  of  the  first 
magnitude,  we  contemplate  his  death  as  a  tem- 
porary eclipse,  and  believe  that  when  the 
shadows  of  earth  have  passed  away,  the  brilliant 
intellect  that  dazzled  us  below,  will  shine  out 
with  renewed  effulgence  above.  We  cannot 
but  think,  too,  that  a  man  of  his  rare  sweetness 
of  temper  and  forgetfulness  of  self,  will  find  con- 
genial companionship,  amid  the  rejoicing  and 
unselfish  hosts  of  Heaven  throughout  the  cease- 
less ages  of  eternity." 

Randolph  A.  Shotwell,  represented  Mecklen- 
burg county  in  1876.  He  is  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia— born  in  West  Liberty,  December  14, 
1844.  He  was  at  school  in  Pennsylvania  when 
the  war  commenced ;  and  determining  to  unite 
his  fortunes  with  those  of  his  native  land,  "ran 
the  blockade "  through  Washington  and  the 
Federal  lines,  and  joined  the  8tli  Virginia  Vol- 
unteers, in  time  for  the  battle  of  Leesburg, 
and  was  engaged  in  many  battles  and  skirmishes 
including  among  them  Gettysburg. 

In  1864  he  was  captured  while  scouting,  and 
held  as  a  spy,  and  suffered  many  privations  and 
hardships.  After  the  war  was  over  he  came,  in 
1866  to  North  Carolina,  and  started  the  Journal 
of  Commo'ce  with  Col.  S.  D.  Pool.  In  1868 
he  started  the  Vindicator  at  Rutherford.  In 
1870  he  established  the  Citizen  at  Asheville. 
He  was  arrested  and  carried  to  Raleigh,  where 
he  was  tried  before  Judge  Bond  for  an  alleged 
connection  with  the  Invisible  empire,  and  con- 
demned. He  was  sentenced  to  six  years  im- 
prisonment in  the  Albany  Penitentiary  and  a 
fine  of  $5,000.  At  the  intercession  of  Colonel 
Moseby,  Plato  Durham,  and  others,  a  pardon 
was  issued  by  President  Grant. 

On  his  return  (November  1872)  he  became 
associated  with  General  D.  H.  Hill  as  editor, 
and  acted  as  such  until  1877.     He  was   elected 


(1876)  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Meck- 
lenburg county,  by  821  majority. 

Robert  Payne  Waring  is  one  of  the  worthiest 
citizens  of  Mecklenburg  county.  He  was  grad- 
uated at  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  became 
a  commonwealth's  attorney  from  1855  to  1859, 
when  he  was  appointed  United  States  Consul  to 
St.  Thomas  Island  in  the  Danish  Indies.  He 
filled  this  responsible  and  honorable  position 
with  signal  ability,  reflecting  great  credit  upon 
our  government.  In  June,  1861,  he  returned 
to  the  United  States  where  he  was  arrested  and 
held  as  a  prisoner  of  state,  in  New  York,  until 
October  following.  After  the  most  thorough 
investigation,  no  charge  could  be  presented 
against  him.  He  had  only,  with  his  usual  ur- 
banity, lifted  his  cap  in  passing  a  vessel  on  the 
water  which  bore  the  emblem  of  the  infant 
Confederacy. 

Upon  his  release,  he  returned  to  North  Caro- 
lina, raised  a  company  in  June  1862,  served  as 
captain  till  April,  1S65,  when  he  was  captured 
and  kept  at  Camp  Chase  until  July  of  the  same 
year.  He  then  returned  to  his  home  in  Char- 
lotte, North  Carolina,  and  became  editor  of  the 
Daily  Times. 

So  fearless  and  outspoken  was  his  condemna- 
tion of  the  polititico-military  administration, 
that  he  was  arrested  by  the  military  command- 
ant, in  time  of  peace,  and  tried  before  a  court- 
martial  where  he  was  defended  by  Hon.  B.  F. 
Moore,  and  Ed.  Graham  Haywood.  Conviction 
was  a  foregone  conclusion,  and  he  was  offered 
the  alternative  of  paying  a  fine  of  $300,  in  three 
days,  or  suffering  six  months  imprisonment  in 
Fort  Macon. 

Such  treatment  gave  him  notoriety  and  his 
paper  a  wider  circulation.  It  was  by  his  able 
editorials  he  contributed  largely  to  the  change 
of  administration  at  the  ballot  box.  Mr.  War- 
ing had  been  elector  on  the  Buchanan  ticket. 
In  1 870  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature,  where 
an  important  and  novel  question  met  him  at  the 
threshold :    ' '  Should  North  Carolina  place  her- 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


297 


self  on  record  as  the  first  American  State  to 
exercise  the  power  of  impeaching  a  Governor?" 
Troops  had  been  raised  by  this  Governor,  osten- 
sibly to  ferret  out  the  perpetrators  of  two  mys- 
terious murders,  but  without  a  resort  first  to  the 
posse  comitatits — worst  of  all,  this  was  done  on 
the  eve  of  a  general  election.  The  best  citizens 
of  the  State,  in  two  counties,  had  been  arrested 
without  the  pretense  of  indictment,  or  informa- 
tion, and  incarcerated  as  common  felons  to 
await  trial  by  a  contemptible  militia  court-mar- 
tial and  this,  too,  in  a  time  of  profound  peace. 
Should  such  conduct,  at  the  suggestion  of  prob- 
able Federal  interference  be  overlooked,  or 
should  an  example  be  made  for  posterity  ? 
Criminals  who  had  robbed  the  state  of  millions 
had  escaped,  whereas  the  intended  defendant 
was  never  suspected  of  sharing  in  their  spoils. 
Mr.  Waring's  position  was  not  doubtful.  Lib- 
erty is  more  valuable  than  money,  and  eternal 
vigilance  is  its  price.  His  influence  was  ac- 
knowledged in  appointing  him  on  the  committee 
which  prepared  the  articles  of  impeachment,  and 


which  selected  Messrs.  Graham,  Bragg,  and 
Merrimon,  prosecutors.  Messrs.  Smith,  Boy- 
den,  Conigland  and  McCorkle  appeared  for  the 
defendant.  (See  sketch  of  \V.  W.  Holden,  in 
Wade  county  section.)  He  has  since  been  re- 
turned by  increased  majorities,  generally,  to 
the  State  Senate,  serving  in  that  body  on  the 
Judiciary  Committee,  and  chairman  of  that  on 
Internal  Improvements. 

He  has  borne  himself  worthy  of  his  anteced- 
ents, and  is  ever  alive  to  anything  that  touches 
the  dignity  of  the  State.  He  is  a  strict  con- 
structionist of  the  Constitution  as  also  of  the 
obligations  of  a  gentleman.  He  has  been  twice 
married — first  to  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Louis  D. 
Henry,  and  second,  to  the  daughter  Rev.  N, 
Aldrich,  of  whose  charming  society  he  has  re- 
cently been  bereft.  Since  the  organization  of 
the  present  Inferior  Court  of  Mecklenburg 
county,  he  has  been  unanimously  chosen  as 
chairman  at  every  election, — a  terror  to  evil 
doers  and  a  praise  to  those  who  do  well. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER  COUNTIES. 


Hon.  Archibald  McNeil  resided  in  Moore 
county.  The  records  show  that  he  represented 
this  county  in  the  House  in  1808-09,  and  in  the 
State  Senate  in  1811-15-20-21—22,  and  was 
elected  a  member  of  Congress  (27th) — 1821- 
23,    and  re-elected   (29th) — 1825-27. 

Hon,  Archibald  McBryde,  also  a  resident  of 
this  county,  was  a  member  of  Congress  (Xlth), 
1809-11,  and  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  in 
1813-14. 

Governor  Benj.  Williams  Moore  of  county  was 
elected  a  member  of  Congress  (3rd) — 1793-95, 
and  Governor  of  the  State,  1799;  and  re-elected 


in  1809.  In  1807-09  elected  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate.  As  General  Davie  had  accepted 
the  Mission  to  France,  Benjamin  Williams  was 
chosen  his  successor  as  Governor.  The  new 
Governor  was  a  plain  man  of  small  pretensions. 
He  was  simple,  modest,  and  of  irreproachable 
character.  He  died  in  Moore  county  at  his 
residence,  recently  occupied  by  Dr.  Charles 
Chalmers. 

He  married  Mary  Eaton  Jones,  daughter  of 
Robin  Jones  of  Halifax,  by  whom  he  had  two 
sons,  Allen  and  Willie ;  both  of  whom  were  edu- 
cated in  Eton  College,  England. 


298 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


Dr.  George  Glasscock,  during  the  early  days 
of  our  State,  resided  in  this  county  at  Cross 
Hill.  Dr.  Glasscock  was  a  native  of  Virginia. 
His  mother  was  the  sister  of  Mary  Ball,  the 
mother  of  Washington.  Dr.  Glasscock  during 
the  march  of  Cornwallis  and  the  raids  of  Fan- 
ning, was  with  the  Whigs  as  Surgeon. 

He  married  Martha  Howard  and  raised  a  fam- 
ily of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters, 
and  his  descendants  are  among  the  most  enter- 
prising and  useful  of  our  citizens.  Dr.  Glass- 
cock was  murdered  in  1787  at  the  instigation  of 
Colonel  Philip  Alston. 

A  cluster  of  houses  soon  acquired  the  character 
of  a  town  on  the  Cape  Fear  River,  about  1730, 
on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  town  of  Wil- 
mington. Lots  were  surveyed  and  the  village 
was  known  as  New  Liverpool.  In  1735,  John 
Watson  obtained  a  grant  for  640  acres  of  land 
including  the  embryo  city,  and  changed  its 
name  of  Newton.  In  1 739,  this  name,  by  an  act 
of  the  assembly,  was  changed  to  Wilmington, 
in  honor  of  Spencer  Compton,  Earl  of  Wilming- 
ton, the  patron  of  Governor  Gabriel  Johnston. 

Sir  Spencer  Compton,  third  son  of  Earl  of 
Northampton,  was  created  Baron  of  Wilming- 
ton, January  5,  1727;  Viscount  of  Pevensy in 
1730;  Member  of  Parliament  and  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Commons.  He  was  for  some 
time  President  of  the  Privy  Council,  and  upon 
the  resignation  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole  in  Feb- 
ruary 1742,  was  appointed  first  Lord  of  the 
Treasury  and  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 
He  died  July  2,  1742.  (Martin's  History, 
294;  Collins  Peerage,  III.,  257;  Uni.  Mag., 
v.,   242.) 

There  is  no  portion  of  the  State  that  was 
more  devoted  to  the  cause  of  liberty  during  the 
Revolution,  than  the  Cape  Fear  section  ;  none 
that  more  readily  contributed  its  men  and  means 
to  its  support.  These  glowing  records  exist,  and 
the  fearless  acts  and  heroic  devotion  of  her  sons 
are  written  on  the  pages  of  history,  and  if  gath- 
ered, would  form  an  imperishable  monument  to 
their  valor  and  patriotism. 


Will  not  some  son  of  New  Hanover  from  this 
"embarrassment  of  riches,"  preserve,  and  pre- 
sent these  memorials  in  gratitude  to  worth  and 
valor?  They  would  form  a  volume  of  thrilling 
interest  and  greatest  value. 

The  bold  action  of  the  New  Hanover  people 
during  the  Stamp  Act  trouble  was  unsurpassed 
by  that  of  any  other  community.  They  seized 
the  Stamp  Master  in  the  Governor's  Mansion, 
and  forced  him  to  swear  not  to  execute  his  office. 
In  consequence  of  their  action,  particular  re- 
strictions were  laid  on  the  Commerce  of  Wil- 
mington, and  the  people  embodied  under  the 
leadership  of  John  Ashe,  marched  to  Ft.  John- 
son, where  the  Governor  was,  and  demanded 
redress,  which  was  accorded. 

In  1774  when  the  bill  shutting  up  the  Port  of 
Boston,  was  enacted  by  the  British  Parliament, 
the  citizens  of  Wilmington  declared  by  public 
resolutions  :  "77/d'  cause  of  Boston  to  be  the  com- 
mon cause  of  America-^'  and  the  next  month  sent 
by  Parker  Quince  a  ship-load  of  provisions  to 
their  suffering  and  beleaguered  countrymen. 

The  patriotic  people  of  New  Hanover 
formed  a  Committee  of  Safety,  with  which 
thepeople  of  Brunswick,  Bladen,  Duplin,  and 
Onslow  united ;  and  when  the  Royal  Governor 
(Martin)  summoned  his  Council  to  meet  him  in 
January,  1776,  on  board  of  a  Sloop  of  War,  in 
the  Cape  Fear  River,  this  committee  informed 
the  members  of  the  Council  that  "the  safety  of 
the  country  would  not  allow  them  to  attend  the 
Governor." 

The  proceedings  of  this  committee  from  No- 
vember, 1774  to  October,  177S,  have  been 
printed  from  the  original  records,  (Raleigh, 
Thos.  Loring,  1844),  and  prove  the  fearless  con- 
duct of  the  people. 

The  first  conflict  of  arms  after  the  military 
organization  of  the  State,  occurred  in  this  county 
at  Moore's  Creek  bridge,  February  27,  1776, 
when  the  colonists,  under  Caswell  and  Lilling- 
ton  met  the  royal  forces,  under  MacDonald 
and  routed  them  with  great  loss. 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


299 


Among  those  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the 
people  and  whose  life  was  laid  down  in  the 
struggle,  was  Cornelius  Harnett,  of  whom  a 
biographical  sketch  has  been  presented  (page 
46).      He  is  buried  in  Wilmington. 

The  Ashe  family,  whose  services  and  whose 
sacrifices  in  the  cause  of  our  country  deserve 
to  be  held  in  the  perpetual  memory  of  pos- 
terity, is  identified  with  this  county. 

Jones  in  his  "Defense  of  North  Carolina," 
says : 

"The  Ashe  family  contributed  more  to  the 
success  of  the  Revolution  than  any  other  in  the 
State.  General  John  Ashe  and  his  sons.  Cap- 
tain Samuel  Ashe  and  his  son  William,  Gov- 
ernor Samuel  Ashe  and  his  son  Samuel,  Colonel 
John  Baptista,  were  all  in  constant  service." 

Every  member  of  the  Ashe  family  able  to 
bear  a  musket  was  in  the  army. 

Some  of  this  family  have  been  already  alluded 
to,  in  sketches  of  Judge  Thomas  S.  Ashe  and 
John  B.  Ashe. 

We  now  present  a  genealogical  table  of  this 
distinguished  family,  followed  by  sketches  of 
such  others  as  particularly  deserve  attention. 

The  family  is  of  English  origin  and  long  set- 
tled in  Heightsbury,  an  ancient  borough  on  the 
river  Willy  in  Wiltshire,  England. 

*John  Baptista  Ashe,  the  founder  of  the  fam- 
ily in  North  Carolina,  was  the  friend  of  Lord 
Craven,  one  of  the  Lord  Proprietors  of  the 
Province,  and  on  this  account  visited  the  shores 
of  the  new  world. 

He  was  prominent,  active,  and  decided  in  the 
affairs  of  the  colony. 

In  17725  he  appeared  as  Counsel  for  Governor 
Burrington  who  was  then  indicted  for  sedition 
and  treasable  practices.  I  copy  from  the  Rolls 
Office,  London,  the  following  : 

i  "  1730,  Dec.  14.  Instructions  issued  to 
Governor  Burrington   with   his   commission  as 

*Memoir  of  General  John  Ashe  by  A.  M.  Hooper,  Wihiig, 
1854;  Uni  Mag   III,  366. 

t  Records  of  Board  of  Trade,  London  Proprieiies,  N.  C. 
No.  22,  p.  37. 


Governor  of  North  Carolina,  under  the  great 
seal.  William  Smith, '^Nath.^Rice,  James'Ten- 
our,  Robert  Hatton,  Edmund  Porter,  John  Bap- 
tista Ashe,  Jas.  Hallard,  Matthew  "^^Rowan, 
Richard  Eyans,  Cornelius  Harnett,  and  John 
Porter,  Sen.,  named  in  the  instructions  as 
Council:" 

I  copy  from  the  same  office,  the  following 
extract  from  a  Dispatch  to  the  Duke  of  New 
Castle,  from  Governor  Burrington,  dated  Febru- 
ary 20,  1732. 

"Immediately  before  the  Assembly  met,  Mr. 
Price,  the  Secretary,  and  Mr.  Ashe,  came  to- 
gether from  the  Cape  Fear  to  Edenton,  the  scat 
of  Goveinment.  Mr.  Ashe  when  qualified,  began 
immediately  to  oppose  me  in  the  council.  He 
gained  Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  Porter  to  join  him. 

"Mr.  Ashe  is  altogether  bent  on  mischief  I 
have  been  a  great  friend  to  him.  My  benefits 
he  has  returned  with  ingratitude. 

"He  is  a  great  villian,  and  is  unworthy  of 
sitting  as  Councillor  in  this  Province.'' 

The  Governor  adds,  in  the  same  dispatch  that 
"Cornelius  Harnett,  another  of  the  council, 
was  bred  a  merchant  in  Dublin,  and  settled  at 
Cape  Fear  in  this  colony:  "I  am  humbly  of 
opinion  that  Harnett's  sitting  in  the  council  is  a 
disgrace  to  it,"   (page  63). 

On  November  lo,  1732,  on  the  complaint  of 
George  Burrington,  Governor,  to  Wm.  Owen, 
one  of  the  Justices  of  the  General  Court,  that 
John  Baptista  Ashe,  did  write  and  publish  cer- 
tain scurrilous  libels  to  defame  said  Governor, 
was  committed  to  goal,  until  he  gave  bond  and 
security  to  appear  before  the  Justices  of  the 
General  Court  of  the  province."  (See  page 
78.) 

Mr.  Ashe  filed  information,  in  return,  which 
the  General  Court,  (William  Little,  Chief  Jus- 
tice ;  William  Owen,  Macrora  Scarborough,  Jus- 
tices) held  at  Edenton,  last  Tuesday  in  October, 
1732,  having  duly  heard  and  considered,  decided 
as  their  unanimous  opinion,  that  the  said  infor- 
mation   being  a    prosecution    against  the    said 


300 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


George  Burrington,  Esq.,  now  Governor,  for  a 
crinne  or  offense  alleged  to  be  done  by  him 
whilst  Governor;  which  by  act  of  Parliament  is 
ordained  elsewhere  to  be-  heard,  and  for  that 
the  said  court  cannot  compel  the  said  Governor, 
here  to  appear  or  answer  thereto  ;  they  cannot 
hear  or  determine  the  same,  and  will  not  pro- 
ceed in  judgment.  William  Little,  Chief  Jus- 
tice (page  79). 

Thereupon  Mr.  Ashe,  Nath.  Rice,  Secretary, 
and  John  Montgomery,  Attorney  General,  ad- 
dressed a  memorial  to  the  Lord  Commissioners, 
at  home,  of  great  power,  charging  and  impeach- 
ing Governor  Burrington  of  public  misdemean- 
ors and  private  wrongs,  and  praying  protection 
against  oppression  and  relief  against  wrongs. 

I  copy  further  from  the  Rolls  Office  in  Lon- 
don, the  following  letter  of  Governor  Burring- 
ton, to  Duke  of  New  Castle. 

' '  North  Carolina, 

June  5,  1734. 
"  May  it  please  your  Grace  : 

Having  lived  in  this  Province  for  some  years 
without  receiving  any  money  from  the  King,  or 
the  country,  I  was  constrained  to  sell  not  only 
my  household  goods,  but  even  my  linen,  plate 
and  lands  and  stocks.  The  many  sicknesses 
that  seized  me  and  their  long  continuance  have 
greatly  impaired  my  constitution  and  substance. 
My  affairs  and  health  being  in  a  bad  condition, 
I  humbly  desire  my  Lord  Duke,  will  be  pleased 
to  obtain  His  Majesty's  leave  for  my  return  to 
England. 

I  am  with  profound  duty,  My  Lord  Duke 
Your  Grace's  most  humble  and  most  devoted 
servant.  George  Burrington." 

He  was  allowed  to  return,  and  he  died  a  mel- 
ancholy death ;  rioting  as  was  his  custom  all 
night,  he  was  found  dead  in  the  streets  of  Lon- 
don, one  morning  in  the  Bird  Cage  Walk,  St. 
James  Park. 

Gabriel  Johnston  succeeded  Burrington  1734. 
He  died  in  1735,  leaving  issue :  I.  John,  II. 
Samuel,  and  III.    Mary. 


Genealogy  of  the  Ashe  Family. 

John  Baptista  Ashe,  the  progenitor  of  the 
family,  was  a  lawyer  practicing  in  the  colony  of 
North  Carolina,  early  in  the  eighteenth  century. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Swann,  the  sister  of  Col- 
onel Samuel  Swann,  and  eminent  lawyer,  com- 
piler of  the  Acts  of  the  Assembly  (1752)  known 
as  "Yellow  Jacket, "  and  speaker  of  the  Assem- 
bly, and  along  with  Swann  and  others  settled  on 
the  Cape  Fear.  He  was  a  man  of  wealth  and 
of  culture.  His  literary  abilities  are  attested  by 
his  correspondence  with  the  Home  Government 
arraigning  Governor  Burrington  for  his  excesses 
in  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  colony. 
He  was  the  Speaker  of  the  Assembly  in  1727, 
and  Member  of  the  Council  in  1730. 

He  was  fearless  in  his  denunciation  of  Burring- 
ton, who  procured  his  imprisonment  by  a  sub- 
He  lies  buried  at  Gravely,  four  miles  south  of 
Wilmington,  now  in  possession  of  Marsden 
Bellamy. 

I,  General  John  Ashe  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  in  1720;  educated  at  Harvard  College,  a 
popular  leader  and  an  eloquent  speaker.  Was 
speaker  of  the  Assembly  from  1762  to  1765. 
He  opposed  the  Stamp  Act,  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death,  in  1781,  was  the  active  and 
constant  champion  of  the  cause  of  the  colo- 
nists. 

Married  Rebecca  (sister  of  General  James 
Moore,  and  Judge  Maurice  Moore).  To  them 
were  born  (a)  John,  a  Major  in  the  North  Caro- 
lina line  ;  (b)  Samuel,  commanded  a  troop  of 
light  horses  at  the  North  during  the  war  of  '76; 
(c)  Harriet,  married,  first,  to  Davis — second  to 
Laspiere  ;  (d)  Eliza,  married  to  William  H.  Hill, 
Member  of  Assembly  1794,  of  Congress  1799; 
United  States  District  Attorney  and  appointed 
to  the  Federal  bench  by  President  Adams.  To 
them  were  born  Joseph  Alston  Hill,  an  orator 
of  great  brilliancy,  died, at  an  early  age,  in  1830, 
and  among  other  descendants  may  be  mentioned 
Wm.  Henry  Wright,  United  States  Engineers ; 
Griffith  J.  McRee  ;  Judge  Samuel  Hall,  of  the 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY. 


lOI 


Supreme  Court  of  Georgia ;  (e)  Mary,  married 
to  William  Alston  of  Waccamaw,  South  Caro- 
lina, whose  son,  Joseph  Alston,  was  Governor 
of  South  Carolina,  1812-1814,  and  married 
Theodosia,  daughter  of  Aaron  Burr;  (f)  Wil- 
liam, lost  at  sea  on  a  privateer,  during  the  Rev- 
olution ;  (g)  A'Court;  (h)  Anna.  None  of 
General  Ashe's  sons  left  issue. 

II.  Governor  Samuel  Ashe,  was  born  on  the 
Cape  Fear,  1725  ;  educated  at  Harvard  ;  studied 
law  with  his  uncle,  Samuel  Swann ;  became  an 
early,  active  and  zealous  adherent  of  the  cause 
of  the  colonies  ;  appointed  by  the  Provincial 
Congress,  one  of  the  Council  of  Thirteen  to 
govern  the  State,  before  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution,  and  acted  as  its  president;  Speaker 
of  the  Senate,  1 777,  and  one  of  the  three  judges 
first  chosen  under  the  Constitution.  He  re- 
mained on  the  bench  until  1795,  when  he  was 
elected  Governor,  which  office  he  filled  three 
terms.  He  died  in  18 13.  He  married,  first, 
Mary,  (daughter  of  John  Porter  who  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  of  the  town  of  Wilmington, 
who  when  an  infant  in  171 1,  was  rescued  by  his 
mother,  a  daughter  of  Governor  Lillington, 
from  an  Indian  then  in  the  act  of  dashing  his 
brains  out  against  the  house),  by  whom  he  had 
(a)  John  Baptista,  (b)  Cincinnalus,  and  (c) 
Samuel. 

After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Merrick,  by  whom  he  had  several 
children,  only  one  of  whom,  Thomas,  arrived 
at  maturity ;  (a)  Colonel  John  Baptista  Ashe, 
just  mentioned  (also  see  page  204)  served 
throughout  the  war  of  1776,  was  Lieutenant 
Colonel  of  the  North  Carolina  line;  Speaker  of 
the  House  1785  ;  Member  of  Continental  Con- 
gress 1787  ;  and  of  the  United  States  Congress; 
elected  Governor  in  1802,  he  died  however,  be- 
fore qualifying.  He  married  Miss  Montford, 
a  sister  of  Mrs.  Wilie  Jones,  whose  famous 
repartee  to  Colonel  Tarleton  will  long  be  re- 
membered. Their  son  Samuel  Porter  Ashe 
married  Mary,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  William 
Shepperd — issue,  John  B.  and  Stephen. 


(b)  Cincinnatus  was  lost  at  sea  in  a  privateer 
with  his  cousin  William. 

(c)  Samuel,  born  1763,  entered  the  army  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  captured  at  Charleston,  with 
General  Lincoln  ;  suffered  terribly  on  prison- 
ship  ;  after  exchange  served  with  Lafayette  and 
afterward  with  General  Greene.  He  died  in 
1835  ;  he  married  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Col- 
onel William  Shepperd — issue,  (a)  Betsy,  wife 
of  Owen  Holmes,  (b)  Mary  Porter,  wife  of  Dr. 
S.  G.  Moses  of  St.  Louis,  (c)  John  B. ,  Member 
of  Congress  from  Tennessee,  who  married  Eliza 
Hay  and  moved  to  Texas,  (d)  William  S. ,  born 
18 1 3 — died  1862,  Member  of  Congress,  1849-55  ; 
married  Sarah  Ann  Green,  and  had  Samuel 
A'Court  (A'i'TC'i'  Obsavcr,  Raleigh),  John  Grange 
and  others,  (e)  Thomas  married  Rosa  Hill,(f )  Dr. 
Richard  Porter  of  San  Francisco,  married  Lina 
Loyall,  (g)  Susan,  married  to  David  Grove, 
(h)  Sarah,  married  to  Judge  Samuel  Hall  of 
Georgia. 

Thomas  (the  son  of  Governor  Samuel  Ashe 
and  his  second  wife,  Elizabeth  Merrick)  married 
Sophia  Davis  and  had  issue  :  (i)  Pascal  Paoli, 
who  married  Elizabeth  Strudwick,  a  daughter  of 
Colonel  W.  F.  Strudwick  by  Martha,  the  sister 
of  Colonel  William  Shepperd,  and  had  many 
descendants,  among  them  Dr.  William  Cincin- 
natus Ashe  of  Alabama ;  Hon.  Thomas  S.  Ashe 
(see  page  6)  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State, 
and  Dr.  Edmund  F.  Ashe  of  Wadesboro.  (2) 
Richard,  who  married  Anna  Moore  and  left 
issue  :  Richard  J.  Ashe  of  California.  (3) 
Thomas,  who  married  Elizabeth,  sister  of  Ad- 
miral Bell,  United  States  Navy,  who  left  issue 
resident  in  Alabama,  and  Wil wm^+on,  (v.c. 

III.  Mary,  born  1723,  married  George  Moore 
and  left  issue. 

General  John  Ashe  (born  1720 — died  i78i)son 
of  John  Baptista,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Swann, 
was  born  at  Gravely,  Brunswick  count}-,  in  1720. 
His  education  was  liberal  and  was,  it  is  believed, 
finished  at  an  tLnglish  University.* 


OtM-fi^ 


'•■'A  Memoir  cf   General  John  Ashe  of  the  Revolution,  by 
A.  M.  Hooper  and  Griffith"  McRee,   Wilmg.  1854. 


302 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


He  entered  public  life  in  1762,  as  a  Member 
of  the  Colonial  Assembly,  and  was  chosen 
speaker  of  this  body. 

His  uncle,  Samuel  Svvann,  had  filled  this  im- 
portant position  for  nearly  twenty  years,  with 
great  dignity.  The  speaker  of  the  popular 
branch  of  the  Assembly  held  a  commanding  po- 
sition, and  was  looked  upon  as  the  hereditary  de- 
fender of  the  rights  of  the  people.  In  this  high 
place  he  in  1765  opposed  the  Stamp  Act,  and 
resisted  its  enforcement.  He  so  informed  Gov- 
ernor Tryon  openly  and  fearlessly.  As  soon  as 
Colonel  Ashe  was  informed  of  the  approach  of 
the  vessel  containing  the  stamps,  supported  by 
the  efforts  of  Colonel  Waddell,  he  embodied  a 
company  of  New  Hanover  militia,  and  prepared 
for  an  open  conflict. 

When  the  Proclamation  of  the  Governor, 
(issued  January  6,  1765)  announced  the  arrival 
of  the  stamps,  Colonel  Ashe  demanded  an  in- 
terview with  the  Stamp  Master  (Houston)  who 
was  the  guest  of  the  Governor,  which  was  re- 
fused, Ashe  threatened  to  burn  the  house,  and 
proceeded  to  execute  the  threat.  The  Governor 
yielded,  and  Houston  was  surrendered.  He 
(Houston)  was  taken  to  the  Market  House  and 
made  to  sign  a  written  pledge  "never  to  perform 
the  duties  of  his  office." 

In  1770-71  Colonel  Ashe  was  again  elected 
to  the  Lower  House  by  the  people.  The  trou- 
bles with  the  Regulators  now  commenced,  and 
Colonel  Ashe  with  Caswell,  and  others  equally 
distinguished  in  after  days  in  the  cause  of  the 
people,  felt  it  a  duty  to  sustain  the  Government. 
These  have  been  already  alluded  to. 

Colonel  Ashe  with  his  regiment  was  in  the 
battle  at  Alamance,  and  demonstrated  that  he 
was  not  led  by  any  factious  opposition  to  the 
Governor,  but  stood  prompt  and  willing  to  sus- 
tain the  power  of  the  Government.  This  may 
have  been  an  error,  but  Colonel  Ashe  thought 
his  course  was  in  the  line  of  duty. 

In  1773,  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and 
was  with  John  Harvey,  Hewes,  Harnett,  Howe, 


Johnston,  and  Vail,  a  committee  of  correspond- 
ence with  the  sister  colonies,  relative  to  the 
proceedings  of  the  British  Parliament,  and  in 
1774  he  was  with  Caswell,  Edwards,  Harnett, 
Hewes,  Howe,  Allen  Jones,  and  Samuel  John- 
stone, a  committee  to  reply  to  Governor  Mar- 
tin's speech. 

This  Assembly  of  March,  1774,  was  prorogued 
by  the  Governor  to  May  26,  and  dissolved  on 
March  30,  by  Proclamation.  Colonel  Ashe  and 
others  entered  an  Association  this  year,  by 
which  they  "bound  themselves  by  every  tie  of 
religion,  honor,  and  nature,  to  be  ready  to  go 
forth  and  sacrifice  their  lives,  and  fortunes  in 
resisting  force  by  force,  to  secure  the  safety  and 
freedom  of  their  country. " 

When  it  was  ascertained  that  the  Governor 
(Martin)  did  not  intend  to  call  another  assembly. 
Colonel  Ashe  with  John  Harvey,  Wm.  Hooper, 
Willie  Jones,  Samuel  Johnston,  and  James  Ire- 
dell, projected  a  Provincial  Congress,  causing 
delegates  to  be  elected  to  meet  at  New  Berne  on 
August  25,  1774. 

The  Governor  issued  a  proclamation  on  Au- 
gust 15,  1774,  "condemning  all  elections  and 
assemblies  of  the  people,  and  warning  all  offi- 
cers of  the  King  to  prevent  such  illegal  meet- 
ings." 

The  Provincial  Congress  did  meet  at  the  time 
and  place  designated. 

In  1775,  Colonel  Ashe  was  appointed  on  the 
Committee  of  Safety  at  Wilmington,  and  re- 
signed his  commission  as  Colonel,  which  he  held 
under  the  Royal  Government,  and  accepted  the 
same  rank  by  election  by  the  people.  This  is 
the  first  instance  of  the  acceptance  of  a  military 
commission  under  the  authority  of  the  people. 

Apprehending  that  Martin  meditated  plans 
to  extend  the  fortifications  of  Fort  Johnson,  on 
July  17,  1775,  he  attacked  it  with  a  force  of  500 
men  and  reduced  it  to  ashes. 

This  overt  act  of  violence  was  denounced  by 
Governor  Martin  in  a  Proclamation  of  August 
8j  I775i  "  as  a  most  treasonable  outrage."     In 


MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER  COUNTIES. 


303 


the  same  proclamation,  he  denounced  the  in- 
tended meeting  of  the  Provincial  Congress  at 
Hillsboro,  on  August  20,  1775. 

The  Provincial  Congress  held  a  second  session 
at  New  Berne  on  April  4,  1775,  in  defiance  of 
this  proclamation,  and  proceeded  to  place  the 
State  under  military  organization. 

Colonel  Ashe  and  his  brother-in-law.  Colonel 
Moore,  were  rival  candidates  for  the  command 
of  the  1st  Regiment.  To  the  command  Colonel 
Moore  was  elected,  with  Francis  Nash  as  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  and  Thomas  Clai-k  as  Major. 

Of  the  2d  Regiment,  Robert  Howe  was  elected 
Colonel,  with  Alexander  Martin  as  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  and  John  Patton  as  Major. 

With  patriotism  and  unabated  zeal.  Colonel 
Ashe  returned  home  and  raised  a  regiment  at 
Ids  0W71  expense,  on  a  pledge  of  his  estate.  So 
enthusiastic  was  the  feeling,  that  his  recruits 
unhesitatingly  received  the  promissory  notes  of 
Colonel  Ashe  in  lieu  of  pay. 

This  Congress  (at  Hillsboro,  August  20,  1775) 
also    substituted  a  form  of  civil  rule   (the  Gov- 
ernor having  fled)  administered  through 
L  A  Provincial  Congress. 

n.   District  Committees  of  Safety. 

in.   County  and  Town  Committees. 

By  the  Provincial  Congress  that  assembled  at 
Halifax  on  April  4,  1776,  Colonel  Ashe  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  a  Brigadier  General, 
and  took  immediate  command  of  the  detach- 
ments ordered  for  General  Moore. 

In  1779  he  marched  to  the  defense  of  Geor- 
gia, and  took  post  at  Briar  Creek.  Here,  on 
March  3,  1779,  he  was  surprised  and  defeated 
by  a  superior  force  of  British  Regulars. 

At  the  request  of  General  Ashe,  General 
Lincoln  ordered  a  Court  Martial  to  examine  into 
this  unhappy  affair. 

The  Court  Martial  decided  that  "General 
Ashe  did  not  take  all  the  necessary  precautions 
which  he  ought  to  have  d^^ne,  to  secure  his 
camp,  and  to  obtain  timely  intelligence  of  the 
movements,  and  approach  of  the  enemy.     But 


they  entirely  acquit  him  of  every  imputation 
or  a  want  of  personal  courage,  and  that  he  re- 
mained as  long  on  the  field,  as  prudence  and 
duty  required."* 

In  1781,  General  Ashe  returned  to  his  resi- 
dence at  Rocky  Point,  broken  down  in  body 
and  mind,  by  misfortune  and  disease.  Wilming- 
ton was  at  this  time  a  British  Post,  commanded 
by  Major  Craig,  (afterward  Sir  James  Craig)  and 
Ashe  was  obliged  to  conceal  himself  in  the  re- 
cesses of  Burgaw  Swamp,  and  only  visit  his  family 
by  stealth. 

He  was  betrayed  to  Major  Craig  by  Manuel, 
his  confidential  servant.  A  party  of  Dragoons 
was  sent  to  capture  him.  In  his  attempt  to  es- 
cape, he  was  shot  in  the  leg,  and  captured.  He 
was  taken  as  a  prisoner  to  Wilmington  and  finally 
paroled.  He  died  October,  178 1,  at  the  house 
of  Colonel  John  Sampson,  in  Sampson  county, 
on  his  way  to  the  back  country  where  he  was 
removing  his  family. 

General  Ashe  was  five  feet,  ten  inches  in 
height,  of  olive  complexion,  brown  hair,  dark 
hazel  eyes,  aquiline  nose;  features  clear  and 
well  defined,  figure  not  large  but  rather  slender, 
and  graceful  in  his  carriage. 

He  married-Rebecca,  the  daughter  of  General 
Maurice  Moore,  sister  of  General  James  and 
Judge  Maurice  Moore,  by  which  union  he  had 
seven  children,  one  of  whom,  Mary,  married 
Mr.  Alston  of  South  Carolina,  whose  son  Joseph 
was  the  Governor  of  South  Carolina  (1812-14) 
and  who  married  Theodosia,  the  only  daughter 
of  Aaron  Burr. 

Another  daughter  of  General  Ashe,  Elizabeth, 
married  Hon.  William  H.  Hill,  who  represented 
the  Wilmington  district  in  Congress,  from  1799  to 
1803.  He  was  the  son  of  William  Hill,  the  ancestor 
of  the  distinguished  family  of  that  name  on  the 
Cape  Fear.  William  Hill,  the  father,  was  a 
native  of  Boston  ;  a  graduate  of  Harvard  in  1756, 
came  to  North  Carolina  on  account  of  his  health 
and  settled  at  Brunswick  where  he  taught  school. 


'A  full  account  of  this  Ceurt  is  to  be  found  in    Moultrie. 


304 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


He  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Moore,  and  the  grand-daughter  of  James  Moore, 
Governor  of  the  two  Carolinas  by  the  daughter 
of  Sir  John  Yeamans.  His  eldest  son,  John, 
was  a  Lieutenant  at  the  battle  of  the  Eutaw 
Springs,  and  his  son  William  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  distinguished  in  public  life.  He 
studied  law  and  was  an  eminent  advocate.  Wil- 
liam had  a  fine  voice,  and  was  fluent,  eloquent, 
and  impressive.  He  was  appointed  by  General 
Washington,  United  States  District  Attorney 
for  North  Carolina;  was  in  the  Senate  of  the  State 
in  1794  and  represented  his  district  in  Congress 
(6th  and  7th)  1799  to  1803.  It  was  his  for- 
tune to  have  served  in  Congress  in  troubled 
times.  Party  feeling  ran  high  and  bitter.  The 
election  of  President  (in  180 1)  for  the  first  time 
devolved  on  the  House.  William  Hill  voted 
with  Dickson,  Grove  and  Henderson  for  Burr, 
against  Alston,  Macon,  Stanford,  Stone,  and 
Spaight  for  Jefferson. 

He  was  a  decided  Federalist.  He  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  General  John  Ashe. 
From  this  union  sprung  : 

1.  William  Henry  Hill. 

2.  Marry,  who  married  Dr.  James  F.  McRee, 
and  had  Griffith  J.  McRee  and  others. 

3.  Julia,  who  married  Dr.  Ezekiel  Hall,  and 
had  Judge  Samuel  Hall,  of  Georgia,  and  others. 

4.  Joseph  Alston  Hill,  who  died  young,  but 
not  until  he  had  developed  talents  of  peculiar 
brilliancy.  He  was  a  member  of  the  bar.  In 
the  Legislature  1826-27-30;  born  1800 — died 
1830. 

5.  Anna,  one  of  the  daughters  of  W.  A. 
Hill,  married  Mr.  Charles  Wright,  a  son  of 
Judge  Joshua  Granger  Wright,*  born  1768;  in 
Legislature  from  1792  to  1800;  Speaker  of 
House  1800;  elected  Judge  1809;  married  Su- 
san Bradly;  died  181 1,  leaving  eight  children. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that   more  has  not  been 
recorded  of  Judge  Wright,  but  the  data  given  of 
his  public  services  will  enable  some  more  capa- 

«See  Uni.  Mag.,   May  1S53.     II.,    187. 


ble  pen  to  preserve  the  memory  of  the  services  and 
talents  of  this  distinguished  man. 

His  oldest  son,  Charles,  was  a  genius  in  fun 
and  quite  an  amateur  in  the  Drama.  He  gradu- 
ated at  the  University  in  1817,  and  studied  law. 
He  possessed  great  vivacily,  quick  apprehension, 
fluent  and  eloquent.  He  was  the  President  of 
the  Wilmington  Branch  Bank  of  the  State,  and 
was  esteemed,  useful  and  intelligent,  of  a  genial 
temper  and  great  hilarity.  He  bid  fair  to  become  an 
able  advocate  and  useful  citizen,  but  his  untimely 
death  in  1821,  at  the  early  age  of  31,  destroyed 
such  hopes.  His  son,  William  Henry  Wright, 
of  United  States  Army,  whose  early  education 
was  conducted  by  Rev.  Adam  Empie  (whose 
wife  was  Anne,  the  daughter  of  Judge  Wright) 
and  by  whom  he  was  prepared  for  William  and 
Mary  College,  where  he  graduated  with  honor. 
He  studied  law  with  his  uncle,  Joseph  A.  Hill. 
He  soon  abandoned  this  study  and  was  appointed 
a  Cadet,  at  the  United  States  Military  Academy  ; 
here  he  was  diligent  and  studious,  and  after  grad- 
uating was  selected  by  Colonel  Thayer  as  his 
assistant  in  the  construction  of  Fort  Warren. 

In  1844,  Lieutenant  Wright  published  a 
' '  Treatise  on  Mortars. ' ' 

In  November,  1845  '""^  obtained  a  furlough  to 
visit  Wilmington,  where  he  was  taken  ill,  and 
died  at  the  residence  of  his  uncle  Dr.  J.  F. 
McRee,  on  December  28,  aged  31. 

He  married  Eliza,  daughter  of  J.  R.  London, 
Esq.,  by  whom  he  had  two  children. 

William  A.  Wright,  (bom  1807 — died  May, 
1878)  third  son  of  Judge  Joshua  G.  Wright, 
was  educated  at  the  University,  and  graduated  in 
1825  at  the  early  age  of  18.  He  studied  law,  to 
the  faithful  and  laborious  practice  of  which,  he 
devoted  the  energies  of  his  life.  Mr.  Wright 
was  the  early  and  devoted  advocate  of  Internal 
Improvements.  He  was  one  of  the  original 
corporators  of  the  Wilmington  and  Raleigh,  now 
the  Wilmington  and  Weldon  Rail  Road — elected 
a  Director  in  18^6,  and  continued  so  until  his 
death.      He    married    Ann    Eliza,    daughter    of 


MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER  COUNTIES. 


305 


William  Hill,  who  survives  him,  with  two  mar- 
ried  daughters    and    a    son. 

Governor  Samuel  Ashe,  son  of  John  Baptista 
Ashe,  (born  1725 — died  18 13)  was  educated  at 
Harvard,  and  studied  law.  He,  however,  served 
throughout  the  Revolutionary  War,  in  various 
military  and  civil  capacities. 

He  was  a  Member  of  the  Provincial  Congress 
at  H  illsboro,  on  August  21,  1775,  and  one  of 
the  council  of  thirteen  to  whom  the  government 
of  common  wealth  was  committed.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  the  convention  that  met  at  Halifax, 
on  April  4,  1776,  and  also  of  the  same,  in  Novem- 
ber,  1776,  which  formed  the  State  Constitution. 

In  1777  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  three  Judges 
under  the  State  Government,  John  Williams  and 
Samuel  Spencer,  being  the  others,  which  he  re- 
signed on  being  elected  Governor  of  the  State, 

1795- 

As  a  Judge  he  was  firm,  upright  in  character, 
clear-headed  and  progressive.  In  the  case  of  Bay- 
ard and  wife  against  Singleton,  the  idea  was  first 
enunciated  by  him  that  the  courts  had  the  power 
to  pronounce  a  Statute  of  the  Legislature  uncon- 
stitutional. To  those  who  had  been  trained  to 
assert  the  omnipotence  of  the  British  Parliament, 
this  seemed  little  short  of  treason;  but  it  is  now 
settled  law  and  considered  as  one  of  the  bulwarks 
of  liberty. 

He  married  first  Mary  Porter,  and  afterwards 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Mernck,?by  whom  he  had 

Thomas,  who  married  Davis — whose  son, 
Pascal  Paoli  was  the  father  of  Judge  Thomas  S. 
Ashe  whose  biography  we  have  already  given. 

By  his  first  wife  he  had 

I.  John  Baptista  Ashe. 

II.  Samuel.  Hediedin  i8i3,and  was  buried 
at  the  Neck  Plantation,  where  many  of  the  de- 
scendants of  the  name,  now 

"Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  no  waking." 

John  Baptista  Ashe  (born  1748 — died  1795,) 
son  of  Governor  Samuel  Ashe,  was  distinguished 
as  a  soldier  and  a  statesman.  Early  in  the  Revo- 
lution,  he    was  ajfpointed    a  captain  in  the  6th 


Regiment  of  Continental  Troops  (Colonel  A. 
Lillington's).  He  had  previously  been  under 
fire  at  Alamance  in  1771,  and  was  badly  treated 
by  the  Regulators.  He  was  with  General  Greene 
at  the  hard  fought  battle  of  the  Eutaws  (Septem- 
ber 1781). 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  elected  to 
that  august  body,  the  Continental  Congress,  in 
1787,  and  a  member  of  the  First  Congress  of  the 
United  States — 1789  to  '91,  and  re-elected  to  the 
next  Congress,  1791-93. 

During  his  career  in  the  Continental  and  United 
States  Congress  he  displayed  the  same  untiring 
opposition  to  sectional  power,  that  had  charac- 
terized the  name  of  Ashe.  Fisher  Ames  of 
Massachusetts,  was  a  Member  of  Congress  with 
Ashe,  and  their  views  were  antagonistic.  One, 
intensely  northern;  the  other,  southern.  On 
calling  the  roll,  this  became  so  noticeable  that 
some  one  wrote — 

"  Fisher  Ames  and  others  say  Aye, 
John  Baptista  Ashe  says  Nay." 

In  1795,  he  was  elected  from  Halifax  to  the 
Legislature,  and  by  that  body  elected  Governor, 
but  died  before  being  inaugurated,  leaving  one 
son. 

Samuel  Ashe,  the  son  of  Governor  Samuel 
Ashe,  (born  1763— died  1835),  was  brave,  mod- 
est, and  unobtrusive.  He  early  entered  the 
army,  and  served  to  the  close  of  the  war.  The 
following  is  copied  from  the  records  of  the  Pen- 
sion Bureau,  which  relates  in  a  brief  and  modest 
manner  his  military  service. 

Samuel  Ashe,  on  June  10,  1828,  filed  an  ap- 
plication under  Act  of  1822  and  declared  that  he 
was  an  officer  of  the  Continental  Line  of  the 
Revolution  as  Lieutenant,  and  served  as  such 
to  the  end  of  the  war,  (sworn  to  before  Thomas 
F.  Davis,  Clerk  of  Court  of  Pleas  for  New 
Hanover  county.  North  Carolina.) 

A  letter  is  on  file  with  this  application  by  Mr. 
Ashe,  which  states  "  he  in  the  early  part  of  1779, 
being  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  received  a 
subaltern's  commission    in  the  6th  Regiment  of 


3o6 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


North  Carolina  Line.  He  joined  the  North  Caro- 
lina Line  at  Charleston,  and  by  orders  of  Briga- 
dier General  Hogan  ;  and  he  was  appointed  a 
Lieutenant  in  1st  North  Carolina  Regiment, 
commanded  by  Colonel  Thomas  Clarke.  At 
the  surrender  of  Charleston  on  May  12,  1780, 
he  was  taken  prisoner  at  Haddull's  Point,  where 
he  remained  until  Summer  of  1 781,  when  he  was 
exchanged  and  sent  under  a  flag  to  Jamestown, 
Virginia.  There  he  joined  the  arm}-  under  the 
Marquis  De  La  Fayette.  In  August  or  Septem- 
ber, with  certain  North  Carolina  troops  he  joined 
the  Army  of  the  South  under  command  of  Gen- 
eral Greene,  under  whose  command  he  continued 
until  peace." 

He  married  Elizabeth  Shepherd,  by  whom  he 
had  : 

I.  John  B.  Ashe,  who  moved  to  Tennessee, 
and  was  a  representati\'e  in  Congress  from  that 
State  in   1843-45. 

II.  William  Shepard  Ashe,  born  1814;  lawyer 
by  profession,  rice  planter  and  farmer. 
Elected  to  State  Senate  in  1846-48,  and  elected 
Member  of  Congress  (31st,)  1849,  ^'''d  re- 
elected to  32nd  and  33rd,  when  he 
declined  a  re-election  and  in  1855  became  Presi- 
dent of  the  Wilmington  and  Weldon  Railroad, 
in  which  position  he  continued  until  his  death. 
He  was  a  man  of  indomitable  energy,  and  perse- 
verance ;  of  irresistible  personal  popularity.  As 
evidence  of  this  he  urged  and  procured  the  pas- 
sage of  the  North  Carolina  Railroad  by  a  Demo- 
cratic Legislature  which  was  not  favorable  to 
such  improvement.  Another  instance  of  his 
great  influence  over  his  associates  and  his  mag- 
netic power  in  controlling  men  occurred  in  1854, 
in  procuring  an  appropriation  of  $150,000  for 
the  Cape  Fear  River,  from  a  Democratic  Con- 
gress. Finding  some  of  his  Democratic  friends 
decidedly  against  the  work,  he  persuaded  them 
to  retire  for  awhile  and  they  did  so.  Soon  the 
House  was  without  a  quorum,  and  it  became 
necessary  to  go  out  to  get  a  quorum,  to  take  the 
vote,    and  they  were  called  in.      The  bill  passed. 


In  the  war  (1861)  he  was  of  pronounced 
Southern  feelings  and  was  in  charge  of  the  trans- 
portation of  the  Confederacy  with  the  rank  of 
Major. 

He  met  a  tragic  death — returning  from  Wil- 
mington on  a  hand-car,  on  September  14,  1862, 
to  his  home,  the  mail  train  near  the  bridge  over 
the  North  East  River,  ran  over  the  hand-car,  in- 
flicting such  injuries  on  him  that  he  died  the  next 
day. 

He  married  Sarah  Green;  and  of  a  once  large 
and  happy  family,  only  two  now  remain — Capt- 
tain  Samuel  A.  Ashe  of  Raleigh,  and  !  Will  ie,l  his 

sister.  "Vvu^  SoA-aii.  Wa-LW^  Ck/Aj^ 

William  Swann  was  the  eldest  son  of  Samuel 
Swann  and  his  wife,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Governor 
William  Drummond.  This  Samuel  Swann  was 
the  first  of  the  name  in  North  Carolina. 

His  grandfather,  William,  had  been  Collector 
of  the  Royal  Customs  in  Virginia,  and  he  held 
the  same  office  at  Edenton. 

Samuel  was  Speaker  prior  to  17 1 5.  He  had 
nine  children  by  his  first  marriage  two  of  these, 
William  and  Thomas,  were  Speakers  of  the 
Lower  House.  He  was  born  May  11,  1653. 
He  married  a  second  time,  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Major  Alexander  Lillington,  and  the  widow  of 
Colonel  John  Sandal.  By  this  marriage  he  had 
Sarah,  the  wife  of  Frederrick  Jones, 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  Baptista  Ashe  ;  Samuel 
who  was  also  Speaker,  and  the  greatest  man  of 
the  name,  and  Major  John  Swann.  The  second 
Samuel,  born  October  31,  1704,  married  and  left 
three  children. 

Edward  Mosely  married  Anne  Lillington, 
aunt  of  Samuel  and  John  Swann,  who  was  the 
widow  of  Henderson  Walker. 

On  July  II,  1787  Samuel  Swann  fell  in  a  duel 
with  John  Bradley.  Moore's  History  Vol.  I., 
376. 

William  Hooper,  who  was  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  (born  1742 
— died  1790),  was  a  resident  of  Wilmington. 
He  was  a  native  of  Boston,   the  son  of  Rev. 


MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER   COUNTIES. 


307 


William  Hooper,  a  member  of  a  Congregational 
church  in  Boston.  He  was  liberally  educated, 
and  graduated  at  Cambridge  1760.  He  studied 
law,  under  James  Otis,  and  settled  about  1767 
in  Wimington,  to  practice  his  profession.  He 
soon  became  distinguished  for  eloquence,  and 
learning.  In  the  case  of  the  heirs  of  Governor 
Dobbs,  to  recover  a  landed  estate  of  Abner 
Nash  who  married  the  widow  of  Dobbs,  he  ex- 
hibited extraordinary  power.  In  1773  he  rep- 
resented the  town,  and  in  1774  the  county  in 
the  General  Assembly. 

From  1773  to  1777,  he  was  a  Member  of  the 
Continental  Congress,  and  during  this  period 
appended  his  name  to  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence of  July  4,  1776. 

On  his  return  to  private  life,  he  resided  at  his 
seat  at  Masonboro  Sound,  about  eight  miles  from 
Wilmington,  but  the  occupation  of  that  place 
by  Major  Craig,  compelled  him  to  seek  safety  in 
flight. 

After  the  evacuation  by  the  enemy  (in  No 
vember  1781)  he  returned  and  shortly  afterward 
removed  to  Hillsboro.  His  days  were  soured  by 
political  collisions,  and  the  disgust  he  felt  and 
expressed  for  some  measures  of  legislation.  He 
died  at  Hillsboro,  October,  1790,  leaving  a  widow 
{nee  Clark,  daughter  of  Thomas  Clark  of  Boston) 
two  sons  and  a  daughter.  One  of  his  sons, 
William,  was  the  father  of  the  late  Dr.  William 
Hooper,  Professor  of  Languages  in  the  Univer- 
sity, the  best  prose  writer  of  his  day  ;  also  of 
Thomas,  a  Lawyer,  and  of  James,  who  was  a 
merchant. 

An  article  in  a  Raleigh  Journal,  says  that 
"there  is  a  street  called  Bloodworth,  in  that 
capital,"  and  asks,  "who  was  Bloodworth  ;  for," 
it  adds,  "we  never  heard  of  this  distinguished 
man."  This  proves  the  evanescence  of  all  hu- 
man honors,  and  of  popularity,  and  the  impor- 
tance of  preserving  the  names  and  fame  of  those 
who  "have  done  the  State  some  service." 

It  is  but  little  that  we  could  gather,  but  that 
may  be  better  than  nothing. 


He  was  a  Member  from  New  Hanover,  in  1779, 
to  1794,  with  some  intermissions.  He  was  in 
the  Continental  Congress,  17S6,  and  of  the  First 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  1789  to  '91, 
and  a  Senator  in  Congress  from  1795  to  1801, 
and  afterwards  collector  of  customs  at  Wilming- 
ton.     He  died  August  14,  1814. 

When  the  question  as  to  locating  the  seat  of 
Government  for  the  State,  came  up  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and  the  contest  was  narrowed 
down  to  Fayetteville  or  Raleigh,  it  was  by  his 
vote  the  latter  was  selected ;  by  this  act  he  sac- 
rificed his  popularity. 

In  gratitude  to  him,  the  Commissioners,  who 
laid  out  the  city  of  Raleigh,  perpetuated  his 
name  by  calling  one  of  the  streets  after  him. 

He  was  not  highly  educated,  but  like  Judge 
Williams  was  a  devoted  patriot  and  of  much 
usefulness  in  the  State  Councils.  Few  men  of 
his  day  possessed  broader  views  or  a  stronger 
will.  He  was  intensely  radical,  almost  a  red 
Republican  in  his  views  and  as  intolerant  ofoppo- 
sition  as  was  General  Thomas  Person.  (Moore 
I.  246) 

Edward  Jones  (born  1763 — died  1842)  was 
brother  to  William  Todd  Jones,  the  Irish  patriot. 
Born  near  Belfast;  a  merchant;  settled  in  Wil- 
mington, but  failed  as  a  merchant.  He  then 
studied  law,  and  attained  high  distinction.  His 
commanding  talents,  his  genial  manners,  and 
benevolent  temper  rendered  him  a  universal  fa- 
vorite. He  was  elected  a  Member  of  the  As- 
sembly from  Wilmington,  in  1788,  and  by  re- 
peated elections  to  '91,  when  he  was  elected  So- 
licitor General  of  the  State.  In  this  capacity 
Mr.  Jones  displayed  great  learning  and  talents. 
In  prosecution  of  the  great  frauds  in  1796,  he 
completely  eclipsed  the  pretentious  Blake  Baker, 
then  the  Attorney  General.      (Moore  I.  13.) 

He  died  in  Pittsboro,  August  8,  1842.  He 
was  the  friend  and  patron  of  Johnson  Blakely, 
(born  October  1781 — lost  at  sea  18 14) ;  who  was 
the  son  of  an  Irish  emigrant;  born  at  Seaford  in  the 
County  Down,  Ireland,  in  October,  1781.     His 


3o8 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


father  came  to  Wilmington  with  his  wife  and 
two  small  children,  and  in  a  short  time  after  his 
arrival,  he  died.  Colonel  Jones  with  the  spon- 
taneous generosity  of  an  Irishman,  took  charge 
of  the  boy,  fed,  clothed  and  educated  him.  He 
was  sent  to  the  University.  He  felt  that  this 
charge  on  his  patron  was  not  proper,  and  his 
friends  procured  for  him,  February  5,  1800,  an 
appointment  as  Midshipman  in  the  United  States 
Navy.  He  sailed  under  Commodore  Preble  to 
the  Mediterranean  ;  for  his  activity,  assiduity, 
and  exemplary  conduct,  he  soon  was  promoted.  ' 
In  1 8 14,  he  sailed  from  Portsmouth,  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  command  of  "The  Wasp,"  for  the 
English  coast;  he  encountered,  on  July  28, 
18  [4,  the  sloop  of  war  "Reindeer."  An  action 
ensued  and  the  "Reindeer  "  was  captured.  Her 
Captain  and  First  Lieutenant  were  killed,  as  also 
many  of  the  crew.  This  won  for  Captain  Blakely 
the  applause  of  the  nation  and  the  thanks  of  the 
State. 

He  fell  in  with  the  "Avon,"  in  August  fol- 
lowing, which  ship,  after  a  severe  action,  sur- 
rendered to  Blakely. 

From  the  1st  to  15th  August,  Blakely  took 
fifteen  ships  from  the  English.  One  of  these, 
the  "Atlanta,"  he  placed  under  a  Prize  Master, 
and  sent  home  with  dispatches.  This  is  the  last 
authentic  intelligence  ever  received  from  Cap- 
tain Blakely. 

His  ship  may  have  been  sunk  in  a  sea  fight, 
or  foundered.  And  so  perished,  at  the  early 
age  of  thirty-three,  this  gallant  officer. 

He  married  (December  18 13)  Jane,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Hooper  of  New  York  ;  left  one  daugh- 
ter, Udney.  In  December,  18 16,  the  Legisla- 
ture adopted  her  as  "the  child  of  the  State," 
and  ordered  that  she  be  educated  and  maintained 
at  the  expen.se  of  North  Carolina. 

The  widow  of  Captain  Blakely  married  a  sec- 
ond time.  Dr.  Abbot  of  Santa  Cruz,  and 
removed  to  that  place,  taking  the  daughter  with 
her.  The  .daughter  married  in  1841,  when 
about   twenty-six    yeais    old  and    died  in  1842, 


without  issue.      (Uni.    Mag.,    February,    1850.) 

James  Innes  of  Wilmington.  Much  interest  is 
connected  with  this  name,  since  from  his  will,  duly 
proven  in  1759  before  Governor  Dobbs,  the 
"Innes  Academy"  had  its  origin.  In  April  of 
that  year,  the  Legislature  passed  an  act  incor- 
porating the  Academy  with  Samuel  Ashe,  A. 
McLain,  William  Hill,  and  others  as  Trustees. 
Before  the  Academy  building  was  completed  a 
theatrical  corps  had  been  organized  in  Wilming- 
ton, and  an  arrangement  was  made  between 
them  and  the  trustees,  that  the  lower  part  of 
the  building  should  be  fitted  up  and  used  ex- 
clusively as  a  Theatre.  This  arrangement  was 
carried  out,  by  a  perpetual  lease  made  to  the 
"Thalian  Association." 

The  name  of  Colonel  Innes  is  frequently  met 
in  the  accounts  of  the  State.  He  was  born  in 
Scotland;  and  lived  at  Point  Pleasant,  on  the 
North  East  Branch  of  the  Cape  Fear  River, 
about  seven  miles  from  Wilmington.  He  had 
been  an  officer  of  rank  in  the  British  Army,  and 
was  distinguished  in  the  expedition  against  Car- 
thagena,  in  South  America.  He  was  consid- 
ered a  man  of  mark  and  possessed  of  consider- 
able estate. 

When  Governor  Dinwiddle  of  Virginia,  ap- 
plied to  President  Rowan,  then  acting  Governor 
of  North  Carolina,  for  aid  to  check  the  French 
and  Indians  on  the  Ohio,  Colonel  Innes  marched 
at-the  head  of  the  North  Carolina  troops  to 
Winchester,  Virginia.  This  was  in-  1754. 
Washington  Irving,  in  "Life  of  Washington," 
gives  an  account  of  this  campaign,  and  states 
that  "the  North  Carolina  troops  rendered  no 
service." 

The  Legislature  of  North  Carolina  voted  sixty 
thousand  dollars  for  subsistence  of  the  forces 
under  Colonel  Innes,  but  this  was  soon  exhausted 
and  such  was  the  feeling  at  Williamsburg  that 
not  a  dollar  was  voted  to  retain  the  force  sent 
to  defend  them.  The  North  Carolina  troops  had 
to  return  to  prevent  starvation.  Col.  Innes 
was  appointed  Commander-in-Chiei  of  the  entire 


MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER  COUNTIES. 


309 


forces  by  Gov.  Dinwiddie,  of  Virginia,  and  re- 
tained this  position  until  the  arrival  of  Gov. 
Braddock  in  1755.  He  died  shortly  afterwards 
at  Winchester,  Virginia. 

We  further  discover  that  after  the  death  of 
Colonel  Innes,  his  widow,  Jean,  married  Fran- 
cis Corbyn,  Lord  Granville's  agent,  who  lived 
below  Edenton,  and  who  was  seized  in  1759,  by 
the  people,  taken  to  Enfield,  compelled  to  give 
bond  to  produce  his  books,  and  disgorge  his 
illegal   fees. 

Further  research  of  some  patient  investigator 
of  history  may  discern  more  of  the  life  and  ser- 
vices of  Colonel  Innes,  which,  as  he  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  Cape  Fear,  would  be  of 
great  interest. 

Genealogy  of  the  Davis  Family. 

Four  brothers,  Jehu,  John,  William,  and 
Roger  Davis  emigrated  from  South  Carolina,  to 
the  Cape  Fear  about  1723. 

I.  Jehu  Davis,  married  Miss  Assup,  an  Irish 
lady  and  had  issue — four  children :  (i)  Jehu  ;  (2) 
Thomas  ;   (3)  Ann,  and  another  daughter. 

(i)  Jehu  Davis  (son  of  Jehu  the  elder)  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Eagles  and  had  issue  two  daugh- 
ters: (a)  Jane,  and  (b)  Elizabeth. 

(a)  Jane  married  John  Pugh  Williams  and  had 
issue:  (i)  Rebecca,  who  married  Alfred  Moore 
(son  of  Judge  Alfred  Moore)  and  had  issue  : 
Susan,  who  married  Hugh  Waddell,  and  Eliza- 
beth who  married  Francis  N.  Waddell. 

(2)  Elizabeth  E.  who  married  John  Haywood 
(Treasurer  of  North  Carolina)  and  had  issue  : 
Fabius  J.,  Elizabeth  Rebecca,  Francis,  and  E. 
Burke. 

(3)  Mrs.  Hall,  who  had  issue,  Mildred  who 
married  Alfred  Waddell. 

(b)  Elizabeth  married  Maurice  Jones,  and  had 
issue:  (i)  Margaret^  who  married  Richard  Ea- 
gles, and  had  issue  :  Richard  W.  Eagles ;  Nancy, 
who  married  Jacob  Brewster ;  and  Margaret,  who 
married  John  Brewster  ;  (2)  Sarah  Jones,  who 
married  Dr.  Nath.  Hill,  (his  second  wife)  and 
had  issue:  Nath.  M.  Hill. 


(2)  Thomas  Davis  (son  of  Jehu  the  elder) 
married  Mary  Moore,  daughter  of  George 
Moore  (who  was  the  son  of  "Old  King  Roger 
Moore,"  the  "chief  gentleman  in  all  Cape 
Fear,"  and  grandson  of  the  first  Governor  James 
Moore  of  South  Carolina)  and  had  issue:  (i)  Jehu, 
(2)  George,  (3)  Rebecca,  (4)  Sophia,  (5)  Jane,  (6) 
Ann,  and  (7)  Thomas  F.    Davis. 

(i)  Jehu  married  Jane  Quince  and  had  issue  : 
Thomas  I.  Davis  (who  married  Mary  Elizabeth 
Watters.and  had  William  W.  and  Fred  S.  Davis, 
Mary  Quince,  Annie  W.  Miller,  Rebecca,  Jane, 
Sallie,  Kate,  and  Julia  Davis)  and  Mary  Davis 
who  married  John  Poisson  and  had  issue :  Jehu 
D.  and  Louis  J.  Poisson. 

(2)  George,  married  Mildred  Watters,  no 
issue. 

(3)  Rebecca  married    James    Moore  (son    of 
General  James  Moore)  and  had  issue  :  Junius  A. 
who  married  Eliza   Clitheral,  and  Sophia  mar- 
ried Samuel  Strudwick. 

(4)  Sophia  married  Thomas  Ashe  (son  of 
Governor  Samuel  Ashe)  and  had  issue:  Thomas 
Ashe,  Richard  Ashe,  and  Pascal  Paoli  Ashe 
(father  of  Hon.  Thomas  S.  Ashe,  Justice  Su- 
preme Court  of  North  Carolina  ;  Cincinnatus, 
Edmunds  and  others). 

(5)  Jane  married  Dr.  Nath.  Hill  (his  first  wife) 
and  had  issue  (i)  Mary,  who  married  John  A. 
Lillington,  and  had  John  A.,  Margaret  H., 
Mary  and  Sarah  Jane;  (2)  Jane,  who  married 
Parker  Quince ;  (3)  Sarah,  who  married  Lewis 
Toomer  ;  (4)  Margaret  married,  first,  Evan 
Jones;  second.  Dr.  Jas.  Henderson. 

(6)  Ann  Davis  married  Richard  Quince  and 
had  issue  :  Nancy,  died  unmarried. 

(7)  Thomas  F.  Davis  married,  first,  Sarah 
Isabella  Eagles,  and  had  issue:  (a)  Thomas  F. 
Davis  (Bishop  of  South  Carolina),  (b)  Junius 
Davis,  (c)  Eliza,  (d)  George  and  (e)  Joseph ; 
married,  second,  Anna  Cutlar  and  had  issue: 
Horatio  Davis. 

(a)  Thomas  F.  Davis  (Bishop  of  South  Caro- 
lina) married,  first,  Elizabeth  Fleming  and  had 


3IO 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


issue :  Thomas  F. ,  who  married  Mary  McCaa  ; 
married,  second,  Ann  Moore  and  had  issue:  (i) 
Ann  E.,  (2)  SalHe  married  John  S.  Porcher,  (3) 
James  M.  married  Miss  De  Saussure,  (4)  John, 
(5)  Bruce  married  Miss  Reynolds,  (6)  Junius 
married  Sallie  De  Saussure. 

(b)  Junius  married  Ann  Swann  and  had  issue  : 
George,  Josephine,  Annie. 

(c)  Eliza  married  Dr.  Louis  J.  Poisson  and 
had  issue:~(i)  Frederick  D.  who  married  Luc}' 
Anna  Cutlar,  (2)  Marianna  married  Du  Brutz 
Cutlar. 

(d)  George  Davis  (Senator  and  afterward  At- 
_y.  torney  General  C.  S.  A)  married,  first,  Mary  A. 
f^        Polk    (daughter   of  General   Thomas   G.  Polk) 

and  had^'issue  :  Junius,  Mary  E. ,  Emily  P.  mar- 
ried John  E.  Crow,  Louis  P.,  Isabel  E.  married 
S.  P.  Shotter,  Meeta  A.  married,  George 
Rountree ;  second,  Monimia  Fairfax,  and  had 
issue :  Mary  F.  and  Monimia  C. 

(3)  Ann  Davis  (daughter  of  Jehu  the  elder) 
married  Richard  Quince. 

II.  John  Davis  (brother  of  Jehu  the  elder) 
married  a  daughter  of  John  Moore  (son  of  James) 
and  had  issue:  Jessie,  who  married,  first.  Gov- 
ernor Dobbs,  and  second,  Governor  Abner 
Nash. 

III.  Roger  Davis  (brother  of  Jehu  the  elder) 
married  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Moore  (brother 
of  "Old  King  Roger"  Moore)  and  had  issue: 
John  (who  married  Harriet  Ashe),  William  and 
Roger. 

Bishop  Thomas  Frederick  Davis  (born  1804 — 
died  1871)  was  a  native  of  Wilmington  ;  he  was 
carefully  educated  and  graduated  at  the  Uni- 
versity in  1822,  in  same  class  with  Lucius  Polk, 
Gov.  A.  Rencher  and  others.  He  studied  law, 
and  practiced  for  a  time  with  success.  But  his 
tastes  and  feelings  led  him  to  advocate  higher 
and  more  important  interests  than  those  of  a 
worldly  chaiacter;  he  relinquished  the  bar  to 
take  Holy  orders.  He  was  most  acceptable  as 
a  teacher  of  religion,  and  his  public  utterances 
were  marked  with   sincere   piety  and   glowing 


eloquence.  He  was  chosen  Bishop  of  South 
Carolina  and  consecrated  in  1853,  in  New  York, 
and  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  adminis- 
tered to  his  loving  congregations  in  holy  things. 
Physical  infirmity  (the  loss  of  eyesight)  clouded 
the  later  days  of  his  life.  He  died  in  December 
1 87 1,  leaving  the  church,  his  country  and  his 
family,  to   mourn  his  loss. 

His  brother,  Hon.  George  Davis,  (born  March, 
1820)  now  resides  in  Wilmington,  His  early 
education  was  conducted  by  W.  H.  Harden  and 
completed  at  the  University,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  1838;  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  in  1841,  of  which  he  is  at  this  time, 
"  a  well  deserving  pillar,"  and  stands  in  the 
front  ranks  of  the  profession.  His  efforts  as  an 
Essayist  and  Lecturer,  have  been  most  success- 
ful. His  address  at  the  University  in  n835*  /^^ 
and  recently  "  An  Episode  on  Cape  Fear  His- 
tory," display  his  accuracy  as  a  historian,  and 
his  style  as  a  writer. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Peace  Congress  at 
Washington  in  1861,  to  devise  some  plan  by 
which  the  evils  of  civil  war  might  be  averted. 
With  such  able  coadjutors  as  Barringer,  More- 
head,  Reed  and  Ruffin,  Mr.  Davis  might  well 
have  hoped  for  an  honorable  peace.  But  all 
was  in  vain  and  his  counsel  was  unheeded. 

He  was  elected  a  Senator  from  North  Caro- 
lina, in  1862,  to  the  Confederate  Congress;  in 
1S64,  was  succeeded  by  Hon  William  A.  Gra- 
ham. He  was  then  appointed  Attorney  Gen- 
eral of  the  Confederate  States,  which  he  held 
until  the  war  closed.  Since  that  time,  he  has 
devoted  himself  to  his  profession,  with  an  assi- 
duity that  nothing  can  divert. 

Mr.  Davis  has  been  twice  married ;  first,  to 
Mary,  the  daughter  of  the  late  General  Thomas 
G.  Polk,  and  secondly  to  Miss  Fairfax,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Orlando  Fairfax  of  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia. 

Hugh    Waddell    (born    1799 — "^'^"^  'S?^;  re- 

"■"SouUi  Atlantic.  —  Mis.  Ciceio    W.  Hauls,   January  1879 
—245. 


MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER  COUNTIES. 


311 


sided  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  Wilmington ; 
he  was  born  at  Newiield,  his  father's  plantation 
in  Bladen  county,  on  March  21,  1799.  He  was 
the  grandson  of  General  Hugh  Waddell,  of  the 
Regulation  War,  as  also  of  General  Francis 
Nash,  who  fell  in  battle,  at  Germantown,  Octo- 
ber 4,  1777. 

Our  annals  do  not  present  any  name  of  a 
more  illustrious  ancestry.  His  father,  John 
Waddell  who  married  Miss  Nash,  spared  no 
pains  to  prepare  his  promising  son  for  the  great 
battle  of  life.  He  graduated  at  the  University, 
(1818)  in  the  same  class  with  James  K.  Polk, 
Bishop  Greene  of  Mississippi,  Dr.  R.  H.  Mor- 
rison, General  Thomas  J.  Green,  Hamilton  C. 
Jones,  and  others.  He,  forawhile,  studied  medi- 
cine but  abandoned  it  for  the  law,  of  which  pro- 
fession he  became  a  distinguished  member. 

He  settled  in  Hillsboro,  and  there  spent  a 
long  and  laborious  life.  He  went,  after  the  war, 
to  Wilmington  and  there  remained  with  his  son, 
Hon.  A.  M.  Waddell,  until  his  death. 

He  was  fond  of  public  life  and  was  a  favorite 
with  the  people.  He  represented  Orange  county 
in  1828  in  the  Commons,  and  in  1844,  and  '46 
in  the  Senate,  of  which  he  was,  in  1836-37  the 
Speaker.  He  was  a  gifted  debater,  a  warm  par- 
tisan (for  he  lived  in  party  times)  ;  and  very 
decided  in  his  views.  In  private  life  he  was 
genial,  generous  and  gentle. 

He  died  at  Wilmington  on  Saturday,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1878.  He  was  the  third  of  five  brothers 
of  whom  three  survived  him :  Maurice  Q.  Wad- 
dell of  Chatham  county  ;  Francis  N.  Waddell  of 
Orange,    and  Alfred  M.  Waddell  of  Louisiana. 

His  sons  are  Dr.  Douglas  Waddell  of  Chat- 
ham ;  Hon.  Alfred  M.  Waddell;  Hugh  Waddell 
now  of  Washington,  and  Cameron  Waddell  of 
Marion,  South  Carolina. 

Alfred  M.  Waddell,  son  of  Hugh  Waddell,  of 
whom  we  have  just  given  a  brief  sketch,  was 
born  in  Hillsboro,  September  16,  1834.  His 
education  was  conducted  at  Bingham's  school, 
the  Caldwell   Institute  at  Hillsboro,  and  at  the 


University,  where  he  graduated  in  1853.  He 
studied  Law;  was  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Equity 
for  New  Hanover  county  ;  delegate  in  i860  to 
the  National  Convention  which  nominated  John 
Bell  for  President,  and  Edward  Everett  for  Vice 
President  of  the  United  States  ;  Editor  of  the 
Wilmington  "Daily  Ha  aid"  for  one  year, 
i860  ;  served  in  the  Confederate  Army  as  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  of  Cavalry ;  elected  to  Congress, 
(42nd,  '43rd,  44th)  1871-79,  and  served 
as  Chairman,  in  the  latter  Congress,  of  the 
Committee  on  Post  Offices  and  Post  Roads, 
the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  singular 
ability,  and  unspotted  integrity.  He  was  a 
candidatefor  the  46th  Congress,  but  from  over- 
confidence  on  the  part  of  his  friends  in  his  suc- 
cess, and  unusual  zeal  on  the  part  of  the  oppo- 
sition, he  was  defeated  by  Daniel  L.  Russell. 

Colonel  Waddell,  however,  possesses  quali- 
ties that  well  fit  him  for  public  stations  ;  scrupu- 
lous integrity,  high  qualifications  and  laborious 
habits,  combined  with  an  amiable  disposition 
and  an  accommodating  temper.  He  has  been 
twice  married  and  has  an  interesting  family. 

Owen  Holmes  (born  1796 — died  1841)  was 
distinguished  as  a  lawyer  and  statesman ;  he  was 
Elector  for  President  in  1826  and  voted  for  Van 
Buren.  He  was  elected  one  of  the  Judges  of 
the  Superior  Courts  in  1836,  by  the  Legislature, 
which  elevated  position  he  declined  to  accept. 
He  died  at  Wilmington,  June  1841,  of  appo- 
plexy. 

John  Cowan  was  the  eldest  son  of  Colonel 
Thomas  Cowan,  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Wil- 
mington. He  began  life  as  a  merchant,  but  soon 
abandoned  this  to  accept  the  position  of  Cashier 
of  the  Wilmington  Branch  of  the  State  Bank, 
which  position  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
being  then  but  thirty-five.  He  was  much  es- 
teemed for  his  amiable  qualities,  his  courtly  man- 
ners, and  his  admirable  business  talents. 

Edward  B.  Dudley  long  resided  in  Wilming- 
ton, but  he  was  a  native  of  Onslow  county, 
where  his  father  was  a  wealthy  planter.      In  .spite 


312 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


of  the  defects  of  his  early  education,  by  his  en- 
terprise and  force  of  character,  he  arose  to  high 
distinction.  He  entered  public  life  as  a  Member 
of  Legislature  from  his  native  county,  Onslow, 
in  1811-13;  he  then  moved  to  Wilmington, 
and  was  elected  from  the  town  in  18 16-17  and 
again  in  1834.  He  was  the  last  representative 
from  this  ancient  town,  for  the  Convention  of 
1835  abolished  the  borough  representations. 

His  course  was  distinguished  in  the  public 
coucils  as  one  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  inter- 
nal improvement  of  the  State  ;  he  was  liberal  and 
patriotic;  he  subscribed  ;g25,ooo  to  construct  the 
Wilmington  and  Weldon  Railroad,  and  became 
its  first  President. 

In  1829,  he  was  elected  a  Member  of  the 
twenty-first  Congress  ;  after  one  Congress  he  de- 
clined a  re-election,  for  the  reason,  as  he  stated 
himself,  that  Congress  was  no  place  for  an  honest 
man. 

The  amended  constitution  of  1835,  gave  the 
election  of  the  Governor,  to  the  vote  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  and  without  any  action  or  solicitation  on 
his  part,  he  was  nominated  and  elected  the  first 
Governor  of  North  Carolina  elected  by  the  peo- 
ple. At  the  expiration  of  the  second  term. 
Governor  Dudley  retired  from  public  life,  and 
returned  to  his  home  in  Wilmington,  where  he 
died,  October  30,  1855. 

Governor  Dudley  was  in  person  of  the  first 
type  of  our  race ;  of  large,  commanding  presence ; 
of  genial  manners  and  pleasant  address.  He 
was  a  statesman  of  enlarged  and  liberal  views,  of 
generous  impulses,  and  of  unspotted  integrity ; 
true  to  party  and  friends,  in  which  his  zeal 
at  times  carried  him  beyond  the  bounds  of  pru- 
dence ;  his  speeches  and  addresses  evince  no 
superior  ability,  but  are  marked  by  good  sense 
and  patriotism  ;  his  ample  fortune  enabled  him 
to  give  expression  to  the  generosity  of  his  na- 
ture— he  was  a  charitable  and  obliging  neighbor ; 
a  devoted  husband,  an  indulgent  father,  and  a 
sincere  friend. 

He  married   Elizabeth,  the  daughter  of  Wil- 


liam H.  Haywood,  of  Raleigh ;  the  sister  of 
William  H.  Haywood,  Jr.,  Senator  in  Congress 
(1843-46)  and  sister  of  the  wife  of  Governor 
Charles  Manly,  by  whom  he  had  several  children, 
among  them : 

I.    Christopher. 
II.    Eliza,  married  Purnell. 

III.  William  H.,  married  Baker. 

IV.  Margaret,  married  Mcllhenny. 
V.   Jane,  married  Johnson. 

Rev.  Adam  Empie,  who  lived  and  died  in 
Wilmington,  was  Rector  of  the  Parish  of  St. 
James,  for  a  long  time  discharging  his  sacred 
duty  with  great  fidelity.  He  married  a  daughter 
of  Judge  Wright. 

On  his  election  to  the  Presidency  of  William 
and  Mary  College  in  Virginia,  in  1827,  he  re- 
moved to  Williamsburg  with  his  family ;  he 
resigned  this  position  in  1835,  and  accepted  the 
Rectorship  of  St.  James  Church  in  Richmond, 
which  had  been  built  expressly  for  him,  and 
named  in  compliment  of  his  old  parish  in  Wil- 
mington, and  here  he  officiated,  until  increasing 
years  and  declining  health  compelled  his  resigna- 
tion. He  then  returned  to  the  scene  of  his  early 
labors  to  die  among  the  people  with  whom  he 
had  passed  so  many  years,  having  finished  his 
course  on  earth  he  calmly  passed  away  ;  leaving 
behind  him  a  record  of  a  well  spent  life. 

Rt.  Rev.  William  M,  Green  resided  for  a  long 
time  in  Wilmington. 

"The  venerable  Bishop  of  Mississippi  is  still 
living  ;  distinguished  for  his  wisdom,  the  kindness 
of  his  nature,  the  earnestness  of  his  piety,  and 
the  almost  saintly  purity  of  his  life.  The  soldier 
of  the  Cross  from  early  manhood,  he  has  ever 
walked  in  an  atmosphere  of  love  ;  lavishing  upon 
all  around  him  the  bounties  of  his  goodness,  and 
the  warmth  of  his  affections.  Holding  the  most 
exalted  position  in  the  Church,  he  is  always  the 
devoted,  unaffected,  humble  man  of  God — so 
gentle,  yet  so  wise ;  so  loving,  yet  so  firm ;  so 
modest,  yet  so  influential,  long  may  he  be  spared 
to  the  people  of  his  diocese,  his  hosts  of  friends, 


MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER   COUNTIES. 


313 


and  to  the  church    of  which  he  is  an  honored 
ruler. 

"He  graduated  at  the  University  in  18 18,  and 
for   a  time  was  a  professor  in  the    Institution." 

North  CaroHna  was  early  the  scene  of  evan- 
gelization on  the  part  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 
As  early  as  August  13,  1587,  at  Raleigh's 
Colony,  on  Roanoke  Island,  the  chieftain,  Man- 
teo,  was  admitted  into  the  "fellowship  of 
Christ's  flock  "  by  holy  baptism,  (Ander- 
son's Colonial  Church,  I.,  75,)  and  five  days 
after  that  event  Hakluyt  (III.  341)  gravely  in- 
forms us  that  "Eleanor,  daughter  of  the  Gov- 
ernor, and  wife  of  Ananias  Dare,  one  of  the 
assistants,  was  delivered  of  a  daughter  in  Roan- 
oke and  the  same  was  christened  the  Sunday 
following,  and  because  this  child  was  the  first 
Christian  borne  in  Virginia  she  was  named  Vir- 
ginia Dare."  And  so  around  Roanoke  Island  as 
a  nucleus  is  formed  the  County  of  Dare,  and  its 
county  seat  is  named  Manteo .  Although  this 
settlement  so  soon  passed  away  and  the  success, 
ful  colonization  of  this  portion  of  the  State  was 
left  for  other  days  and  less  pious  hands,  still  the 
churches,  as  the  minutes  of  the  General  Con. 
vention  show,  attained  no  little  strength  in 
North  Carolina  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war. 
After  the  Revolutionary  war  the  affairs  of  the 
church  were  naturally  at  their  lowest  ebb. 

fVom  1817  to  1823  Bishop  Richard  Channing 
Moore,  of  Virginia,  was  in  charge  of  the  Epis- 
copal churches  of  North  Carolina;  until  at  a 
convention  in  1794,  held  at  Tarboro,  the  Rev- 
erend Charles  Pettigrew  was  elected  Bishop, 
(see  the  sketch  of  this  prelate_  under  head  of 
Tyrrell  County,)  and  the  convention  applied  for 
his  consecration.  Bishop  White  in  his  memoirs 
(p.  172)  states  that  Mr.  Pettigrew  set  off  to  at- 
tend the  Convention,  but  was  unable  to  reach 
Philadelphia  in  time,  abandoned  his  efforts  and 
soon  afterward  died.  From  1794  to  18 17  all 
was  dreary;  then  the  coming  of  Reverend  Adam 
Empie  and  Reverend  Bethel  Judd,  the  one  at 
Wilmington  and  the  other  at  Fayetteville,  laid 


the  foundation  of  the  restoration  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church  in  North  Carolina.  In  May  22, 
1823,  John  Stark  Ravenscroft,  D.  D.,  (see  his 
sketch  under  head  of  Wake  County,)  was  conse- 
crated Bishop  of  the  diocese;  he  died  in  1830. 
On  September  23,  1831,  Levi  Silliman  Ives, 
D.  D.,  was  consecrated,  (see  his  sketch  under 
head  of  Wake  County,)  but  on  his  defection 
was  deposed  October  ir,  1853,  when  the  Right 
Reverend  Thomas  Atkinson,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
assumed  the  Episcopal  chair  to  which  he  was 
consecrated  October  17,  1853. 

RIGHT  REVERNED  THOMAS  ATKINSON,   D.  D. ,  LL.   D. 

There  have  been  more  brilliant  men  in  public 
service — men  of  more  marked  characteristics 
who  have  stamped  their  individuality  upon  the 
age  in  which  they  lived,  and  men  of  more  extra- 
ordinary genius,  but  it  is  seldom  that  a  character 
is  found  so  complete,  so  harmonious,  so  evenly 
balanced  and  so  thoroughly  rounded  in  all  of  its 
proportions,  so  symmetrical  and  beautiful  in  the 
essentials  of  a  godlike  man  as  that  of  the  late 
venerated  Bishop  of  North  Carolina,  Thomas 
Atkinson,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

The  influence  for  good  of  such  a  character 
and  of  such  a  life  as  his  cannot  be  over-esti- 
mated. As  the  refreshing  dew  falls  alike  upon 
the  delicate  plant  and  the  coarser  fibre  of  the 
weed,  causing  each  to  bloom  and  blossom,  so 
does  such  a  life  shed  its  influences  around.  The 
mere  man  of  the  world,  and  even  the  thought- 
less and  the  dissolute  could  not  but  feel  their 
better  nature  stirred  within  them  by  the  force  of 
such  an  example  and  the  beauty  of  such  a  life. 
We  cannot  contemplate  too  frequently  such  a 
character,  and  we  should  be  thankful  that  there 
is  virtue  enough  still  left  among  men  to  enable 
them  to  recognize  the  embodiment  of  so  much 
goodness  in  human  nature.  Though  dead,  he 
yet  speaks  to  us  by  his  example — an  example 
of  such  holiness  of  life  that  it  should  excite  us 
who  still  survive,  to  strive  earnestly  to  imitate  it. 

It  has  been  thought  that  a  brief  sketch  of  this 
distinguished  divine  could  not  fail  to  be  of  inter 


314 


WHEELER'S   REMINISCENCES. 


est,  and  not  inappropriate  to  the  Reminiscences. 
The  grandfather  of  Bishop  Atkinson  was  the 
son  of  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England. 
He  was  himself  born,  baptized  and  brought  up 
in  the  church,  and  never  belonged  to  any  other 
religious    body.      He   came    to    this   country  in 

■  early  youth,  and  after  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Pleasants,  of  Curls  Neck,  on  the  James  River, 
Va. ,  settled  near  Petersburg,  in  Dinwiddle 
County,  on  a  farm  known  as  Mansfield,  named 
after  the  great  English  jurist.  Lord  Mansfield. 
The  Bishop's  parents  were  Robert  and  Mary 
Tabb  Atkinson,  who  inherited  the  family  seat 
Mansfield,  and  to  them  eleven  children  were 
born.  Thomas,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being 
the  sixth  in  order,  was  born  on  August  6,  1807. 
Upon  reaching  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  sent  to 
Yale  College,  but  remained  there  not  quite  a 
year,  owing  to  a  difficulty  in  which  he  became 
involved  with  the  faculty  and  which  was  strik- 
ingly illustrative  of  his  character  even  at  that 
early  age. 

Some  of  his  college  companions,  in  the  exu- 
berance of  youth  and  without  the  least  malice 
aforethought,  indulged  on  one  occasion  a  little 
too  freely  in  the  juice  of  the  grape,  and  became 
boisterously  mischievous,  not  maliciously  so, 
but  recklessly  as  boys  frequently  are  even  in  the 
absence  of  any  stimulant.  Young  Atkinson  was 
not  one  of  the  rioters  nor  was  he  connected  in 
anyway  with  the  frolic,  but  knew  all  the  parties 
who  were  engaged  in  it.  He  was  summoned 
before  the  faculty  and  called  upon  to  disclose 
their    names.     This  he    respectfully  but  firmly 

-refused  to  do,  stating  that  he  was  incapable  of 
acting  the  part  of  a  spy  or  informer.-  He  was 
then  told  that  his  refusal  would  result  in  his  ex- 
pulsion from  college.  They  little  understood 
the  character  of  the  youth  who  stood  before 
them  when  they  supposed  that  a  threat,  or  a 
fear  of  punishment  would  cause  him  to  do  that 
which  his  high-toned  sense  of  honor  forbade, 
and  he  was  consequently  dismissed  and  returned 
to   his   home.        His    conduct   in    that  matter 


met  the  entire  approval  of  his  parents,  and 
but  a  few  years  before  his  death  it  happened 
that  on  one  occasion,  in  the  freedom  of  social 
intercourse  while  narrating  some  incidents  of  his 
early  life  he  referred  to  that  episode,  quietly  re- 
marking in  connection  with  it  that  he  had  never 
felt  any  regret  for  the  course  he  pursued. 

In  1825  he  entered  Hampden-Sidney  College, 
Va.,  joining  the  junior  class,  and  graduated  at 
nineteen  years  of  age  with  distinction  in  a  class 
that  numbered  among  its  members  the  eloquent 
John  S.  Preston  and  Wm.  Ballard  Preston,  the 
latter  Secretary  of  the  Navy  during  the  admin- 
istration of  General  Taylor.  He  married  in 
182S  Josepha  G.,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Jane 
Wilder,  of  Petersburg,  and  she  and  his  immedi- 
ate family,  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  still  survive 
him. 

About  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  was  licensed 
to  the  bar  and  practiced  his  profession  with 
great  success,  and  would,  without  doubt,  have 
-risen  to  distinction  as  a  jurist,  had  it  not  pleased 
God  to  call  him  to  a  different  sphere  of  action. 
November  18,  1836,  he  was  admitted  into  the 
order  of  Deacons  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  by  the  Right  Reverend  William  Meade, 
Bishop  of  Virginia.  He  entered  immediately 
upon  the  duties  of  his  sacred  office  in  the  city  of 
Norfolk,  first  as  assistant  to  Rev.  Dr.  Parks,  then 
minister  of  Christ  Church.  Within  a  year  after 
his  ordination  to  the  Deaconate  he  was  elevated 
to  the  Priesthood  by  the  Right  Rev.  R.  Channing 
Moore,  D.  D.,  and  accepted  a  call  to  St.  Paul's 
Church,  Norfolk,  May  7,  1837,  where  he  re- 
mained about  twelve  months.  He  then  removed 
to  Lynchburg  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
1838.  Here  he  labored  with  great  acceptability 
as  rector  of  the  parish  of  St.  Paul's  until  1843, 
when  he  was  called  to  Baltimore  to  succeed  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Henshaw,  in  the  rectorship  of  St. 
Peter's  Church  in  that  city,  Dr.  Henshaw  having 
been  elected  Bishop  of  Rhode  Island. 

His  abilities  were  at  once  recognized,  and  such 
was  the  regard   felt   for  him  that  Grace  Church 


MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER  COUNTIES. 


315 


was  built  for  him  and  he  was  made  its  rector 
in  1852.  His  connection  with  that  parish  was  of 
short  duration,  however,  for  in  1853  the  Diocese 
of  North  CaroHna  called  upon  him  to  be  its 
Bishop.  He  accepted  the  call  October  17th,  and 
was  consecrated  the  same  year  in  St.  John's 
Chapel,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  at  the  same 
time  with  the  Rev.  Thomas  F.  Davis,  D.  D., 
a  native  of  Wilmington,  N.  C,  who  had  been 
elected  Bishop  of  South  Carolina.  Bishop 
Brownell,  of  Connecticut,  presiding,  assisted  by 
Bishops  Mcllvaine,  of  Ohio;  Doane,  of  New 
Jersey;  McCoskry,  of  Michigan,  and  Otey,  of 
Tennessee.  On  that  occasion  the  lines  of  En- 
glish and  American  succession  were  reunited, 
Bishop  Spencer,  of  Madras,  and  Bishop  Med- 
ley, of  Fredericton,  taking  part  in  the  act  of 
consecration.  After  his  consecration  he  resided 
in  Raleigh  for  a  short  time  and  then  took  up  his 
abode  in  Wilmington,  which  city  continued  to 
be  his  home  until  his  death  on  January  4,  1881. 
He  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 
from  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  1846,  and  that 
LL  D.  from  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
1862,  and  also  from  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, England,  1867. 

Bishop  Atkinson  assumed  charge  of  the  Dio- 
cese of  North  Carolina  at  a  very  trying  time  in 
its  history.  Bishop  Ives,  the  successor  of  the 
great  Ravenscroft,  had  abandoned  his  charge 
and  had  joined  the  Roman  Catholic  commun- 
ion. There  was  great  anxiety  throughout  the 
Diocese  as  to  the  effect  upon  the  Church  in  North 
Carolina  of  the  defection  of  their  chief  pastor 
and  it  was  feared  that  he  who  should  be  called 
to  that  high  office  would  meet  with  more  than 
ordinary  difficulty  in  calming  the  troubled  waters 
and  bringing  order  out  of  chaos.  It  required 
administrative  ability  of  a  high  order,  firmness 
without  obstinacy,  self  reliance  and  fearlessness 
in  the  discharge  of  duty,  a  personal  magnetism 
and  a  character  unimpeached  and  unimpeacha- 
ble. Dr.  Atkinson  upon  whom  the  choice  fell 
was  personally  known  to  but  few  in  the  Diocese. 


The  hand  of  God  was  evident  in  the  selection, 
for  under  his  wise  administration,  dissensions 
ceased,  confidence  was  restored  and  the  Diocese 
remained  true  to  the  teachings  of  the  uncom- 
promising Ravenscroft  and  to  the  "faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints." 

Bishop  Atkinson  was  a  singularly  prospered 
man  in  every  way,  a  fact  brought  prominently 
forward  by  Bishop  Lay  of  Easton,  in  his  admi- 
rable memorial  sermon  before  the  Diocesan  con- 
vention at  Raleigh  in  May  1881,  a  discourse 
from  which  most  has  been  drawn  in  the  prepra- 
tion  of  this  article.  Said  he,  "I  would  set  in 
the  forefront  of  this  discourse  the  expression  of 
our  devout  gratitude  to  Almighty  God  for  the 
tenderness  of  his  life  long  dealings  with  Thomas 
Atkinson,  late  Bishop  of  North  Carolina.  Few 
lives  have  ever  been  so  even  and  prosperous,  so 
laden  with  substantial  blessings,  so  shielded  from 
calamnity. "  Though  never  a  wealthy  man,  the 
Bishop  had  enough  for  the  gratification  of  his 
tastes,  enough  to  enable  him  to  practice  a  Hber- 
al  hospitahty  and  to  avoid  debt  which  he  would 
never  incur,  for  he  would  not  owe  any  man  any- 
thing but  love ;  enough  to  aid  a  friend  and  to 
assist  the  needy,  and  hie  charity  was  large.  In 
his  domestic  relations  he  was  peculiarly  blest. 
He  had  fifty  three  years  of  wedded  happiness 
and  children  were  born  unto  him  and  yet,  dur- 
ing all  that  time  there  was  never  a  death  in  his 
immediate  family.  Surely  God  blessed  Thomas 
Atkinson. 

In  his  personal  endowments  also  he  was 
greatly  favored.  It  is  told  of  the  late  Bishop 
Elliott  of  Georgia,  who  was  one  of  nature's  no- 
blemen in  every  way,  that  once  at  a  country  tav- 
ern where  he  had  stopped  for  the  night,  a  poor 
inebriate  was  recklessly  bantering  the  bystanders 
when  his  attention  was  arrested  by  the  appear- 
ance of  the  stately  Bishop.  Awed  and  sobered 
for  the  moment  by  his  commanding  look  and 
towering  form  he  turned  to  him  and  exclaimed 
"who  are  you;  are  you  a  Judge,  a  member  of 
Congress  or  Governor  of  the  State?     Well,  if 


3i6 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


you  aint  any  of  these  you  ought  to  be."  Very 
similar  to  the  feehng  expressed  by  that  poor 
creature  towards  Bishop  Elliott,  was  that  felt  in 
the  presence  of  Bishop  Atkinson.  He  was  em- 
inently dignified  and  commanding,  yet  cour- 
teous and  affable  in  manner,  with  a  sensitive  de- 
ference for  the  opinions  and  feelings  of  others, 
yet  with  a  full  and  steady  reliance  upon  himself 
He  would  attract  attention  in  any  assembly  and 
would  be  at  once  recognized  as  a  leader  of  men. 
As  he  passed  along  the  crowded  thoroughfares, 
men  would  involuntarily  turn  to  gaze  upon  so 
noble  a  specimen  of  manly  dignity.  He  was 
intensely  intellectual  yet  keenly  alive  to  all  the 
kindly  impulses  and  more  gentle  virtues  of  our 
nature,  a  truly  great  man  and  remarkable  in 
this,  that  in  whatever  circle  he  moved  whether 
in  the  church,  in  society,  or  in  the  ordinary  du- 
ties of  life  he  exercised  a  mighty  influence  for 
good.  His  example  was  the  reflex  of  the  pre- 
cepts he  inculcated.  He  was  a  devout  lover  of 
the  truth  for  the  truth's  sake,  had  no  conceal- 
ments but  was  open  as  the  day,  was  true  to  his 
convictions,  to  his  friends  and  kinsfolk,  and 
above  all,  to  his  God.  While  gentle  unto  all 
men,  he  was  never  pliant;  ruling  his  Diocese 
with  firmness,  yet  with  mildness,  and  temper- 
ing justice  with  the  benign  influences  of  mercy; 
though  a  leader  of  the  hosts  of  God,  yet  child- 
like in  submission  to  the  will  of  his  heavenly 
Father;  kindly  in  his  nature,  warm  in  his  affec- 
tions, active  in  good  works. 

His  mind  was  more  massive  than  brilliant  or 
imaginative  and  its  operations  were  marked  with 
a  degree  of  intellectual  energy  which  ever  com- 
manded attention.  As  a  pulpit  orator  he  was 
distinguished  for  keen  powers  of  analysis,  sound 
logic  and  effective  reasoning.  His  style  was 
chaste,  not  florid,  and  more  conversational  than 
declamotory,  not  disdaining  ornament  but  using 
it  simply  by  way  of  illustration,  and  yet  his  ora- 
tory was  often  fervid.  But  his  great  power  lay 
in  the  faculty  he  possessed  of  impressing  all  who 
heard  him,    with  his  sincereity,    no  one    could 


doubt  it,  and  this  had  an  overpowering  influence 
upon  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He 
was  strong  in  debate,  a  close  reasoner  and  if  the 
premises  he  laid  down  were  admittted,  there 
was  no  escape  from  his  conclusions.  He  had 
naturally,  a  clear  insight  into  character,  was  a 
searching  preacher  and  could  track  sin  through 
all  its  hidden  ways  with  unerring  skill  and  so 
God  blessed  his  work  and  the  labor  of  his 
hands. 

In  the  House  of  Bishops  his  influence  was 
very  great  and  we  have  been  told  that  he  never 
rose  to  speak  without  commanding  the  atten- 
tion of  the  members.  This  influence  was  shown 
in  a  marked  manner  in  the  General  Convention 
of  the  Church  held  at  Philadelphia  in  1865,  im- 
mediately after  the  close  of  the  war.  Bishops 
Atkinson  and  Lay  thinking  that  no  time  should 
be  lost  after  the  fall  of  the  Confederacy  in  seek- 
ing a  resumption  of  our  organic  relations  with 
the  portion  of  the  church  from  which  we  had 
been  separated,  attended  that  convention  not 
knowing  how  they  would  be  received.  We 
again  quote  from  the  memorial  sermon,  already 
referred  to ;  says  Bishop  Lay : 

"We  came  into  a  community  exultant  with 
victory  and  enthusiastic  in  loyalty,  disposed  to 
take  for  granted  that  to  return,  was  to  ask 
forgiveness.  To  the  tact,  the  gentleness,  the 
manly  out-spokenness  of  Bishop  Atkinson  the 
Church  is  indebted  for  the  favorable  result  of 
this  venture.  After  considerable  discussion,  the 
matter  was  referred  to  a  committee  consisting 
of  the  five  senior  Bishops.  After  two  days  this 
committee  reported  a  preamble  and  resolutions. 
In  these  we  could  not  possibly  concur.  All 
eyes  were  upon  Bishop  Atkinson  as  he  answer- 
ed the  appeal  made  to  him.  He  knew  that  he 
had  that  to  say  which  must  needs  be  distastful 
to  men  full  of  exultation  at  the  Southern  down- 
fall. With  no  diffidence  and  with  no  temper, 
rather  with  the  frankness  of  a  child  uttering  his 
thoughts,  he  opened  all  his  mind.  We  are  asked, 
said  he,  to  unite  with  you  in  returning  thanks 


MOORE  AND  NEW  HANOVER  COUNTIES. 


317 


for  the  restoration  of  peace  and  unity.  The  for- 
mer we  can  say,  the  latter  we  cannot  say.  We 
are  thankful  for  the  restoration  of  peace,  but  we 
are  7tot  thankful  for  the  unity  described  in  the 
resolution,  re-establishing  the  atitliority  of  the  Nat- 
tional  GoveTiiinent  over  all  the  land.  We  acqui- 
esce in  that  result,  we  will  accommodate  our- 
selves to  it  and  will  do  our  duty  as  citizens  of  the 
common  government,  but  we  cannot  say  that  we 
are  thankful.  We  labored  and  prayed  for  a  very 
different  termination,  and  if  it  had  seemed  good 
to  our  Heavenly  Father  would  have  been  very 
thankful  for  the  war  to  result  otherwise  than  it 
has  resulted.  I  am  willing  to  say  that  I  am 
thankful  for  the  restoration  oi  peace  to  the  coun- 
try, and  iinity  to  the  Church.  His  language 
'in  consideration  of  the  return  of  peace  to  the 
country  and  unity  to  the  Church,'  was  adopted 
by  a  vote  of  sixteen  to  seven,  the  Southern' 
Bishops  being  excused  from  voting.  Thus  by 
his  promptitude,  by  the  frankness  with  which 
he  met  the  immediate  issues,  by  his  calm  de- 
termination to  allow  no  censure  to  be  cast  upon 
those  with  whom  he  had  been  associated,  he  se- 
cured a  speedy  adjustment  of  all  possible  differ- 
ences and  promoted  no  little  the  spirit  of  tolera- 
tion and  kindness." 

The  Diocesan  Convention  of  North  Carolina, 
which  was  appointed  to  be  held  at  Raleigh  on 
the  second  Wednesday  in  May,  1865,  did  not 
assemble  in  that  city  until  the  13th  of  Septem- 
ber, having  been  postponed  by  the  Bishop  until 
that  time. 

Every  delegate  to  that  Convention,  will  remem- 
ber that  period  of  doubt  and  anxiety  when  the 
proposition  to  renew  friendly  relations  with 
the  Northern  portion  of  the  Church  was  sub- 
mitted. Some  were  strongly  averse  to  taking 
any  action  in  the  matter  and  were  opposed  to 
the  Bishop's  attending  the  Convention  at  Phila- 
delphia. We  were  a  conquered  people,  at  the 
mercy  of  an  exultant  and  arrogant  foe,  and  the 
indignities  which  had  been  heaped  upon  us  in 
matters  political  warranted  the   assumption  that 


they  would  be  continued  even  in  our  spiritual 
affairs.  We  were  soured  by  defeat  and  its  ruin- 
ous results  and  were  in  no  mood  to  court  the 
favor  of  those  whose  shouts  of  triumph  were 
still  sounding  in  our  ears.  Besides,  we  feared 
that  the  amiability  of  the  Bishop's  nature,  his 
conservative  temperament,  the  strong  ties  of 
affection  existing  between  himself  and  his  asso- 
ciates in  the  Episcopate  and  his  anxiety  to  renew 
fraternal  relations  with  Northern  brethren  might 
exercise  a  controlling  influence  over  him  at  the 
sacrifice  of  his  better  judgment.  The  result 
showed  that  we  had  been  unjust  in  thought  to- 
wards our  Northern  brethren,  and  also  how 
greatly  we  had  underestimated  the  grandeur  of 
our  Bishop's  character.  His  bearing  was  worthy 
of  himself  and  of  the  high  position  he  held  as 
the  peer  of  those  in  whose  presence  he  stood. 
Rather  than  have  surrendered  a  principle  or  com- 
promised his  self  respect  he  would  have  gone  to 
the  stake  without  hesitation. 

Bishop  Atkinson  was  a  man  of  large  brain, 
a  just  man,  fair  minded  and  liberal,  a  lover  of 
books  and  a  thinker,  and  notwithstanding  the 
cares  and  responsibilities  of  his  office  found 
time  to  keep  up  with  the  best  literature  of  the 
day,  and  frequently  in  the  lecture-room  delighted 
large  audiences  from  the  rich  stores  of  his  varied 
learning.  But  it  was  as  an  expounder  of  divine 
truth,  as  a  ruler  in  the  Church  that  he  was  most 
distinguished.  He  was  conservative  by  nature, 
not  timid  and  yet  not  aggressive.  His  prudence 
and  his  wisdom  were  manifest  to  all.  When 
these  are  combined  as  they  were  in  him,  with  a 
sincere  and  unselfish  piety,  they  are  irresistible. 
The  flourishing  condition  of  the  Diocese  over 
which  he  presided  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  shows  how  faithfully  and  well  he  did 
his  work.  Few  men  were  more  honored  and 
beloved  than  he,  not  ohly  by  his  own  flock  but 
by  all  classes  and  conditions,  "  for  this  Duncan 
had  borne  his  faculties  so  meek,  had  been  so 
clear  in  his  great  office  "  that  all  peoples  did  do 
him  reverence. 


3i8 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Surely  we  have  great  cause  for  thankfulness 
for  the  example  of  such  a  life,  prolonged  as  it 
was  beyond  the  period  assigned  by  the  Psalmist 
as  the  limit  of  human  existence,  for  it  is  such 
men  as  he  was,  men  of  prayer  and  men  of  truth, 
who  constitute  the  strength  and  power  of  a  State. 
For  more  than  forty  years  he  was  a  faithful  min- 
ister of  the  Gospel,  but  the  time  at  length  ap- 
proached for  the  aged  warrior  of  the  cross  to 
cease  from  his  labors.  To  him  death  had  no 
terrors,  for  his  life  had  been  but  a  preparation 
for  eternity.  His  house  was  in  order,  for  length- 
ening shadows  had  long  been  gathering  around 
him,  and  so  at  last  when  the  summons  came  on 
the  evening  of  January  4,  1881,  it  found  him 
ready  and  he  gently  fell  asleep — a  peaceful, 
blessed  sleep,  and  bishops  and  priests,  the  high 
and  the  low,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  a  vast  multi- 
tude gathered  around  his  bier  with  bowed  heads 
and  stifled  sobs  as  he  was  borne  onward  to  the 
grave — for  he  was  a  good  man.  On  the  7th  of 
January,  1881,  he  was  interred  under  the  altar 
of  St.  James'  Church,  Wilmington,  North  Caro- 
lina, of  which  parish  he  was  once  rector. 

The  aforegoing  sketch  is  nearly  %<erhatim  the 
sketch  prepared  by  Colonel  James  G.  Burr,  and 
published  in  the  "New  South,"  edited  and  pub- 
lished at  Wilmington  by  Edward  A.  Oldham. 

Colonel  William  McRee  of  United  States  En- 
gineer Corps,  (born  1787 — died  i833),is  the  sub- 
ject of  a  memoir  written  and  published  in  Wil  • 
mington  ;  by  it  our  attention  is  called  to  a  worthy 
and  almost  forgotten  son,  whose  military  talents, 
according  to  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Calhoun, 
General  Scott  and  others,  was  of  the  highest 
order. 

His  father  was  Collector  of  Customs  and  an 
officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  died  in 
1 80 1.  He  was  born  in  17S7;  educated  at  West 
Point,  in  1803,  and  was  made,  in  1807,  a  Cap- 
tain of  Engineers,  and  promoted  to  Major  in 
18 1 2.  In  the  war  of  181 2  he  was  engaged  on 
our  Northern  borders,  under  Scott,  Brown, 
Gaines  and  others,  and  was  particularly  distin- 
guished   in    the  battles   of  Lunday's   Lane,  and 


Fort  Erie,  and  won  from  General  Scott  the  eulo- 
gium,  that  in  his  opinion  and  perhaps  intheopin- 
on  of  the  whole  army,  that  he  combined  more 
genius  with  high  courage  than  any  officer  in  the 
war  of  18 1 2.  Shortly  after  the  battle  of  Fort 
Erie,  he  was  promoted  to  Colonel  by  brevet. 

In  18 1 5  he  was  sent  to  Europe  for  the  purpose 
of  examining  the  military  schools  and  fortifica- 
tions— and  on  his  return  made  an  able  report. 
In  1 8 19,  indignant  that  a  foreigner — General 
Bernard — should  be  appointed  in  the  Engineer 
Corps,  he  resigned.  He  died  of  cholera  in  May, 
1833,  and  was  buried  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 
His  name  is  preserved  on  a  beautiful  fort  at 
Pensacola. 

He  left  two  brothers.  Dr.  James  F.  McRee  of 
Wilmington,  and  Major  Samuel  McRee,  United 
States  Army.      Uni.  Mag.  X.  196. 

Dr.   James  F.    McRee    married    Mary   Ashe, 
daughter  of  W.  H.  Hill.      He  was  the  father  of 
Griffith  J.  McRee,  who  married  Penelope,  daugh- 
ter of  Governor  Iredell — the  author  of  the  "Life 
and  Correspondence  of  Judge  Iredell." 

William  B.  Meares  (born  December  8,  1787, 
died  October  11,  1841),  deserves  to  be  remem- 
bered among  the  distinguished  men  of  this  coun- 
ty ;  successful  as  a  Lawyer  and  Planter. 

His  first  appearance  in  public  life  was  as 
Member  of  the  Legislature  in  18 1 8,  from  the 
borough  and  as  a  Member  in  the  State  Senate  in 
1828-29-30-33. 

' '  He  was  of  great  force  of  character,  inde- 
pendent, decided  in  his  opinions,  and  bold  and 
fearless  in  expressing  them.  His  mind  was  more 
solid  than  brilliant,  and  more  practical  than  im 
aginative.  He  never,  at  the  bar  or  in  the  Legis- 
lature, or  on  the  hustings,  attempted  to  influence 
his  hearers  by  any  appeal  to  their  feelings  ;  but 
relied  solely  upon  the  strength  of  argument ; 
clear  and  concise  statements,  and  sound  logic. 

-He  was,  when  in  the  Legislature,  a  candidate 
for  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  and  had  he 
lived,  would  have  risen  to  high  distinction  in  the 
National  Councils  as  he  had  already  occupied  in 
the  State  Legislature.      But  he   died  suddenly  in 


MOORE  AND  NEW  IIANOVER  COUNTIES. 


319 


the  meridian  of  his  life  and  the  full  maturity 
of  his  powers."     (Thalian  Association.) 

Lewis  H.  Marsteller  (born  May  6, 1794,  died 
March  3,  I860)  was  a  native  of  Virginia  but 
was  long  a  resident  and  the  Representative  of 
New  Hanover  ill  the  Councils  of  the  State,  and 
prominent  in  the  politics  of  the  country.  He 
represented  New  Hanover  in  the  Commons  in 
1833-34,  and  in  the  Senate  in  1835-36.  He 
was  also  a  Member  of  the  Convention  of 
1835.  Modest  and  retiring  in  his  disposition, 
he  was  a  close  observer  of  men  and  meas- 
ures, and  distinguished  for  his  prompt  at- 
tention to  every  duty.  These  quaHties,  with 
a  clear  head  and  amiable  temper,  gave  him  un- 
bounded popularity.  He  was  at  one  time  the 
most  popular  man  in  the  country  and  was  never 
defeated  for  an}'  position  for  which  he  was  a 
candidate  before  the  people. 

He  was  a  decided  politician  of  the  Demo- 
cratic faith.  He  was  appointed  Collector  of 
the  Port  of  Wilmington,  by  xMr.  Van  Buren, 
and,  until  his  health  gave  way.  Clerk  of  New 
Hanover  County  Court. 

He  was  a  useful  citizen  and  honest  and  faith- 
ful in  every  relation  of  life.  (The  Thalian  As- 
sociation.) 

Joseph  C.  Abbot,  Senator  in  Congress,  and 
Member  of  the  Legislature, resided  in  New  Han- 
over County.  He  was  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire— born  in  Concord  in  1825;  received  an 
Academic  education  and  studied  law,  and  was 
Editor  of  the  Manchester  American  and  other 
papers.  Entered  the  United  States  Army  in 
1861,  raised  a  Regiment  and  was  elected  Col- 
onel. In  1865  was  brevetted  Brigadier  G-en- 
eral,  "for  gallant  conduct  at  Fort  Fisher." 

In  1867,  was  elected  to  the  State  Constitu- 
tional Convention,  and  in  1868  a  Member  of 
the  Legislature,  by  which  body  he  was  chosen 
Senator  in  Congress.  His  term  expired  in  1871. 
He  has  been  extensively  engaged  in  Agricul- 
tural and  Manufacturing  pursuits  at  his  home 


near  Wilmington,  and  for  a  time  was  collector 
of  the  port  of  Wilmington.  He  died  on  Octo- 
ber 9,1881. 

Daniel  Lindsaj'  Russell  resides  in  Wilming- 
ton. He  was  born  in  Brunswick  County,  Au- 
gust 7,  1845;  he  was  educated  at  the  Bingham 
School  in  Orange  County  and  at  the  University. 
Read  Law  and  was  licensed  to  practice  in  1868. 
He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1864,  from 
Brunswick  County,  and  re-elected  in  1865.  He 
was  elected  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Superior 
Courts  in  April,  1868,  and  served  six  years  in 
this  responsible  and  elevated  position.  In  1871, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion, from  the  County  of  Brunswick,  and  in 
1876  a  Member  of  the  Legislature.  lie  was 
elected  a  Member  of  the  46th  Congress  as  a 
National  Republican,  receiving  11,011  votes 
against  10,730  for  Alfred  M.  Waddell. 

Colonel  Ileniy  K.  Burgwyn  resided  in  this 
County.  He  was  the  eld(38t  son  of  an  intelli- 
gent and  wealthy  gentleman  on  the  Roanoke 
river,  bearing  the  same  name,  who,  with  Thomas 
Pollock  Burgwyn  and  Thomas  Pollock  Dever- 
eux,  were  heirs  of  the  late  Thomas  Pollock. 

Thomas  P.  Devereux  was  long  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  Bar,  reporter  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  greatly  esteemed  as  a  man  of  learn- 
ing and  culture. 

They  are  lineal  descendants  of  Governor 
Thomas  Pollock,  who  is  referred  to  on  page  29. 
Their  father  resided  in  New  Berne,  and  their 
uncle  George,  on  the  Cape  Fear.  The  immense 
Roanoke  estates  of  George  Pollock  descended 
to  them.  Young  Harry  Burgwyn  was  worthy 
of  his  lineage.  He  was  only  twenty-two  years 
old  when  he  commanded  the  26th  Regiment. 
To  gallantry  and  courage  in  the  field,  he  united 
a  gracious  demeanor  and  inviting  manner,  with 
peerless  personal  beauty.  His  appearance  at 
the  head  of  his  Regiment  realized  the  descrip- 
tion of  his  namesake  at  Agin  court : 


320 


WHEELER'S  KEMINISCENCES. 


"  I  saw  youDg  Harry, — with  his  beaver  on, 

His  cuisses  on  liis  thighs  gallantly  arm'd — 

Leap  from  the  ground  like  feather'd  Mercury, 

And  vaulted  with  such  ease  into  his  seat, 

As  if  an  angel  dropp'd  down  from  the  clouds 

To  turn  and  wind  a  fiery  Pegasus, 

And  'witch  the  world  with  noble  horsemanship.' " 

He  led  his  Regiment  on  the  fatal  field  of 
Gettysburg,  and  out  of  800  men  there  fell, 
with  their  chivalric  young  leader,  549  in  that 
desperate  battle;  all  the  field  officers  being 
killed  or  womided. 

Robert  Strange  was  the  second  son  of  Hon. 
Robert  Strange,  at  one  time  one  of  the  Judges 
of  the  Superior  Courts  of  Law  and  Equity,  and 
subsequently  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States 
as  a  member  from  our  State.  See  "Wheeler  II, 
130.  Mr.  Strange  was  born  in  Fayetteville, 
July  27,  1823;  graduated  from  the  Unive^'sity 
at  the  early  age  of  17,  and  adopted  the  profes- 
sion of  the  Law.  Shoi  tly  after  iiis  admise^.on 
to  the  Bar  he  removed  to  Wilmingion  and 
soon  became  a  prominent  actor  in  publ-.c  af- 
fairs. He  represented  the  Couaty  of  ISTew  Han- 
over in  the  Legislature  from  1852  to  1854,  and 
was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  influential 
members  of  that  body.  He  was  also  State  So- 
licitor and  for  many  yeaj's  a  director  in  the 
Bank  of  Cape  Fear.  To  mental  capacities  of 
a  high  order  he  added  great  culture  and  unus 
ual  stores  of  varied  and  accurate  knowledge. 
As  a  profound  lawyer  he  occupied  a  most  en- 
viable position  among  his  professional  brethren, 
and  as  a  sound  jurist  and  eloquent  advocate  he 
was  second  to  none  within  the  limits  of  the 
State.  Few  men  possessed  in  so  great  a  degree 
the  confidence  of  the  public  and  few 
so  well  desei'ved  the  same,  for  his  integ- 
rity was  spotless.  Gentle  and  nnobstrusive 
in  manner,  yet  firm  and  decided  in  his  convic- 
tions, with  a  natural  dignity  that  inspired  re- 
spect and  a  chivalric  sense  of  honor  that  re- 
coiled from  the  faintest  approach  of  "things 
unworthy,"  he  was  at  all  times  and  under  all 


circumstances  the  high-toned  gentleman,  and 
of  him  was  truly  said  by  the  Right  Reverend 
Thomas  Atkinson,  as  he  stood  by  his  bier, 
"Here  lies  the  most  spotless  man  I  ever  knew." 

He  was  tiue  to  his  fellow  men,  to  his  friends, 
to  his  family  and  kin,  and  as  true  as  mortals 
can  be,  to  his  God!  A  christian  gentleman  who 
to  the  grace  of  this  life  added  those  of  the 
purer  life  to  come.  A  brilliant  future  lay  be- 
fore him;  positions  most  gratifying  to  laud- 
able ambition  and  which  he  would  have  emi- 
nently adorned;  but  suddenly,  in  the  midst  of 
the  argument  of  a  c?se  in  Court,  he  received 
his  summons  to  a  higher  tribunal,  to  appear  be- 
fore that  Great  Judge  from  whose  decision 
there  is  no  appeal.  He  died  January  24,  1877, 
in  the  53d  year  of  his  age,  cut  down  in  the 
full  meridian  of  his  powers.  Amicus  usque  at 
aras. 

Mr.  Strange's  first  wife  was  Sarah  Caroline, 
the  second  daughter  of  Thomas  Henry  "Wright, 
who  was  the  second  son  of  Judge  Joshua  Gran- 
ger "V¥ right  (see  p.  304,)  and  one  of  the  most 
noted  financiers  of  the  State,  President  of  the 
celebrated  Bank  of  Cape  Fear  from  its  origin 
until  his  death.  This  was  a  man  of  many  accom- 
plishments, but  especially  distinguished  for 
his  financial  ability  and  his  devotion  to  the 
church.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  St. 
James'  church  in  Wilmington,  the  oldest  parish 
in  the  State. 

Mr.  Wright  married  Mary  Allan,  daughter 
of  a  Scotch  merchant,  who  survived  him  with 
a  family  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters.*  The 
eldest  daughter  Anne  Eliza,  married  Hon.  0. 
P.  Meares,  son  of  "W.  B.  Meares,  a  distin- 
guished lawyer.  He  is  now  Judge  of  the  Crimi- 
nal Court  of  New  Hanover. 


*Their  sons  were  Dr.  Adam  E.  \^  right,  Captain 
James  A.  Wright  (killed  in  the  war)  Lieutenant  Joshua 
G.  Wright  and  Maj.  Tliomas  C.  Wright,  (also  killed 
iu  tiie  war)  and  the  daughters  were,  Anne  Eliza,  Sarah 
Caroline,  Susan  and  Mary  Augusta.  The  third  daugh- 
ter married  Dr.  W.  H.  Hall,  of  New  York  and  the 
youngest  married  Mr.  Clayton  Giles,  a  merchant  of 
Wilmington. 


H 


\      NOETHAMPTON  COUNTY. 


321 


By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Strange  had  three 
sons;  Thomas  Wright,  Rev.  Robert,  and  Joseph 
Huake,  a  merchant  in  New  York  City.  His 
second  wife  was  Bettie  Andrews,  a  sister  of  Col. 
A.  B.  Andrews,  and  a  grand-daughter  of  John 


D.  Hawkins,  Esq.,  of  Warren  County.     To  them 
were  born  two  daughters,  the  older  of  whom 
was  named  for  his  fi''3t  wife,  Caroline  Wright,- 
and  the  second  was  named  Jane  Hawkins. 


CHAPTER  XLH. 


NORTHAMPTON  COUNTY. 


Among  the  revolutionaT-y  worthies  distin- 
guished for  virLue  and  patriotism  who  lived 
in  this  County  was  General  Allen  Jones,  whose 
services  we  have  recovded  with  those  of  his 
distinguished  brother,  Willie  Jones.  See  p.  196. 

Matt.  Whitaker  Ransom  was  born  in  War- 
ren County,  North  Carolina,  October  8,  1826. 
His  father  Robert  Ransom,  was  a  man  of  su- 
perior intelligence,  the  son  of  Seymour  Ran- 
som, who  was  a  half-brother  of  Nathaniel 
Macon  On  the  maternal  side  Senator  Ransom 
is  descended  through  his  mother  Priscilla 
Whitaker,  from  the  distinguished  family  of 
that  ijame  in  Halifax  County.  He  was  from 
his  boyhood  ambitious  of  acquiring  knowledge 
and  distinction;  and  having  passed  through  the 
preparatory  course  of  studies  at  home  and  at  the 
Warrenton  Academy,  he  was  sent  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  State,  where  he  graduated  in 
1847  in  a  class  which  embraced  a  number  of 
young  men  who  afterwards  achieved  reputation 
in  the  world.  Among  these  was  the  late  Gen- 
eral James  Johnston  Pettigrew,  with  whom  he 
divided  the  first  honors.  Mr.  Ransom  made 
the  study  of  Law  a  part  of  his  collegiate  course, 
under  the  instruction  of  the  late  Judge  Battle, 
and  was  thus  prepai'ed  while  still  in  his  twenty- 
first  year,  to  take  his  place  at  the  Bar  upon 
leaving  the  University.  His  father  was  an 
earnest  Whig,  and  young  Ransom  was  thus  a 


Whig  by  inheritance,  in  the  midst  of  a  County 
which  was  Democratic  in  the  proportion  of 
nearly  ten  to  one.  These  circumstances,  how- 
ever, had  no  tendency  to  keep  down  the  ambi- 
tious aspirant  to  popular  favor.  His  numerous 
and  influential  family  connections  were  nearly 
all  Democrats  and  faithful  friends;  so  that 
with  superior  talents  and  attainments  far  be- 
yond his  years,  with  the  aid  of  a  fine  person, 
captivating  manners  and  an  eloquent  tongue, 
he  at  once  took  high  rank  at  the  Bar.  Politi- 
cally he  was  in  a  hopeless  minority  in  the 
County  of  Warren ;  but  his  brilliant  debut  at  the 
Bar  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Whigs  in 
other  parts  of  the  State,  and  in  1852  his  name 
was  placed  on  the  Whig  electoral  ticket.  In 
December  of  that  year,  when  only  twenty-six 
years  of  age,  he,  a  Whig,  was  elected  Attornej'- 
Geueral  of  the  State  by  a  Democratic  Legisla- 
ture, in  competition  with  the  Hon.  William 
Eaton,  a  Democrat  and  lawyer  of  high  stand- 
ing and  character,  against  whom  there  was  not 
and  could  not  have  been  a  serious  ground  of 
complaint.  General  Ransom  attributes  these 
early  successes  to  the  judicious  counsels  of  his 
father;  but  they  attest  at  the  same  time  his 
own  superior  talents,  his  address,  and  knowl- 
edge of  men,  for  which  his  later  life  has  been 
distinguished. 
In  1856  General  Ransom  resigned  the  office 


322 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


of  Attorney-General.  During  the  years  that  he 
held  it  new  political  issues  had  arisen  to  divide 
parties,  upon  which  he  felt  constrained  to  differ 
from  his  Whig  friends,  though  never  to  be  alien- 
ated from  them  personally  and  sociallj'.  He 
could  not  follow  them  in  their  denial  of  or  ef- 
forts to  curtail  the  political  rights  of  Roman 
Catholics  and  Foreign-born  citizens,  and  he  thus 
naturally  drifted  into  association  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party.  The  fact  is  well  remeailiered  by 
men  who  have  passed  the  meridian  of  life  that 
these  short-lived  political  issues  had  much  to 
do  with  the  final  overthrow  and  dissolution  of 
the  Whig  party;  and  now  for  many  years  past, 
General  Ransom  has  been  re-united  under  the 
Democratic  banner,  with  the  great  majority  of 
his  old  Whig  friends. 

It  was  during  his  incumbency'  of  the  Attor- 
ney-Generalship that  General  Ransom  married 
Miss  Exum,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Exum,  Esq. 
of  Northampton,  a  lady  of  rare  excellence  who 
has  blessed  and  adorned  her  husband's  house- 
hold and  career  in  life.  It  was  about  this  time 
that  he  moved  his  residence  to  that  County. 
In  1858  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and 
again  in  1860,  in  the  County  of  his  adoption. 

Although  deeply  attached  to  the  South  by  all 
the  ties  of  patriotism  and  personal  interest,  he 
was  a  pronounced  Unionist,  from  a  conviction 
that  Southern  rights  and  welfare  would  be  im- 
perilled by  8ecession,and  could  only  be  preserved 
within  the  Union.  But  when  secession  became 
an  accomplished  fact,  against  his  earnest  pro- 
test and  opposition,  ard  when  it  became  a  ne- 
cessity to  take  sides  in  the  impending  conflict, 
he  hesitated  not  a  moment  in  espousing  the 
cause  of  the  State  and  of  the  South. 

In  1861  he  was  selected  by  the  State  as  one 
of  three  Peace  Commissioners,  sent  to  Mont- 
gomery, Alabama,  in  the  hope  of  averting  the 
calamities  of  civil  war.  His  associates  were 
Ex-Qovernor  SwainjjPresident  of  the  Univer- 
sity, and  the  late  John  L.  Bridgers,  Esq.    Fail- 


ing m  this  peaceful  mission,  he  returned  home, 
and  entered  the  military  service. 

The  fact  is  interesting  to  note  that  General 
Ransom  volunteered  as  a  private  soldier,  l)ut 
was  immediately  appointed  by  Governor  Ellis 
to  the  honorable  and  responsible  rank  of  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  of  the  1st  North  Carolina 
Infautrv,  with  which  he  marched  to  the  seat 
of  war  in  Virginia.  He  was  afterwards  chosen 
l>y  the  officers,  Colonel  of  the  35th  Infantry, 
and  was  soon  pr<_mioted  to  a  Brigadier  General- 
ship. In  1865  he  was  again  promoted,  to  the 
rank  of  Major  General, and  was  entrusted  with 
command  as  such;  but  in  that  supreme  crisis  of 
the  Confederacy  he  failed,  however,  to  receive 
the  formal  commission.  General  .lohn  B.  Gor- 
don has  written  a  letter  to  General  M.  J. 
Wright,  compiler  of  the  Confederate  records, 
affirming  that  General  Ransom  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  Major-General  "for  most  distin- 
guished gallantry." 

The  limits  appropriated  to  this  brief  sketch 
I'onder  it  impracticable  to  enter  upon  a  narra- 
tive of  General  Ransom's  military  services. 
It  must  suffice  to  say  that  they  were  distin- 
guished and  important,  and  served  to  place 
him  among  the  foremost  leaders  of  the  people 
in  North  Carolina  in  that  disastrous  struggle. 
While  3'et  a  Colonel,  he  was  seriously  wounded 
in  the  breast  and  right  arm  (from  which  he 
still  suffers,)  in  one  of  the  battles  before  Rich- 
mond and  Petersburg.  His  gallantry  on 
this  occasion  led  to  his  rapid  promotion.  But 
his  achievements  when  clothed  with  higher 
command,  on  wider  fields  of  action,  must  be 
left  to  the  historian,  or  to  the  more  preten- 
tious biographer. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  General  Ransom  ad- 
dressed himself  to  the  elevated  and  patriotic 
task  of  restoring  true  peace,  liberty  and  union, 
■  by  instilling  in  the  minds  of  the  people  the 
idea  that  the  disastrous  results  of  the  struggle 
were  irreversible.     He   saw  clearly  that  there 


NORTHAMPTON   COUNTY. 


323 


was  no  hope  for  the  South  in  the  indefinite 
future  that  lay  before  us  all,  but  in  a  frank 
recognition  of  this  truth;  and  his  was  the 
honor,  in  virtue  of  superior  sagacity  and  cour- 
age, to  take  the  lead  in  the  statesman -like 
work  of  reconstructing  popular  sentiment. 
There  were  many  able  men  in  North  Carolina 
at  that  day  who  had  ardently  participated  in 
the  struggle  for  Southern  independence — sound 
lawyers,  practical  statesmen,  skilled  in  affairs — 
hut  it  remained  for  Matt.  W.  Ransom  to  con- 
front the  people  with  the  unwelcome  truth,that 
they  had  passed  through  a  revolution  which 
could  never  go  backward,  and  that  all  their 
hopes  for  the  future  must  turn  upon  their  un- 
reserved acceptance  of  the  results  of  that  revo- 
lution and  adaptation  to  them.  At  Hender- 
son in  1869,  he  delivered  an  eloquent  address 
to  the  thousands  who  were  assembled  at  the 
Agricultural  Fair,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to 
say  that  all  thoughtful  men  present  were 
startled  and  delighted  by  his  bold  utterances. 
He  was  listened  to  with  attention  by  all,  and 
the  salutary  truths  that  day  proclaimed  by  a 
man  who  had  been  a  gallant  soldier  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  confederacy  had  their  echo  returned 
from  every  part  of  the  State. 

It  was  in  this  spirit  that  in  a  memorial  ad- 
dress at  the  dedication  of  the  Confederate  Sol- 
dier's Cemetery  at  Raleigh,  he  uttered  the 
beautiful  sentiment,  "I  thank  God  that  there 
are  flowers  enough  in  this  beautiful  land  of  the 
South  to  strew  alike  upon  the  graves  of  those 
who  fell  in  the  Grey  and  m  the  Blue;  and 
that  there  are  hearts  large  enough,  and  hands 
gentle  and  generous  enough  to  perform  this 
holy  duty." 


In  January  1872  General  Ransom  was  elected 
to  the  United  States  Senate.  In  December, 
1876,  he  was  re-elected;  and  again,  for  the 
third  time  that  honor  was  accorded  him,  in 
January,  1883.  His  career  in  that  body  has 
been  one  of  great  usefulness  to  the  State  and 
to  the  country.  He  speaks  rarely,  but  always 
eliectively.  In  1875  he  made  an  elaborate 
speech,  the  printed  copy  of  which  is  entitled, 
"The  South  faithful  to  her  duties."  It  at- 
tracted wide  attention  by  its  broad,  liberal 
and  unsectional  spirit,  and  by  many  passages 
of  true  eloquence. 

Perhaps  no  man  who  has  ever  represented 
the  State  has  been  so  successful  in  procuring 
appropriations  for  its  rivers  and  harbors,  and 
for  public  buildings.  As  a  member  of  a  body 
in  which  his  party  is  in  a  minority,  his  success 
in  carrying  out  his  purposes  has  been  remark- 
al)le.  Without  the  sacrifice  of  principle,  in  the 
slightest  degree,  his  habitual  courtesy  inspires 
confidence  and  wins  favor  with  men  of  the 
most  diverse  views,  while  his  knowledge  of 
men  often  enables  him  to  bring  them  over  to 
his  own.  As  a  Senator,  the  purpose  of  General 
Ransom  has  l)eento  developehis  State  and  the 
South,  and  to  pacificate  the  country. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  General  Ran- 
som has  associated  his  name  permanently  with 
that  of  the  nation's  capital,  by  his  success  in 
procuring  large  appropriations  for  removing  or 
filling  up  the  unsightly,  pestilence-breeding 
flats,  or  marshes  that  have  accumulated  in  the 
Potomac  river,  in  front  of  the  city.  The  su- 
pervision of  this  important  work  has  been  very 
properly  entrusted,  by  his  political  opponents, 
the  Republican  majority  of  the  Senate,  to  a 
sub-committee  of  which  he  is  the  Chairman. 


324 


WHEELER'S  EEMmiSCENCES. 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


The  Capital  of  this  County  was  in  1753,  called 
Childs,  after  the  Attorney  General  of  the 
Colony,  and  in  1765,  its  name  was  changed 
to  Hillsboro',  by  Governor  Tryon,  in  honor  of 
his  illustrious  patron  the  Earl  of  Hillsboro',  to 
whom  in  a  despatch,  Tryon  predicted  its  early 
prosperity  and  renown.  His  own  name,  and 
the  name  of  his  accomplished  wife  and  sister 
still  give  locality  to  its  streets.  It  is  a  lovely, 
healthful  and  a  finished  j?lace;  has  not  grown 
much,  but  is  about  the  same  as  it  was  a  cen- 
tury ago.  It  has  been  always  distinguished 
for  the  intellectual  and  social  qualities  of  its 
hospitable  inhabitants.  The  centre  of  stirring 
events  in  our  early  struggles  for  liberty,  its 
citizens  were  leaders  in  the  war  of  the  Reg- 
ulation. Here  the  Royal  standard  was  dis- 
played by  Cornwallis  and  here  he  rested, 
gathering  strength  to  give  battle  at  Guilford 
Court  House.  It  was  here  the  Governor  of 
the  State  (Burke)  was  seized  and  carried  to 
Charleston  by  Fanning.  It  was  here  the  Con- 
vention met  in  1788,  to  consider  the  Consti- 
tution, which  was  rejected  by  that  body.* 
It  is  distinguished  still  as  the  home  of  those 
giants  in  intellect  of  the  State.  Distin- 
guished too  for  the  eloquence  and  piety  of 
its  clergy,  as  also  for  learning  and  ability  of 
its  Bar,  the  excellence  and  perfection  of  its 
schools  and  the  morality  and  decorum  of  its 
citizens. 

Its   resident    citizens   of  anti-revolutionary 
history  were  Edmund  Fanning,  Ralph  McNair, 
James  Hogg,  Francis  Nash,   Thomas   Burke 
Governors  Caswell  and  Nash,  William  Hooper 
and  Judge  Moore;  names  all  connected   with 

*"One  cause  of  its  rejection  by  this  Convention  was 
a  letter  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  wbicli  was  read  in  tue  Con- 
vention; that  while  the  most  philosophicof  our  states- 
men were  desirous  that  nije  states  sliould  raui:"y,  and 
thus  secure  the  new  goverrmeat,  still  he  recommeatled 
that  four  should  reject,  and  tnus  insure  the  proposed 
amendments."  Moore  XVI. 


many  interesting  events,  before,  during  and 
subsequent  to  the  Revolution.  During  the 
Revolution  President  Monroe,  Gov.  Rutledge 
of  South  Carolina,  Col.  Williams  of  King's 
Mountain,  Generals  Gates  and  Smallwood,  Col. 
Lee,  Lord  Cornwallis,  Col.  Wilson  Webster, 
Col.  Tarleton  and  others,  were  sojourners  dur- 
ing a  brief  period. 

Henry  E.  Cotten,  Esq.,  some  years  ago  pub- 
lished in  the  Southern  Literary  Messenger  a 
sketch  of  the  history  of  this  town.  But  it  has 
disappeared  from  om-  libraries,  and  we  have 
made  frequent  ineft'ectual  eiibrts  to  obtain  a 
copy  from  Richmond.  This  on  a  more  extended 
scale  is  a  tribute  eminently  due  from  a  grate- 
ful population  to  their  illustrious  dead. 

Uni.  Mag.  (1861.)  X.,  374. 

The  early  history  of  the  men  of  Orange 
County  proves  the  sturdy  spirit  of  her  son  in 
opposing  unlawful  power. 

The  troubles  as  to  taxes  and  extortions  by 
the  Crown  Officers,  which  began  as  early  as 
1771,  culminating  in  the  battle  of  Alamance, 
have  already  been  alluded  to.  (See  page  1.) 
The  chief  cause  of  their  troubles  was  the  con- 
duct of  Edmund  Fanning,  (born  1737,  died 
1818,)  who  was  the  son  of  Col.  Phineas  Fan- 
ning, born  in  Connecticut.  He  was  an  accom- 
plished scholar,  a  graduate  of  Yale,  (in  1757,) 
which  college  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of 
LL.  D.  in  1803. 

He  studied  law  and  settled  in  Hillsboro'  in 
1763;  and  was  appointed  Clerk  of  the  Court 
and  Register  of  the  County.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Colonial  Assembly.  By  his 
thirst  for  wealth,  his  exorbitant  charges  for 
fees,  and  his  intemperate  zeal  in  regard  to  the 
unfortunate  regulators,  he  became  odious  to 
the  people ;  in  so  much  that  they  burnt  his  house, 
which  stood  where  the  Masonic  Hall  now  is 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


325 


in  Hillsboro',  and  beat  him  severely.  To  escape 
their  anger,  he  accompanied  Governor  Tryon 
to  New  York,*  as  secretary,  in  1771 .  He  raised 
a  regiment  and  became  its  commander.  Ac- 
tive and  vindictive  he  served  in  several  bat- 
tles and  was  twice  woonded.  In  1775  he  was 
driven  from  his  house  in  New  York  by  the 
people  and  his  effects  seized,  and  he  retreated 
on  board  of  the  "  Asia,"  a  man-of-war,  for 
safety. 

In  1794  he  was  appointed  Governor  of  Prince 
Edward's  Island,  and  in  1808  was  commissioned 
as  General.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  Eng- 
land in  1815  where  in  1818  he  d^'ed,  leaving  a 
son  Fredrick  and  two  darghters.  The  cele- 
brated lawyer,  John  Wickham,  of  Eichmond, 
was  his  nephew,  and  who  under  the  advica  of 
Genl.  Fanning  accepted  a  Commission  for  a 
time  in  the  British  Army.  The  late  Col.  Alex. 
Fanning,  of  the  IJ.  S.  A.,  Capt.  Edw.  Fan- 
ning and  Nathaniel  Fanning,  late  of  the  U.  S. 
Navy,  were  nephews  of  Genl.  Fanning. 

Thomas  Burke,  born  1747,  died  1783,  li\ed 
and  died  in  this  County  and  had  an  eventful 
and  romantic  career. 

"He  was  a  native  of  I-eland  and  a  man  of 
letters".  Son  of  Ulrick  Burke,  of  Galway. 
He  was  highly  educated,  and  studied  medicine ; 
emigrated  from  Ireland  in  1764,  and  came  to 
Accomac  County,  Virginia,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  became  dissat- 
isfied with  medicine  and  studied  Law;  removed 
to  Norfolk  and  in  1774  finally  settled  in  Hills- 
boro'.  The  next  year,  being  a  ready  and  enthusi- 
astic speaker,  he  became  prominent  in  politics, 
and  his  generous  temper  made  him  popular 
with  the  people.  He  represented  the  County 
with  Thomas  Hart  in  the  Provincial  Congress 
at  New  Berne,  the  4th  of  April  1775,  and  at 
Halifax  in  November  1776.     He  took  an  active 


*Drake  in  Ills  "Dictionary  of  Am.  Biography,"  says 
that  Col.  F.  mavied  a  daughter  of  Governor  Tryon. 
Sabine  makes  the  same  statement. 


part  in  framing  the  State  Constitution.  In  De- 
cember he  was,with  William  Hooper  and  Joseph 
Hewes.  appointed  delegate  to  the  Continental 
Congress  at  Philadelphia  where  he  served  until 
July  1781,  when  he  was  elected  by  the  Legis- 
lature Governor  of  the  State,  by  acclamation. 
He  was  very  popular  with  the  "Whigs  on  account 
of  his  patriotism,  and  consequently  as  odious  to 
the  Tories.  On  the  13th  of  September,  1781,  a 
band  of  Tories  led  by  David  Fanning,  before 
day-break  seized  Governor  Burke,  tied  him  on 
a  horse,  and  carried  him  to  the  British  head- 
quarters at  "Wilmington;  from  thence  he  was 
taken  to  Cha'.leston,  where  he  was  placed  on 
James'  Island,  as  a  prisorer  on  parole.  John 
Huske,  of  Fayetteville,  his  private  secretary, 
was  also  captured  and  imprisoned  with  Gov- 
enor  Burke  and  was  placed  with  many  desper- 
ate characters.  Fearing  for  his  I'fe,  as  he  was 
very  obnoxious  to  tbem,  he  escaped  after  an 
imprisonment  of  four  months.  In  April 
1782,he  resumed  his  place  as  Governor  at  Salem 
In  December  he  was  defeated  by  Alexander 
Martin  for  Goveraor. 

This  was  the  severest  blow  of  misfortune — 
after  all  his  trials,  sacrifices  and  sufferings,  to 
be  discarded  by  those  for  whom  he  had  done 
so  much  and  suffered  so  much,  was  more  than 
his  nature  could  bear.  Borne  down  by  such 
feelings  of  sorrow  he  died  at  Hillsboro'  a  few 
days  before  Christmas,  beloved  and  mourned 
by  a  large  number  of  admiring  friends.  His 
patriotic  services  and  his  undeserved  misfor- 
tunes should  have  condoned  far  greater  faults. 

There  is  but  little  doubt,  says  Moore  I.,  (page 
358,)  "that  disappointment  and  mental  anguish 
caused  his  premature  death." 

He  married  Mary  Freeman,  of  Norfolk,  Vir- 
gina  and  left  one  daughter  surviving,who  moved 
to  Alabama,  where  she  resides.  In  a  letter  she 
states  of  her  father's  personal  appearance,  that 
he  was  "of  middle  stature,  well  formed,  much 
marked  by  the  small  pox, which  caused  the  loss 


326 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


of  his  left  eye.  The  remaining  eye  was  an  ex- 
pressive mild  blue." 

He  was  a  brother,  or  near  kinsman  of  Judge 
Edamus  Burke,  of  South  Carolina,  equally  ec- 
centric, and  like  Edamus  Burke  full  of  genius, 
fun  and  frolic,  of  whom  many  anecdotes  are 
still  remembered. 

Col.  William  Shepperd,  of  Long  Meadows, 
(his  ancestral  home,  near  Hillsboro,  N.  C.,)  was 
a  conspicuous  member  of  the  State  Senate;  he 
was  an  ofiicer  of  the  North  Carolina  line  during 
the  revolution  of  1776 — a  terror  to  "  The 
Tories," 

Many  are  the  legends  of  his  prowess,  which 
enlivens  the  blazing  pine  knots  of  '■  the  Old 
North  State,"  but  sweeter  far  are  the  memories 
of  his  benevolence. 

Let  one  instance  for  each  characteristic  suf- 
fice for  this  sketch.  One  to  show  that  "  bread 
cast  upon  the  waters  will  return  after  many 
days,"  and  the  other  to  remind  a  wavering  pa- 
triotism and  hesitating  honesty  of  that  great 
self-sacrifice  and  stern  devotion  to  principle, 
which  were  the  secrets  of  the  success  of  our  pa- 
triotic grandfathers,  and  which  not  only  were 
rewarded,  but  will  descend  in  mantles  of  gloi'y 
to  the  third  and  fourth  generation  !  Colonel 
Shepperd  had  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Hay- 
wood, sister  of  Judge  Haywood,  of  North  Car- 
olina, then  removed  to  Tennessee.  Her  sister 
married  a  lawyer  named  Captain  William 
Bell,  clarum  et  venerablle  nom.cn.  He  died, 
leaving  a  lovely  famil^^  without  support,  and 
although  Colonel  Shepperd's  family  was  nu- 
merous, yet  he  adopted  the  orphaned  family 
as  his  own.  They  are  since  known  to  his- 
tory, as  Captain  William  H.  Bell,  of  the 
United  States  Army;  Admiral  Henry  H.  Bell, 
U.  S.  N.;  Captain  John  Bell,  IT.  S.  N.;  a  daugh- 
ter married  to  Mr.  McNair,  of  Edgecombe 
County;  a  daughter  Elizabeth  J.,  who  married 
Thomas  Ashe,  grandson  of  Gov.  Ashe,  the 
youngest  brother  of  Paoli  Ashe,  and  another 


married  to  Dr.  Howell,  of  West  Tennessee;  an- 
other Miss  Haywood,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Col.  Shep- 
perd, married  Mr.  Johnstone,  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  moved  to  Tennessee;  another  mai'ried 
Mr.  Builie,  an  eminent  lawyer  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  after  his  death  Dr.  Buchanan,  of  St. 
Stephens,  Ala.;  and  after  his  death  Mr.  Adlai 
Osborne;  she  left  one  son, Egbert.     Judge  Jas. 
Osborne,  the  distinguished  judge,  was  a  son  of 
Adlai  Osborne  by  his  first  wife,  Miss  Walker, 
of  Wihnington.     A  sister  of  Col.  Wm.  Shep- 
perd— Martha — married  Major  Wm.  F.  Strud- 
wick,  of  Hillsboro,  a  member  of  Congress.  She 
left  Sam  Strudwick,  of  Alabama;  Dr.  Edward 
Strudwick,  of  Hillsboro,  and  Eliza,  who  mar- 
raied  Paoli  Ashe,  (grandson  of  Gov.  Sam  Ashe) 
formerly  of  New  Hanover,  afterward  removed 
to  Alabama;  and  Martha  married  to  Col.  Elisha 
Young;  and  Margaret,  a  famous  beauty,  wife 
of  Egbert  Osborne.  Captain  William  Bell  (the 
protege  of  Col.  Shepperd,)  whilst  a  young  lieu- 
tenant in  the  army,  invented  a  contrivance  for 
turning  round  heavy  ordnance  with  great  ra- 
pidity; for  this  invention,  under  a"  relief  bill," 
the  Government  appropriated  to  him  the  sum 
of  $2.5,000,  which   money  he  invested  in   the 
growing  city  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  so  be- 
came immensely  wealthy.     When  about  to  die, 
immediately  after  the  close  of  our  civil  war. 
Captain  Bell  added  a  codicil  to  his  will,  Janu- 
ary 11, 1866,  distributing  one-eighth  of  his  mag- 
nificent  fortune,  in  the    following  significant 
words:  "  To  the  descendants  of  my  benefactor, 
William  Shepperd,  of  Orange  County,  North 
Carolina." 

The  other  incident  is  a  legend  of  bloody  war 
during  the  revolution.  R.  C.  in  the  "  Farmer 
and  Mechanic "  most  graphically  writes  as 
follows  of  Col.  Wm.  Shepperd: 

He  was  very  short,  spare  built  man,  of  plain, 
insignificant  appearance,  and  the  farther  disad- 
vantages of  a  very  thin,  piping  voice,  with  one 
eye;  no  one  in    search  of  a  hero  would  have 


ORAiTGE  COUNTY. 


327 


given  him  a  second  thought,  and  yet  that  spare 
frame  was  knit  together  with  joints  as  flexible 
as  a  politican's  principles,  and  muscles  like 
hands  of  finely  tempered  steel;  and  through 
that  solitary  eye  loolsied  forth  a  spirit  that  no 
danger  could  appal,  no  adverse  fortune  subdue 
or  dismay.  A  democrat  of  intensest  dye  he 
aftected  the  roughest  costume,  and  in  an  age 
when  gentlemen  never  wore  aught  but  "purple 
and  fine  linen,"  he  clothed  himself  with  home- 
spun, woven  on  his  plantation,  and  shoes  made 
by  his  own  negroes. 

He  had  organized  a  partizan  force  of  Minute 
men,  some  four  or  five  hundred  strong,  men 
who  dwelt  peaceably  enough  at  home,  until  a 
runner  notified  them  that  Shepperd  had  work 
for  them  to  do,  when  at  the  rendezvous  would 
gather  a  band  of  rough  but  resolute  men  ready 
to  execute  any  plan,  however  daring  and  haz- 
ardous, of  their  idolized  chief. 

An  English  oflacer  named  Patton  was  then 
raiding  through  Orange  and  the  adjoining  coun- 
ties, carrying  terror  and  devastation  with  him. 
Born  a  gentleman  and  a  soldier,  and  of  superb 
physical  developement,  he  mocked  at  fear  and 
utterly  devoid  of  conscience,  staunch  in  his 
loyalty  to  the  king,  and  with  a  goodlj^  scorn  of 
American  rebels,  he  showed  no  quarter;  rapine, 
violence,  and  murder  marked  every  step  of  his 
onward  progress,  and  none  were  able  to  stay 
his  course. 

Col.  Shepperd  and  his  troopers  returning 
home  after  the  disastrous  battle  of  Briar 
Creek  found  l-'atton  devastating  the  country, 
and  riding  rough-shod  over  the  people.  Plan 
after  plan  to  capture  him  was  devised,  but  Col. 
Patton  was  as  wary  a  soldier  as  he  was  brutal 
as  a  man,  and  time  and  again  he  slipped  through 
Shepperd's  toils,  and  laughed  him  to  scorn. 

Finally  Shepperd  was  ordered  on  some  expe- 
dition that  withdrew  his  forces  from  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  Patton  getting  wind  of  it,  came 


down  into  the  lion's  den,  quartered  at  "Long 
Meadows"  for  a  night  and  a  day,  and  although 
treating  Mrs.  Shepperd  with  extreme  courtesj-, 
(for  Patton,  though  absolutely  without  hu- 
raanitj'  to  women  as  women,  never  failed  to 
treat  a  lady  of  his  own  rank  with  the  most  fin- 
ished courtesy  of  manner)  appropriated  the 
Colonel's  stock,  provender,  and  plantation  sup- 
plies like  the  free-booter  that  he  was. 

Col.  Shepperd  returning  one  night  to  visit 
his  wife,  whom  he  passionately  loved,  discov- 
ered that  Patton  was  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
laid  a  plan  to  capture  him. 

Summoning  his  immediate  body-guard  of 
twenty  picked  men,  he  stationed  thirteen  of 
them  in  an  old  deserted  school  house  to  lie  in 
wait,  while  he  and  the  others  reconnoitered. 
Returned  to  the  school  house,  what  was  his  an- 
ger and  astonishment  to  find  the  building 
"  empty,  swept  and  garnished,"  and  a  card 
tacked  up  by  Col.  Patton  to  tell  the  reason  why. 

Patton  also  had  been  out  reconnoitering,  and 
came  to  the  school  house,  where  a  pack  of  carde 
and  jug  of  whiskey  were  helping  the  ambuscade 
to  forget  their  duty.  All  the  muskets  were 
piled  near  the  door,  and  their  owners  sitting 
cross-legged  on  the  floor  were  deep  in  the  mys- 
teries of  card  playing,  while  the  sentrj'  lifted 
the  jug  to  his  head  a  time  or  so  too  often. 

Stepping  lightly  to  the  door.  Col.  Patton 
seized  one  of  their  own  muskets,  and  levelling 
it  at  the  absorbed  card-players,  cried  out  in  his 
ringing  voice  of  irresistable  command :  "  Sur- 
render to  Col.  Patton  of  his  Majesty's  forces, 
or  I  will  shoot  every  man  of  you."  Half  drunk, 
wholly  surprised,  and  with  instinctive  obedi- 
ence of  soldiers  to  a  born  commander,  they  at 
once  surrendered.  Still  holding  his  musket  at 
point  blank  range,  Patton  made  one  of  the  men 
advance  and  hand  him  the  muskets  one  by  one, 
stock  foremost.  Then  he  was  required  to  tie 
his  comrades,  each  man  with  his  own  halter, 
the  horses  were  in  turn  secured  to   their  mas- 


328 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


ters,  and  thus  yoked  together  man  and  beast, 
the  crest  fallen  thirteen  were  marched  ahead 
of  their  captor  to  the  British  camp.  A  sorry- 
enough  spectacle,  truly! 

A  fiery,  passionate  man,  Col.  Shepperd's  rage 
and  mortification  were  indescribable.  His  de- 
sire to  capture  Patton  became  a  perfect  frenzy, 
and  he  bent  all  his  energy  to  its  accomplish- 
ment. 

If  a  man  will,  he  can,  generally;  and  Col. 
Sheppard's  hour  came  at  last. 

Not  very  long  after  the  disgraceful  capture 
of  his  men,  there  was  to  be  a  sale  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. People  had  submitted,  if  they  were 
not  subdued,  Patton  rode  or  walked  through 
the  land  a  very  Lord  Paramount,  and  none 
dared  gainsay  or  resist.  He  was  going  to  at- 
tend the  sale,  not  as  a  bidder,  but  to  take  vi  et 
armis  whatever  he  saw  fit.  Shepperd  stationed 
some  of  his  men  below,  and  above  the  point 
of  attack  that  he  had  selected,  early  on  the 
day  of  the  sale,  and  then  dressed  like  a  com- 
mon farmer,  as  he  always  did,  and  with  a  loose 
halter  over  his  arm,  he  mounted  his  horse  and 
took  a  bridle  path  through  the  woods  that 
would  bring  him  out  into  the  road  that  Patton 
must  take  to  reach  the  sale.  A  house  occu- 
pied by  a  man  named  Smith  was  on  the  left 
of  the  road,  above  the  lower  ambuscade  of 
Shepperd's  men. 

Down  the  road  came  Patton  riding  a  superb 
black  mare,  dressed  in  full  British  uniform,  and 
presenting  a  very  brillant  and  splendid  appear- 
ance. He  was  tall,  large,  and  superbly  hand- 
some, and  in  com'age  and  high  soldierly  quali- 
ties fully  Shepperd's  equal.  As  he  rode  gal- 
-  lantly  on  in  all  the  pride  of  conscious  beauty 
and  power,  out  of  a  bridle  path  to  h^s  right 
rode  a  small  ill-favored  man,  who  saluting  h^m 
awkwardly,  as  he  I'ode  alongside,  said  :  "I 
bought  some  colts  not  long  ago  from  a  man 
named  Smith,  who  lives  somewhere  on  this 
road,  and  they  have  strayed  away,  and  I  expect 


they  have  gone  back  to  their  old  home,  so  I 
am  looking  for  them.  Can  you  tell  me  where 
Smith  lives  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Patton  carelessly,  raising  his 
right  arm  and  pointing  across  the  road,  "he 
lives  across  the  road  yonder."  He  had  turned 
his  face  as  he  spoke,  and  in  that  instant  a  pair 
of  wiry  arms  were  clasped  around  him  like  a 
vice,  and  a  small  piping  voice  cried  out,  "Col. 
Patton,  you  are  my  prisoner,  sir."  Pattoii  was 
a  stammerer  in  his  speech,  and  he  stuttei'ed 
out,  angrily.  "It  is  a  damned  lie,  sir.  I  am 
no  man's  prisoner;"  struggling  desperately  to 
loose  himself.  He  had  not  reckoned  on  the 
immense  strength  hidden  away  in  the  small 
body  of  his  captor,  and  his  efforts  availing 
nothing.  Drawing  his  sword  with  his  left 
hand  he  essayed  to  cut  himself  loose,  but  Shep- 
perd was  so  small,  and  so  close  to  him  that  the 
slashes  did  not  touch  him.  Patton  shortened 
his  sword,  and  cut  and  thrust  mercilessly  until 
the  arm  that  pinioned  him  was  gashed  and 
stabbed  in  a  dozen  places,  but  the  resolute  lit- 
tle Colonel  never  flinched.  This,  though  long 
in  the  telling,  occupied  only  a  moment,  and 
the  horses  feeling  loose  bridles  on  their  necks 
broke  and  ran ,  landing  both  riders  in  the  road. 
Patton  being  the  heaviest  fell  underneath,  and 
when  Shepperd's  troopers  came  hurrying  up, 
attracted  by  the  riderless  horses  passing  them, 
for  everybody  knew  Patton's  black  mare,  a 
superb  English  thoroughbred,  they  found  the 
stubborn  little  Colonel  holding  his  prostrate 
foe  in  an  embrace  that  seemed  riveted  like 
bands  of  steel. 

The  arrival  of  reinforcements  made  the  con- 
test hopeless  for  Patton,  who  had  been  badly 
hurt  by  his  heavy  fall,  and  he  said:  "I  surren- 
der, and  claim  the  usage  of  a  soldier  and  a 
gentleman."  Shepperd  at  once  relieved  him, 
and  when  Patton  was  helped  to  his  feet,  he 
held  out  his  sword  and  said:  "To  whom  do  I 
surrender?"  "Col.  Wilham  Shepperd^  sir,"  an- 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


329 


swered  the  Colonel  with  a  ring  of  triumph  in 
his  voice. 

"Colonel  Shepperd!"  exclaimed  Patton,  in 
the  utmost  amazement  and  chagrin  as  he 
looked  at  the  small,  insignificant  speaker. 
"Yes,  sir,  Col.  Shepperd,  who  has  promised  to 
hang  Col.  Patton  whenever  he  caught  him," 
said  Shepperd,  drawing  from  his  pocket  a  pair 
of  handcufi:s  which  he  had  carried  for  months 
for  the  purpose  of  bi-aceleting  Patton  if  ever 
captured. 

"With  a  spring  like  a  tiger  Patton  shook  him- 
self free  from  the  troopers  that  surrounded 
him,  and  catching  up  a  limb  of  a  fallen  tree  he 
put  his  back  against  a  large  oak,  and  ex- 
claimed, "Col.  Shepperd,  you  shall  never  sub- 
ject me  to  the  disgrace  of  handcuffs,*  I  will 
die  first.  I  claim  the  usage  of  war,  to  be 
treated  like  an  officer  and  a  gentleman.  I  will 
never  submit  to  be  handcuffed." 

"You  are  a  robber,  and  a  murderer,  and 
have  forfeited  all  the  consideration  due  a  sol- 
dier, sir,"  answered  Shepperd,  bitterly.  "I 
wear  the  uniform  of  a  British  officer,  sir,  and 
I  demand  to  be  treated  like  an  officer  of  his 
Majesty's  army.  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor 
to  make  no  effort  to  escape.  I  will  go  alone 
with  you,  or  any  one  else  to  headquarters.  I 
will  consider  myself  your  prisoner  and  deport 
myself  accordingly  without  constraint,  but  I 
never  submit  to  personal  indignity,  and  no 
man  will  handcuff  me  alive." 

"Shepperd  was  no  fool;  and  he  saw  plainly 
enough  that  Patton  would  make  a  desperate 
resistance,  in  which  he  would  have  to  be  either 
killed  outright,  or  so  badly  hurt  that  he  would 
be  unfit  for  travel,  so  the  plan  of  handcuffing 
him  was  abandoned,  and  accepting  his  parole, 
Shepperd  made  ready,  and  both  men  mounted 
their  horses,  and  set  off  alone  for  Gates's  head- 
quarters near  Asheville,  eating,  sleeping,  and 
riding  together  like  brothers  until  they  reach- 
ed the  American  camp  where  Shepperd  turned 


his  prisoner  over  to  the  authorities,  and  he 
was  tried  by  drumhead  court  martial,  con- 
demned, and  executed. 

Hon.  Augustin  Shepperd,  a  member  of  Con- 
gress for  thirtj'  years,  was  his  nephew,  and 
he  was  the  father  of  William  and  Mi's  Gen- 
eral Pender;  Captain  Frank  Shepperd,  of 
Georgetown,  and  Hamilton  Shepperd,  Esq.,  of 
Warrenton,  Va.,are  his  near  kinsmen.  One  of 
his  sisters  Pamela,  married  Col.  Paoli  Ashe,  from 
whom  descended  Hon.  Thomas  S.  Ashe,  of  the 
Supreme  Bench  of  North  Carolina,  and  other 
brilliant  men.  Col.  Shepperd  left  three  sons, 
"William,  Egbert  and  Henry,  all  of  whom  after- 
war  dmoved  to  the  Western  District  of  Ten- 
nessee. 

Two  of  his  sons  married  daughters  of  Mar- 
maduke  Johnson,  Esq.,  a  wealthy  gentleman, 
of  Warrenton,  Va.,  William,  his  eldest  son, 
was  most  happily  married  to  Mary  Haywood, 
and  their  daughter,  Mary,  is  the  wife  of  John 
L.  T.  Sneed,  Chief  Justice  of  Tennessee,  who 
was  a  nephew  of  the  illustrious  Judge  William 
Gaston,  of  North  Carolina.  Col.  Shepperd's 
daughters  were  equally  fortunate  in  their  alli- 
ances. Of  his  daughters  two  were  married  to 
the  two  Governors,  Ashe  of  North  Carolina, 
that  is — Elizabeth  married  Col.  Sam.  Ashe, 
son  of  Gov.  Sam.  Ashe,  and  had  William  S. 
Ashe  and  others;  Mary  mari'ied  Samuel  Porter 
Ashe,  son  of  Col.  John  Baptista  Ashe  (the  old- 
est son  of  Gov.  Sam.  Ashe,  a  U.  S.  Senator, 
elected  Governor,  but  died  before  qualifying.) 
He  was  a  citizen  of  Fayetteville  before  he  re- 
moved to  Tennessee,  his  oldest  daughter,  Sarah 
married  Wm.  Barry  Grove,  a  member  of  Con- 
gress and  a  banker  in  Fayettesville;  Susan  mar- 
ried David  Hay,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  of  fortune, 
whose  sister,  Susan,  was  the  first  wife  of  Judge 
Wm.  Gaston. 

David  Grove,  a  son  of  Wm.  Barry  Grove 
and  Sarah,  married  Susan  Hay  Ashe,  a  daughter 
of  Sam.  Ashe  and  Elizaljeth.     John  Baptista 


330 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Ashe  a  son  of  Col.  Sam.  Ashe  and  Elizabeth,  (he 
.  was  a  member  of  Congress  from  Tennessee ) 
married  Elizabeth  Hay,  daughter  of  David  and 
Susan  Hay. 

The  youngest  daughter,  Margaret  Lucia,  mar- 
ried to  Dr.  John  Rogers,  several  years  after 
the  death  of  Col.  Shepperd,  who  died  at  Hills- 
boro.  Dr.  Rogers  was  an  Irishman  by  birth,  and 
for  a  short  time  in  the  United  States  Navy;  a 
graduate  of  Georgetown,  D.  C,  came  to  Wil- 
mington about  1815,  and  became  a  teacher 
there,  for  Rev.  Dr.  Empie,  anti  afterwards  Col. 
Hill— about  1822  to  1826  had  charge  of  the 
Academy  of  Hillsboro.  To  these  was  born  Dr. 
J.  Webb  Rogers,  July  11,  1822,  at  "Long 
Meadows,"  the  old  North  Carolina  homestead 
of  his  grand-father,  a  graduate  of  the  College 
of  New  Jersey  at  Princeton. 

He  became  an  Episcopal  clergjnnan,  built  six 
churches  in  Tennessee;  and  becoming  a  con- 
vert to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  returned  to 
the  profession  of  the  law,  which  he  had  stu- 
died in  earl}'  life.  He  is  an  author  of  several 
theological  and  poetical  works.  The  children 
of  Dr.  J.  VVebl)  Rogers  have  already  attained 
such  distinction  as  to  entitle  them  to  much 
more  than  passing  notice. 

Two  sons,  J.  Harris  Rogers  and  Wm.  Shep- 
perd  Rogers  are  both  electi'icians.  By  the 
middle  name  of  the  older  son  named,  the  alli- 
ance of  the  two  families  is  noted.  Arthur 
Harris,  his  maternal  ancestor,  was  the  bosom 
friend  of  William  Shepperd,  and  served  with 
him  in  the  State  Legislature.  The  names  of 
Hon.  Isham  G.  Harris,  U.  S.  Senator,  Hon. 
Wm.  R.  Harris,  Gen.  Buckner  Harris,  Elisha 
Harris,  a  wealthy  planter  before  the  late  war, 
Dr.  George  C.  Harris,  dean  of  St.  Mary's  Cathe- 
dral, Dr.  G.  Whitson  Harris,  the  famous  sur- 
geon, and  many  other  names  not  unknown  to 
fame,  are  all  grouped  around  this  family  centre. 

These  descendants,  the  Rogers,  have  by  their 
patents  in  connection  with  electricity,  obtained 


great  reputation  and  have  become  immensely 
wealthy. 

The"  Mebane  family  have  been  very  well 
known  and  esteemed  in  Orange  County,  and 
its  descendants  have  not  only  been  distinguished 
in  this  section,  but  have  pervaded  Tennessee 
Kentucky,  Mississippi,Indiana,Arkansas,  Louisi- 
ana, Texas  and  other  sections.  (Revo.  Incidents 
in  the  old  North  State,  by  E.  W.  Carutbers.) 

Colonel  Alexander  Mebane,  the  founder  of 
the  family  in  North  Carolina,  came  from  the 
North  of  Ireland,  emigrated  to  America  and 
settled  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained 
for  several  years.  He  removed  to  Hawfields,  in 
Orange  County,  before  the  revolution.  He  was 
an  industrious,  upright  man,  thrifty  in  worldly 
matters,  and  soon  acquired  considerable  wealth. 

LTnder  the  Royal  Government  he  received  a 
commission  as  Colonel  and  was  made  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace.  When  the  revolution  began  he 
and  all  of  his  sons  were  decided  and  became 
active  defenders  of  the  rights  of  the  people, 
when  opposed  to  the  oppressions  of  the  Crown. 
On  this  account  the  British  and  Tories  devas- 
tated his  property.  He  was  too  old  to  be  an  ac- 
tive soldier  himself ,  but  his  sons  were  brave  and 
zealous  defenders  of  the  cause  of  independence. 
He  had-sixsons:  1st  William,  2nd  Robert,  3d 
Alexander,  4th  John,  5th  James,  6th  David. 

William  Mebane  was  a  captain  in  the  rev- 
olution and  a  member  of  the  Senate  in  the  State 
Legislature  in  1782;  married  iirst  to  Miss  Rainy, 
second  to  Miss  Abercrombie,  but  had  no  issue. 

Robert  was  the  soldier  of  the  familj^,  a  Col- 
onel in  the  Continental  army.  He  was  with 
General  Rutherford  in  his  campaign  in  1776 
against  the  Overhill  Cherokee  Indians  and  in 
many  battles  with  the  British  and  Tories,  in 
which  he  displayed  unflinching  courage.  In 
the  battle  of  Cane  Creek,  in  an  endeavor  to  in- 
tercept the  tierce  marauder  Fanning,  who  had 
seized  the  Governor,  Colonel  Mebane  displayed 
great  valor,  and  when  General  Butler  had  or- 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


331 


dered  a  retreat,  Colonel  Mebane  rushed  be- 
fore the  retreating  party,  stopped  them  and 
turned  the  defeat  into  victory.  Towards  the 
close  of  the  battle  ammunition  becoming  scarce, 
he  passed  along  the  line  bare  headed,  carrying 
powder  in  his  hat  and  distributing  it  among 
the  men,  urging  them  to  continue  the  fight, 
lie  was  afterwards,  with  his  Regiment  on  the 
Cape  Fear,  fighting  the  Tories.  But  he  was 
notified  that  his  services  were  needed  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  State  and  he  set  out,  ac- 
companied only  by  hi?  servant.  On  his  return 
he  came  upon  a  noted  Tory  and  horse  thief, 
Henry  Hightower,  who  was  armed  with  a 
British  musket.  Fearless  of  the  consequences 
Mebane  pursued  him;  when  within  striking  dis- 
tance and  with  his  arm  uplifted,  Hightower  sud- 
denly wheeled  and  shot  him  dead,  lie  was  the 
model  of  a  soldier,  brave,  fearless,  of  active  and 
commanding  presence. 

Alexander  Mebane  was  the  statesman  of  the 
family,  born  in  Pennsylvania,  26th  of  Noveml)er, 
1744.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress at  Halifax,  16th  December  1776,  that 
formed  the  State  constitution,  and  of  the  con- 
vention at  Hillsboro' which  rejected  the  consti- 
tution of  the  United  States.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  from  Orange  County, 
from  1783  to  1793  and  in  the  latter  year  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  United  States 
(3rd)  Congress  and  re-elected,  but  died  be- 
fore taking  his  seat  on  5th  of  July,  1795.  He 
was  distinguished  for  sound  practical  sense,8tern 
integrity,  and  indomitable  firmness.  He  was 
married,  first  to  Mary  Armstrong,  of  Orange 
County;  second,  to  Miss  Claypole,  of  Philadel- 
phia. 

He  left  several  children,  James,  William  and 
Dr  John  A.  Mebane,  of  Greensboro'.  His  son, 
James  Mebane,  inherited  his  father's  talents 
as  a  statesman,  was  one  of  the  first  students 
who  entered  the  University  and  the  founder 
of  the  Dialectic   Society,  which  perpetuates 


his  memory  by  his  life-size  portrait  that  may 

still  be  seen  in  their  hall.     He  was  a  member 

of  the  Legislature  in  1808,-'9,  '10,  '11,  '22,  '23 

and  '28.     In  1821  he  was  elected  Speaker  of 

the  House. 

He  married   Elizabeth,   the    only   child    of 

William  Kinchen,  by  which  union  he  had  six 
children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter.  Among 
these  is  Giles  Mebane,  the  faithful  and  able 
Senator  in  the  Legislature  (1877-78)  from 
Oi'ange,  Person  and  Caswell.  Kinchen,  an 
older  son,  was  a  Presbyterian  clergyman.  The 
younger  sons  were  James  and  Lemuel. 

Dr.  Alexander  Wood  Mebane,  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam, was  born  in  this  Count}-,  liberally  educa- 
ted, graduated  in  Philadelphia  and  settled  in 
Bertie  County  on  the  Chowan  river,  where  he 
became  one  of  the  successful  and  enterprising 
men  of  that  section.  He  was  a  man  of  unljlem- 
ished  reputation,  faithful  to  every  duty,  active 
and  energetic  in  every  good  work  and  enter- 
prise. These  qualities  and  abilities  were  duly 
appreciated,  for  in  1829  and  1830, he  was  elected 
member  of  the  House  of  Commons  and  in  1833, 
'34,  '35,  and  36,  he  was  in  the  Senate;  and  in 
1848  he  was  a  candidate  for  Elector  on  the 
Cass  ticket  in  opposition  to  Kenneth  Rayner. 

This  was  his  last  public  service. 

He  married  Mary  Howe,  a  lady  of  fine  es- 
tate, by  whom  he  had  several  children,  one  of 
whom  was  the  wife  of  the  Hon.  John  Pool. 
Grandison  and  Howe  were  brothers;  Mary 
Frances  and  Airs.  Jordan  were  sisters  of  Dr. 
Mebane. 

Colonel  John  Mebane,  son  of  Alexander  Me- 
bane, senior,  and  brother  of  Alexander  Mebane, 
junior,  resided  in  Chatham.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  from  1790  to  1811. 
About  the  close  of  the  war  of  '76  he  married 
Mrs.  Sarah,  widow  of  William  Kinchen,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children,  John  Briggs  Me- 
bane, who  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature 

in  1813;  and  Mr.  Thomas  Hall,  of  Rockingham 
County. 


332 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Captain  James  Mebane  was  active  in  the 
revolutionary  struggles.  He  married  Margaret 
Allen,  of  the  Hawfields. 

David  Mebane,  the  youngest  son  of  the  pa- 
triarcli  of  this  family,  was  not  old  enough  to  be 
of  much  service  in  the  war  of  the  revolution. 
He,  however,  served  in  two  campaigns  and  did 
all  in  his  power.  He  represented  the  County 
of  Orange  in  the  Legislature  in  1808,  1809-'10. 
He  married  Ann  Allen,  of  the  Hawfields  and 
left  a  large  family,  among  them  George  A. 
Mebane  of  Mason  Hall,  merchant  and  Post- 
Master. 

Brig.  Genl.  Francis  Nash  was  the  brother  of 
Governor  Abner  Nash,  whose  biography  we 
have  recorded.  (See  page  132.) 

He  was  much  respected,  and  in  the  colonial 
period  of  the  state,  was  a  member  of  the  Su- 
perior Court  under  the  Royal  rule. 

When  the  revolution  commenced  he  was  on 
the  22d  of  April,  1776,  appointed  Lt.  Colonel  of 
the  first  Regiment  of  North  Carolina  troops  in 
the  Continental  establishment  (Jas.  Moore, Col  ; 
and  Thos.  Clark,  Maj.;)  upon  the  death  of  Col. 
Moore,  he  became  Colonel.  He  was  subse- 
quently promoted  to  be  a  Brigadier-General, 
and  ordered  to  join  the  Gi'and  Army  of  the 
North  under  Washington.*  He  commanded  a 
brigade  at  the  battle  of  Germantown  ( Oct.  4, 
1777,)  where  he  received  a  mortal  wound.  His 
thigh  was  shattered  by  a  spent  cannon  ball 
and  the  same  shot  killed  his  aid.  Major  With- 
erspooii,  son  of  Rev.  Dr.  Witherspoon,  Presi- 
dent of  Princeton  College. 

He  was  buried  at  Kulpsville,  Montgomery 
County,  Pennsylvania,  twenty-six  miles  from 
Philadelphia.  By  the  patriotism  and  liberality 
of  John  F.  Watson,  a  monument  has  been 
placed  over  his  remains. 

*Extract  from  Journal,  of  tlie  Continental  Congress, 
"July  14,  1775,  Resolved  that  General  Nasli  proceed 
immediately  with  the  Virginia  and  North  Carolina 
troops,  together  with  Colonel  Procter's  corps  of  artil- 
lery to  join  General  Washington.'' 


The  Continental  Congress  on  Nov.  4th  1777,  ' 
passed  the  following: 

"Resolved,  that  his  excellency  Governor  Cas- 
well, of  North  Carolina,  be  requested  to  erect 
a  monument  of  the  value  of  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, at  the  ex]^)ense  of  the  United  States,  in 
honor  of  the  memory  of  Brigadier-General 
Francis  Nash,  who  fell  in  the  battle  of  Ger- 
mantown on  the  4th  day  of  Oct.  1777,  bravely 
contending  for  the  independence  of  his  coun- 
try." 

This  pledge  is  yet  unredeemed.      Pro  pudor] 

General  Nash  married  Sally,  daughter  of 
Judge  Maurice  Moore,  leaving  one  daughter, 
Sally,  who  married  John  Waddell  and  who 
had  ten  children,  viz:  I,  Haynes  married  Fan- 
ning; n,  Frank  married  Moore;  HI,  Hugh 
married  Susan  Moore;  TV,  Maurice;  V,  Sally 
married  DeRossett;  VI,  John;  VH,  Alfred; 
VIII,  Mary;  IX,  Claudea;  X,  Fanny  married 
John  Swan. 

Frederick  Nash,  (born  1781,  died  1868,)  son 
of  Governor  Abner  Nash  and  nephew  of  Gen- 
eral Francis  Nash,  was  born  on  the  9th  Feb- 
ruary, 1781,  in  the  old  colonial  palace  at  New 
Berne,  his  father  then  being  Governor,  the 
successor  of  Richard  Caswell,  first  governor 
elected  under  our  State  constitution. 

His  education  was  conducted  by  Rev.  M. 
Pattillo,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of  piety  and 
learning,  at  Williamsboro,  Granville  County, 
and  he  was  prepared  for  college  by  Rev.  Thomas 
P.  Irving,  of  New  Berne,  a  divine,  and  scholar 
of  eminent  attainments ;  he  graduated  at 
Princeton,  in  1799,  in  same  class  with  John 
Forsythe,  of  Georgia;  Jas.  C.  Johnston,  of  Ed- 
enton,  and  others.  He  returned  home  and  com- 
menced the  study  of  the  Law,  in  the  practice  of 
which  from  his  ability,  learning  and  assiduity, 
he  attained  high  distinction.  It  was  natural, 
from  such  qualifications,  that  his  fellow  citizens 
should  look  to  him  as  a  suitable  representative 
in  the  halls  of  Legislation.     Li  1814-15 he  rep- 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


333 


resented  New  Berne  in  the  Legislature,  where, 
from  his  ability  and  parity  of  chai'acter,  he 
wielded  great  influence.  He  continued  to 
reside  at  New  Berne  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  until  1808,  when  he  removed  to 
Hillsboro',  and  purchased  the  residence  of 
his  friend,  Judge  Cameron,  where  he  resided  till 
his  death.  In  1814-15  and  1816-17  he  repre- 
sented Orange  County  in  the  Legislature,  and 
in  1818  was  elected  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
Superior  Coui'ts.  He  possessed  those  qualities 
which  Lord  Campbell  has  designated  as  essen- 
tial to  a  good  judge:  "  Patience  in  hea-'Ing, 
evenessof  temper,  aid  kindness  of  heart."  He 
served  eight  years  in  ':bis  laborious  and  impor- 
tant position  when  he  resigned;  and  in  1827- 
28  represented  liill&boro' in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons. He  was  again  elected  in  1836  to  the 
Superior  Court  Bench,  and  in  1844  succeeded 
Judge  G-aston  as  one  of  the  justices  of  the  Su- 
preme Court.  On  the  res'giation  of  Judge 
Ruffin  he  was  made  Chief  Justice.  Here  w.is 
a  field  where  h^s  extensive  learning,  b's  amen'ty 
of  temper  and  his  "  even-handed  justice"  had 
full  emplovment.  He  occupied  this  importauL 
post  till  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Hillsboro' 
on  5th  December,  1858. 

He  married  Mary  Kallock,  of  Elizabethtown, 
New  Jersey,  and  left  a  la^'ge  family. 

Among  them:     I,  Frederick;  H,  Henry  K.; 
Ill,  Shepperd;  IV,  Sally;  V,  Maria. 

For  much  of  this  sbetch  we  are  indebted  to 
the  Memoir  of  Judge  Nash,  by  the   late  Hon. 
John  H.  Bryan.     Uni.  Mag.,  X.,  257. 
w  Archibald  Debow  Murphey,  (born  1777,  died 

3rd  February,  1832, )  son  of  Colonel  Archibald 
Murphey,  was  born  in  Caswell  County,  near 
Milton.  His  early  education  was  conducted  by 
Rev.  Dr.  David  Caldwell,  and  finished  at  the 
University,  where  he  graduated  in  1799,  in  the 
second  class  graduated  at  that  institution.  In 
this  class  were  Francis  Nash,  "William  Benton, 
John  Phifer  and  others.     Such  was  his  reputa- 


tion as  a  scholar,  that  he  was  appointed  to  the 
chair  of  Ancient  Languages  in  the  University, 
which  he  filled  acceptably  for  three  years,  when 
he  resigned  and  studied  law  under  "William 
Duffy,  then  residing  in  Hillsboro.  He  rapidly 
advanced  in  his  profession,  at  that  period, 
adorned  by  the  ability  of  such  legal  celebrities 
as  Cameron,  Norwood,  Nash,  Seawell,  Yancey, 
Ruffin,  Badger  and  others.  Among  these  he 
held  a  high  position,  and  which  fully  justified 
the  remark  of  Pinkney  that  the  Bar  was  not  a 
place  where  false  and  fraudulent  reputation  for 
talents  can  be  maintained.  His  practice  for 
3'ears  was  not  exceeded  by  that  of  any  lawyer 
in  the  State;  and  his  success  was  equal  to  its 
extent.  Pai  ticularly  did  he  excel  in  the  Equity 
branch  of  the  j^rofession  and  in  the  examina- 
tion of  witnesses.  In  1818  he  was  elected  one 
of  the  judges  of  the  Superior  Courcs,  and  in 
this  elevated  position  he  well  sustained  his  rep- 
utation for  learning  and  ability  wh'oh  had  been 
so  well  established  at  the  Bar.  He  commanded 
the  admiration  of  the  profession  and  the  peo- 
ple, by  the  courtesy,  patience,  dignity  and  jus- 
tice of  his  rulings.  After  riding  the  circuit 
for  two  years  he  resigned,  and  returned  to  the 
less  laborious  and  more  germane  practice  of  his 
profession.  From  1812  to  1818  he  was  a  Sen- 
ator in  the  Legls'ature  from  Orange  County 
In  this  new  arena  he  was  more  conspicuous  than 
he  had  been  at  the  Bar,  or  on  the  Bench,  and 
wielded  a  larger  influence  than  any  other  mem- 
ber in  the  Councils  of  the  State.  In  1819  he 
published  "  A  Memoir  of  Improvements  Con- 
templated, and  the  Resources  and  Finances  of 
the  State,"  dedicated  to  Gov.  Branch,  which 
will  rank  with  the  eff"ort8  of  a  Clinton  or  a  Cal- 
houn, and  which  elicited  from  the  North  Amer- 
ican Review,  high  commendations.  "With  his 
mind  absorbed  in  the  gigantic  schemes  of  in- 
ternal improvements,  at  the  same  time  he  as- 
siduously labored  in  his  profession  and  literary 
pursuits.     Judge  Murphey  conceived  the  pur- 


334 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


pose  of  writing  the  History  of  the  State.  He 
knew  her  resources;  he  was  familiar  with  her 
earl  J'  records;  he  had  studied  her  interets;  he 
had  visited  every  section  fi'om  the  mountains 
to  the  seaboard;  he  knew  personally  every  lead- 
ing man  of  eminence  or  intelligence  in  the 
State.  He  had  gathered  material  from  every 
source,  public  and  private,  at  home  and  abroad. 
He  fully  felt  the  importance  and  the  necessity 
of  a  good  history  of  the  State.  In  a  letter  to 
General  Joseph  Graham,  (20th  July,  lb21,)  he 


"We  want  such  a  work,  we  neither  know 
outsiders;  nor  are  we  known  to  others.  We 
want  pride;  we  want  independence;  we  know 
nothing  of  our  State  and  we  care  nothing  about 
it." 

At  his  instance,  the  Legislature  through  Mr. 
Gallatin  our  Envoy  in  England  caused  the  offi- 
ces of  the  Board  of  Trade  in  the  Rolls  offices  in 
London,  to  l)e  explored,  a  rich  mine  never  de- 
veloped; he  corresponded  with  Mr.  Jeftersou, 
Mr.  Madison  and  other  literary  men  of  other 
states,  and  with  the  families  of  Govs.  Burke, 
Caswell,  Johnston,  and  with  many  revolution- 
ary officers  then  living,  as  Generals  Graham 
Lenoir,  Col.  Wm.  Polk  and  others  all  of  whom 
contributed  their  treasures  of  knowledge  freely 
to  him. 

The  Legislature  in  1826,  upon  his  applica- 
tion, granted  authority  to  him  to  raise  by  a 
lottery,  a  sum  sufficient  to  carry  out  his  pa- 
triotic intentions.  But  beyond  publishing  one 
or  two  chapters  on  the  Indians,  ill  health  and 
decayed  fortune  arrested  this  great  enterprise; 
poverty  and  adversity  clouded  the  evening  of 
his  days.  He  died  at  Hillsboro',  February  3rd, 
1832,  and  is  buried  in  the  Presbyterian  grave 
yard,  a  few  feet  from  the  front  door  of  the 
church.  He  left  two  sons.  Dr.  V.  Moreau 
Murphey,of  Macon,  Mississippi,  and  Lieutenant 
P.  U.  Murphey  of  the  Navy  (since  dead,)  and 
several   grand   children,  among  whom  Judge 


Ai'chibald  Murphey  Aiken,  who  worthily  sus- 
tains the  high  reputation  of  his  illustrious  pat- 
ronomic  and  ancestor. 

We  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  for  much 
of  the  material  of  this  truthful  memoir  to  the 
able  address  of  Gov.  W.  A.  Graham.  (N.  C. 
Hni.  Mag.  Aug.,  1860.) 

William  Norwood,  born  1767  died  1840,  one 
of  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  North 
Carolina,  was  a  native  of  Orange  county.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from 
Hillsboro'  in  1806,  and  re-elected  in  1807. 

He  was  elected  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Superior  Courts  in  1820  and  after  serving  with 
great  acceptability  for  sixteen  years,  he  re- 
signed in  1836,  on  account  of  his  ill  health; 
he  died  in  1840. 

Dr.  William  Montgomery,  born  1791,  died 
1844,  long  a  resident,  and  a  representative 
from  this  county,  entered  public  life  in  1824, 
as  a  Senator  from  Orange  county  in  the  Leg- 
silature,  and  served  till  1884,  when  he  was 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  24th  Congress 
(1835-'37)  and  continued  to  the  25th  and  26th 
Congress,  1841  where  he  dechned  further  pub- 
lic life.  He  was  distinguished  for  the  inflexi- 
bility of  his  political  principles,  and  his  fidelity 
to  his  party. 

Willie  Person  Mangum,  born  1792,  died 
Sept.  14th,  1861,  a  native  and  resident  of  this 
County  was  born  in  1792,  and  educated  at  the 
University  where  he  graduated  in  1815,  in  the 
same  class  with  John  H.  Bryan,  Isaac  Croom, 
Francis  L.  Hawks,  Richard  Dobbs  Spaight,  Jr. 
and  others.  He  studied  law,  and  became  so 
distinguished  in  the  profession  that  in  1819  at 
the  early  age  of  28  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts.  He  had  been 
the  previous  year,  elected  a  member  of  the 
Legislature.  In  1823  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  28th  Congress  (1824)  and  re-elected 
to  the  next  Congress,  after  1826  he  was  again 
elected  a  Judge  of  the  Superior  Courts.     In 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


335 


1829  he  was  elected  and  voted  for  Jackson; 
in  1831,  he  was  elected  Senator  in  Congress 
and  served  till  1836  when,  under  instructions, 
he  resigned.  His  party  came  again  into 
power,  and  1841  he  was  again  elected  Senator 
and  re-elected  in  1847  and  served  till  4th 
March,  1854.  He  lived  in  high  party  times, 
and  his  political  life  was  chequered  with  alter- 
nate success  and  defeat.  Yet  he  bore  the  one 
with  dignity  and  moderation,  and  the  other 
with  calmness  and  resignation. 

In  1837  he  received  the  electoral  vote  of 
South  Carolina  for  President.  On  the  death 
of  Gen.  Harrison  (1841)  and  the  accession  of 
Mr.  Tyler  to  the  Presidency,  he  was  elected  as 
presiding  officer  in  the  Senate,  and  through  the 
term  of  Mr.  Tyler's  administration  held  this 
dignified  position. 

He  now  retired  from  the  busy  theatre  of  pol- 
itics in  which  he  had  been  so  prominent  an  ac- 
tor, to  his  country  home  at  Red  Mountain.  His 
latter  days  were  clouded  by  sorrow  at  the  loss 
of  a  favorite  son  in  battle.  He  died  at  home 
on  Sept.  14th,  1861. 

He  married  Miss  Cain  of  Orange. 

Thomas  H.  Benton,  (born  1782,  died  1858,) 
was  born  near  Ilillsboro,  N.  C.,at  Hart's  Mills, 
March  14th,  1782.  He  was  educated  at  the 
University,  but  never  graduated.  He  studied 
law  under  St.  George  Tucker  at  William  and 
Mary  College,  Va.  He  entered  the  United 
States  Army,  but  soon  resigned  his  commission 
as  Lieutenant  Colonel;  and  in  1811  settled 
in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  law.  After  a  short  time  he  emi- 
grated to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  became  con- 
nected with  the  press.  He  soon  arose  to  posi- 
tion and  influence,  and  in  1820  was  elected  to 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  To  the  Sen- 
ate he  was  repeatedly  re-elected  for  "thirty 
years,"  and  there  was  no  public  measure  from 
1821  to  1851  in  which  he  did  not  take  an  active 
part;  every  subject  he  discussed  was  exhausted 


by  his  research  and  powers  of  investigation. 
He  was  a  decided  democrat,  and  the  chief  sup- 
porter of  Jackson  and  Van  Buren  in  the  Sen- 
ate. His  long  term  of  service  caused  others, 
who  wished  his  place,  to  supplant  him,  by  strong 
efforts  they  were  finally  successful.  He  was, 
however,  returned  to  33rd  Congress  (1853-55) 
as  a  member  of  the  House.  He  then  retired 
from  public  service  and  devoted  the  balance 
of  his  life  to  the  compilation  of  his  Register  of 
Debates.  He  died  at  Washington  City  April 
10th, 1858. 

General  Geo.  B.  Anderson,  (born  April  lil, 
1831,  died  Oct.  16,  1862,)  was  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam E.  Anderson,  born  near  Hillsboro.  His 
mother  was  Eliza,  daughter  of  Geo.  Burgw^n, 
of  New  Hanover. 

His  education  was  conducted  by  William 
Bingham,  and  at  the  Caldwell  Institute,  until 
1848,  when  he  was,  on  the  reconnnendation  of 
Hon.  A.  W.  Venable,  appointed  a  cadet  at  the 
United  States  Military  Academy,  where  he 
graduated  in  1852.  He  was  then  appointed 
Lieutenant  of  Dragoons.  After  spending  six 
months  in  the  Cavalry  School,  at  Carlisle,  he 
was  appointed  assistant  to  Lt.  Parke  of  the  En- 
gineers and  ordered  to  locate  the  route  for  a 
railroad  to  California.  This  duty  performed, 
he  joined  his  regiment  in  Texas,  and  marched 
over  to  Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  where  the  troops 
were  constantly  engaged  in  arresting  predatory 
parties,  headed  by  Lane  and  Ossawatomie 
Brown,  or  Missouri  mobs.  When  the  war  of 
1861  began  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the 
United  States  Army,  and  hastened  to  North 
Carolina  to  share  the  fortunes  of  his  native 
State.  He  was  the  first  officer  of  the  old  army 
who  tendered  his  sword  and  services  to  North 
Carolina.  He  was  appointed  on  May  18, 1861, 
by  Gov.  Ellis,  colonel  to  the  4th  Reg't,  N.  C. 
troops;  John  A.  Young,  of  Charlotte,  was  the 
Lt.  Col.,  and  Bryan  Grimes,  of  Pitt,  Major. 
The  Regiment  after  being  organized  at  Garys- 


336 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


burg,  marched  to  the  front.  Though  engaged 
in  slight  skirmishes  at  Williiimsburg,  the  4th 
Regiment  did  not  receive  its  real  baptism  till 
May  31,  in  the  bloody  battle  of  Seven  Pines. 
Here,  in  the  absence  of  General  Featherston, 
Colonel  Anderson  commanded  a  Brigade,  con- 
sisting of  the  49th  Va.,  Col.  (Ex-Go v.)  Wm. 
Smith;  27th  and  28th  Georgia,  and  the  4th  N. 
C  The  latter  went  into  this  battle  with  520 
men  and  27  officers.  It  lost  86  men  killed,  376 
wounded ,  and  24  officers.  Such  was  the  gallant 
bearing  and  skillful  conduct  of  Colonel  An- 
derson, that  he  received  the  highest  encomiums 
from  his  commander,  Gen.  D.  H.  Hill,  and  was 
promoted  on  June  the  9th  to  be  a  Brigadier- 
General,  and  the  2nd,  4th,  14th  and  20th  regi- 
ments of  North  Carolina  troops  were  assigned  as 
his  brigade. 

In  the  series  of  battles  around  Richmond 
the  brigade  earned  an  immortality  of  renown. 
At  Malvern  Hill,  Gen.  Anderson  was  wounded 
in  the  hand.  At  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg, 
Sept.  17th,  he  occupied  a  promiiient  position 
on  slightly  rising  ground.  While  thus  exposed 
he  was  struck  by  a  minuie  ball  near  the  ankle 
joint  and  fell.  He  was  carried  with  diffi- 
culty and  danger  to  the  rear,  and  subsequently 
across  the  Potomac  to  Sheperdstown.  Ac- 
companied by  his  brother,  Lieutenant  Robert 
Walker  Anderson,  who  was  afterwards  killed, 
May  5th,  1864,  in  the  Wilderness,  he  was  car- 
ried in  a  wagon  up  the  valley  to  Stanton,  thence 
by  rail  to  Raleigh.  Here  at  the  residence  of 
his  brother,  Wm.  E.  Anderson,  he  received 
every  attention  that  science  and  affection 
could  offer.  After  a  fortnight  of  intense  suf- 
fering, mortification  set  in,  and  amputation 
was  resorted  to,  as  the  last  hope,  but  he  sank 
under  the  operation.  On  the  16th  of  Oct. 
1862,  his  pure  and  noble  spirit  departed  for 
another  and  better  world. 

He  was  buried    in   the  city  cemetery  with 
obsequies  suitable  to  his  gallant  conduct,  and 


his  heroic  death.     He  married  Nov.  8th,  1857, 
Mips  Mildred  Ewing,  of  Louisville. 

While  endeavoring  to  sketch  the  heroes, 
statesmen  and  patriots,  the  patient  and  labo- 
rious educator  of  our  day  should  not  be  ne- 
glected. We  extract  from  "the  Living  Writers 
of  the  South,"  the  following  tribute  to  the 
carefulness  and  merits  of  one  of  our  most  dis- 
tinguished men  in  that  useful  profession  of  edu- 
cation— William  Bingham. 

He  is  of  the  third  generation  of  a  race  of 
teachers — teachers  who  have  always  main- 
tained a  prominent  place  in  that  honorable 
calling.  Colonel  Bingham  was  born  a  school 
master.  He  was  born  on  July  7th,  1835,  and 
has  followed  like  the  "pucr  Ascanius"  of  Virgil 
in  the  "passibus  equis"  of  his  illustrious  sires, 
his  father  and  grand  father.  After  due  prep- 
aration by  his  father,  he  entered  the  Univer- 
sity and  graduated  in  1856  in  the  same  class 
with  Clement  Dowd,  (Mr.  Dowd's  thesis  at 
this  commencement  was  "the  corrupting  in- 
fluences of  political  controversy," )  John  T.  Gil- 
more,  Thos.  B.  Slade  and  others,  attaining  the 
first  distinction  thi'oughout  the  course. 

This  nursery  of  so  many  distinguished  youths 
of  our  State,  the  Bingham  School,  was  estab- 
lished by  the  Rev.  William  Bingham  in  1793, 
it  was  removed  from  New  Berne  to  Hillsboro 
and  still  survives  in  undiminished  usefulness 
the  pride  and  ornament  of  the  State.  He  com- 
menced teaching  at  12  years  of  age,and  in  1861 
was  an  author  of  a  text  book  in  Latin. 

He  has  published: 

1.  A  Grammar  of  the  Latin,  with  exercises 
and  vocabularies,  Greensboro,  1863. 

2.  Cffisar's  Commentaries  with  notes  1864. 

3.  A  Grammar  of  the  English  language, 
1867,  which  is  pronounced  to  be  the  best  gram- 
mar ever  published  in  the  United  States. 

Col.  Bingham  is  preparing  an  edition  of 
Sallust's  "Jugurthine  War,  and  Conspiracy  of 
CataUne  " 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


337 


Without  some  reference  to  this  alma  mater, 
the  University  of  North  Carohna,  a  book  of 
reminiscenses  of  eminent  North  Carolinians 
would  be  incomplete. 

When  we  consider  the  extended  list  of  her 
alumni,  who  have  risen  to  eminence  and  to  be- 
come ornaments  of  their  native  land,  both  at 
home  and  in  other  States;  so  many  of  that 
hand  of  graduates  have  become  laurel  crowned 
and  honored  in  every  sphere  of  life's  duties, 
that  their  abna  mater  cannot  but  feel  elated 
with  much  of  the  same  pride,  which  the  poet 
says,  swelled  the  breasts  of  the  mother  of  the 
gods  on  Mount  Olympus,  as  she  looked  upon 
her  children- 

See  all  her  protrcDy,  illustrious  sight! 
Behold  and  count  them  as  they  rise  to  sight, 
She  sees  around  her  in  the  blest  abode, 
A  hundred  sons,  and  every  son  a  god! 

Therefore,  I  have  extracted  from  a  published 
address  of  the  late  Hon.  William  H.  Battle, 
delivered  June,  1865,  the  following  reminis- 
cences: 

It  is  the  boast  of  our  State  that  in  its  or- 
ganic law,  provision  is  made  for  the  instruction 
of  her  youth  in  all  useful  learning.  By  the 
41st  section  of  the  Constitution  it  is  declared  : 
"That  a  school  or  schools  shall  be  established  by 
the  legislature  for  the  convenient  instruction 
of  youth,  with  such  salaries  to  the  masters,  paid 
by  the  public,  as  may  enable  them  to  instruct 
at  low  prices  ;  and  all  useful  learning  shall  be 
duly  encouraged  and  promoted  in  one  or  more 
universities."  The  merit  of  those  who  adopted 
this  wise  provision  cannot  be  duly  appreciated, 
without  adverting  for  a  moment  to  the  time 
at,  and  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was 
made.  The  war  of  the  Revolution  had  but 
fairly  commenced,  and  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence had  only  a  few  months  before  been 
promulgated,  when  a  convention  of  the  people 
met  at  the  town  of  Halifax  for  the  purpose  of 
preparing  a  constitution  or  form  of  govern- 
ment for  the  State.     The   country  was  poor. 


the  people  generally  but  slightly  educated,  and 
the  war  then  raging  was  of  doubtful  issue,  yet 
the  members  of  the  convention  were  resolved 
that  their  posterity  should  enjoy  the  advanta- 
ges of  education  which  had  been  denied  to  the 
most  of  them.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  a 
large  majority  of  those  members  had  been  in- 
structed only  in  the  plain  rulesof  reading,  writ- 
ing and  arithmetic,  but  destitute  as  they  were 
of  book  learning,  they  had,  in  the  business  of 
social  and  political  life,  improved  their  mental 
faculties,  and  had  thereby  educated  themselves 
to  a  due  appreciation  of  the  rights  and  privil- 
eges to  which,  as  free  men,  they  were  entitled. 
A  few,  and  but  a  few  of  them,  were  men  who 
had  been  more  favored  by  fortune,  and  were 
well  instructed  in  all  the  branches  of  a  classical 
and  scientific  education.  Prominent  among 
these  were  Richard  Caswell,  Thomas  Burke, 
John  Ashe,  Samuel  Ashe,  Abner  Nash,  David 
Caldwell,  Joseph  Hewes,  Thomas  Jones,  Allen 
Jones,  Willie  Jones,  Cornelius  Harnett,  Archi- 
bald McLaine  and  Waightstill  Avery.  Richard 
Caswell  was  president  of  the  convention,  and 
Thomas  Burke  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  the  constitution.  They  were  both  eminent 
lawyers,  and  it  is  to  them  and  their  enlightened 
compeers  that  we  are  indebted  to  that  section 
of  the  constitution  from  which  have  emanated 
our  University,  our  Colleges  and  our  noble  sys- 
tem of  Common  Schools.  The  constitution  was 
ratified  the  18th  day  of  December,  1776,  and  the 
war  ceased  by  a  definite  treaty  of  peace  which 
secured  our  independence  in  September,  1783; 
but  was  not  until  the  year  1789  that  the  finan- 
cial condition  of  the  State  justified  the  legisla- 
ture in  making  the  necessary  expenditures  for 
the  foundation  of  a  University.  In  that  year 
the  charter  of  this  institution  was  granted,  and 
among  the  patriotic  and  enlightened  members 
who  advocated  it,  no  one  stood  more  conspicu- 
ous than  Gen'l  William  R.  Davie.  Of  his 
efforts  on  that  occasion,  the  late  Judge  Mur- 


338 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


phey,who  delivered  the  first  annual  address  be- 
fore your  Societies,  thus  spoke  in  that  address: 
"  The  General  Assembly  resolved  to  found  our 
University.-  I  was  present  at  the  House  of 
Commons,  when  Davie  addressed  that  body 
upon  the  bill  granting  a  loan  of  money  to  the 
Trustees  for  erecting  the  building  of  this  Uni- 
versity, and  although  more  than  thirty  years 
have  since  elapsed,  I  have  the  most  vivid  recol- 
lections of  the  greatness  of  his  manner  and  the 
powers  of  his  eloquence  upon  that  occasion." 
After  the  grant  of  the  charter,  the  first  object 
which  engaged  the  attention  of  the  Trustees, 
was  to  fix  upon  a  site  for  the  institution.  The 
first  Board  consisted  of  fortj'  members  who  re- 
sided in  various  parts  of  the  State,  and  were 
all  men  distmguished  for  position  and  influence. 
The  committee  appointed  by  them  for  the  pur- 
pose, after  a  careful  examination  of  many  places 
which  had  been  suggested  them  as  suitable,  se- 
lected Chapel  Hill.  This  place  was  so-called 
from  its  being  the  site  of  one  of  the  anti-revo- 
lutionary churches  of  the  English  Estabhsh- 
ment.  The  church  building  is  said  to  have 
stood  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  Capt.  Rich- 
ard S.  Ashe.  It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to 
revert  to  the  terms  in  which  the  location  was 
spoken  of  in  one  of  the  pubHc  journals  of  that 
day  : 

"The  seat  of  the  University  is  on  the  sum- 
mit of  a  very  high  ridge.  There  is  a  gentle 
declivity  of  300  yards  to  the  village,  which  is 
situated  in  a  handsome  plain  considerably 
lower  than  the  site  of  the  public  buildings,  but 
so  greatly  elevated  above  the  neighboring 
country  as  to  furnish  an  extensive  landscape. 
The  ridge  appears  to  commence  about  half  a 
mile  directly  east  of  the  college  buildings, 
where  it  rises  abruptly  several  hundred  feet. 

This  peak  is  called  Point  Prospect.  The 
flat  country  spreads  ofl'  below,  like  the  ocean 
giving  an  immense  hemisphere,  in  which  the 
eye  seems  to  be  lost  in  the  extent  of  space." 


The  building  committee,  having  in  the  year 
1793  secured  a  competent  contractor  in  the  per- 
son of  Mr.  James  Patterson,  of  Chatham  Coun- 
ty, the  12th  day  of  October  in  that  year  was 
fixed  upon  for  laj'ing  the  corner  stone  of  the 
first  buildinsr.  The  following  account  of  the 
ceremony  subsequently  appeared  in  the  journal 
to  which  we  have  already  referred:  "A  large 
number  of  the  brethren  of  the  Masonic  order 
from  Hillsboro',  Chatham,  Granville  and  War- 
ren attended  to  assist  at  the  ceremony  of  plac- 
ing the  corner  stone,  and  the  procession  for  this 
purpose  moved  from  Mr.  Patterson's  at  12 
o'clock  in  the  following  order:  The  Masonic 
brethren  in  their  usual  order  of  procession,  the 
Commissioners,  the  Trustees  not  commission- 
ers, the  Hon.  Judge  McKay  and  other  public 
oflicers;  then  followed  the  gentlemen  of  the 
vicinity.  On  approaching  the  south  end  of  the 
building  the  Masons  opened  to  the  right  and 
left,and  Ihe  Commissioners,etc.,  passed  through 
and  took  their  place.  The  Masonic  procession 
then  moved  on  round  the  foundation  of  the 
building,  and  halted  with  their  usual  ceremo- 
nies opposite  the  southeast  corner,  where  Wil- 
liam Richardson  Davie,  Grand  Master  of  the 
Fraternity,  etc.,  in  this  State,  assisted  by  two 
Masters  of  Lodges  and  four  other  ofiicers,  laid 
the  corner-stone,  enclosing  a  plate  to  commem- 
orate the  transaction." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  McCorkle,  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  then  made  an  appropriate 
and  eloquent  address  to  his  fellow  members  and 
the  spectators,  which  closed  as  follows:  "  The 
seat  of  the  University  was  next-sought  for,  and 
the  public  eye  selected  Chapel  Hill,  a  lovely  sit- 
uation, in  the  centre  of  the  State,  at  a  conven- 
ient distance  from  the  capital,  in  a  healthy  and 
fertile  neighborhood.  May  this  hill  be  for  reli- 
gion as  the  ancient  hill  of  Zion;  and  for  litera- 
ture and  the  muses  may  it  surpass  the  ancient 
Parnassus!  We  this  day  enjoy  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  the  corner  stone  of  the  University,  its 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


SS9 


foundation,  its  material,  and  the  architect  of 
the  buildings,  and  we  hope  ere  long  to  see  its 
stately  walls  and  spire  ascending  to  their  sum- 
mit. Ere  long  we  hope  to  see  it  adorned  with 
an  elegant  village,  accommodated  with  all  the 
necessaries  and  conveniences  of  civilized  so- 
ciety." This  address  was  followed  hy  a  short 
prayer,  which  closed  with  the  united  Aynm 
of  an  immense  concourse  of  people. 

The  building,  since  called  the  East,  having 
been  sufficiently  prepared,  Mr.  Hinton  James, 
of  Wilmington,  the  first  student,  arrived  on  the 
Hill  the  12th  day  of  February,  179.5,  and  the 
exercises  of  the  institution  were  soon  after  com- 
menced. The  first  instructor  was  the  Rev. 
David  Kerr,  a  graduate  of  Trinity  College, 
Dublin,  who  was  Professor  of  Ancient  Lan- 
guages, and  he  was  assisted  by  Samuel  Allen 
Holmes  in  the  preparatory  department.  Shortly 
afterwards  Charles  W.  Harris,  a  native  of  Ire- 
dell County,  in  this  State,  and  a  graduate  of 
Princeton  College  in  New  Jersey,  was  ap- 
pointed Professor  of  Mathematics,  but  he  held 
the  office  only  one  year,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Caldwell,  who  was  also  a 
graduate  of  Princeton,  and  a  native  of  New 
Jersey.  The  first  commencement,  at  which  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  was  conferred,  was 
held  in  the  year  1798,  when  seven  young  gen- 
tlemen, among  whom  was  Mr.  Hinton  James 
received  that  degree. 

For  several  years  after  the  erection  of  the 
first  building,  the  accommodations  for  the  stu- 
dents, both  in  the  collegiate  and  the  prepara- 
tory department,  remained  nearly  the  same. 
The  old  Chapel  and  the  East  were  the  only  edi- 
fices, and  the  latter  was  then  only  two  stoi'ies 
high,  and  contained  but  sixteen  rooms.  The  old 
chapel  was  the  Aula  Personica  in  which  the  de- 
grees were  for  many  years  conferred. 

The  South  building  was  commenced,  carried 
up  a  story  and  a  half,  and  then  left  for  a  long 
time  in  an  unfinished    state.     "We  are  told  by 


Dr.  Hooper  in  his  admirable  address  before 
Alumni  of  this  institution,  entitled  "Fifty 
Years  Since,"  that  the  students  who  could  not 
well  prepare  their  lessons  in  the  crowded  dor- 
mitories of  the  East,  were  in  the  habit  of  erect- 
ing cabins  in  the  corners  of  the  unfinished  brick 
walls  of  the  South,  where  they  could  pursue 
their  studies  to  better  advantage.  But  Dr. 
Caldwell,  who  was  then  President,  could  not 
long  endure  this  state  of  things;  and  b\^  his  ac- 
tive exertions,  the  sum  of  twelve  thousand  dol- 
lars was  raised  hy  subscription,  which  enabled 
the  Trustees  to  have  the  South  building  com- 
pleted. This  was  done  in  1812;  and  about  the 
year  1824,  the  "West  building  was  erected  and 
an  additional  story  was  put  upon  the  East. 
Shortly  afterwards  the  new  chapel  was  built; 
and  in  1848  extensions  were  added  to  the  East 
and  West  buildings,  which  was  done  mainly  tor 
the  accommodation  of  the  two  Literary  Socie- 
ties, whose  two  rooms  in  the  third  story  of  the 
South  had  become  too  small  for  the  increased 
number  of  members.  The  buildings  since  erec- 
ted have  been  the  University  library,  and  the 
wings  to  the  East  and  West.  The  two  last  were 
finished  and  prepared  for  occupation  only  a 
short  time  before  the  commencement  of  the 
war.  The  beautiful  and  commodious  Society 
Plalls  contained  in  them  have  been  the  admira- 
tion of  all  beholders. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  institution, 
and  for  several  years  afterwards,  the  range  of 
studies  was  very  contracted.  Greek  was  not 
introduced  into  the  course  until  1804,  and  in  • 
the  year  1807,  we  learn  that  Morse's  Geogra- 
phy was  one  of  the  principal  studies  of  the  Soph- 
omore class.  The  higher  mathematics  were  not 
introduced  until  the  Rev.  Elisha  Mitchell  came 
here  as  professor  of  that  science  in  1819.  The 
same  year  witnessed  the  advent  of  Denison 
Olmsted  as  the  first  Professor  of  Chemistry; 
and  in  the  year  following,  the  Rev.  Shepherd 
K.  Kollock,  was  in  like  manner  the  first  Pro- 


340 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


sesBor  of  Rhetoric  and  Logic.  After  that  time 
the  number  and  variety  of  studies  were  ejreatly 
increased,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  present 
college  curriculum  is  on  as  high  a  scale  as  any 
in  the  United  States. 

The  University  has,  in  the  main,  been  for- 
tunate in  its  governors  and  instructors.  Dur- 
ing the  first  nine  years  of  its  existence,  it  had 
no  president,  but  was  under  the  management 
of  a  professor  as  a  presiding  officer;  that  officer 
however,  was,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time, 
the  same  distinguished  gentleman  who  after- 
wards became  its  first  president.  Of  his  emi- 
nent merits  in  that  respect  it  is  unnecessary  for 
me  to  speak  at  this  time  and  in  this  place.  The 
beautiful  monument  erected  to  his  memory  by 
the  Alumni  of  this  institution,  and  which  now 
graces  and  adorns  the  college  campus,  fully  at- 
tests his  claim  to  distinction,  not  only  as  the 
head  of  the  University,  but  as  a  learned  divine 
and  an  early  and  efficient  advocate  of  a  system 
of  internal  improvements  and  of  common 
schools  in  the  State.  His  presidency  extended 
from  his  first  appointment  in  1804,  until  his 
death  in  1835,  with  the  exception  of  an  inter- 
val of  four  years,  from  1812  to  1816,  during 
which  the  unsuccessful  administration  of  Dr. 
Robert  H.  Chapman  occurred.  Of  the  present 
incumbent,*  I  shall  sa}'  nothing,  except  that  he 
has  filled  the  office  with  distinguished  success 
for  nearly  thirty  years.  In  administering  the 
affairs  of  college,  and  in  business  of  instruction, 
the  presidents  were  aided  by  a  succession  of 
many  learned  and  able  professors.  Of  those 
who  are  now  members  of  the  faculty,  it  will  not 
be  expected  of  me  to  speak;  and  of  those  who 
have  gone  from  us  and  are  still  living,  I  will 
merely  refer  you  to  Dr.  William  Hooper  and 
John  DeBerniere  Hooper,  to  Bishop  Green, of 
Mississippi,  to  Professor  Hedrick,  and  to  Drs. 
Deems,  "Wheat  and  Shipp.     Among  the  dead 


•Hon.  David  L.  Swain. 


there  are  several  names  which  the  friends  of 
the  University  ought  not  to  permit  to  be  for- 
gotten. There  was  Charles  W.  Harris,  to  whose 
brief  sojourn  here  we  were  indebted  for  Dr. 
Caldwell;  there  was  Archibald  D.  Murphey,who 
afterwards  became  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished jurists  and  statesmen  of  North  Caro- 
lina; the  Rev.  William  Bingham,  of  whom 
Chief  Justice  Taylor  said,  that  as  a  teacher  of 
a  school  he  was  well  qualified  to  raise  its  repu- 
tation, "  by  the  extent  of  his  acquirements,  the 
purity  of  his  life,  and  the  judgment  by  which 
he  accommodated  the  discipline  and  instruc- 
tions of  the  school  to  the  various  talents  and 
dispositions  of  the  youth."  There  was  Dr.  Ethan 
A.  Andrews,  so  well  known  for  his  classical  la- 
bors; and  Dr.  Olmsted,  who,  as  Professor  of 
Natural  Philosophy  at  Yale  College,  so  greatly 
increased  the  reputation  which  he  had  estab- 
lished as  Professor  of  Chemistry  here ;  there  was 
Nicholas  M.  Hentz,  a  learned  man,  but  not  so 
widely  known  as  his  accomplished  wife,  Mrs. 
Caroline  Lee  Hentz;  there  was  Walker  Ander- 
son, who  afterwards  removed  to  Florida  and 
became  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
that  State;  and  finally  there  was  Dr.  Elisha 
Mitchell,  whose  varied,  extensive  and  profound 
literary  and  scientific  acquirements  were  lost 
to  the  world  a  few  years  ago  by  a  tragical  event 
which  sent  a  pang  of  sorrow  to  every  votary  of 
science  throughout  the  land. 

In  referring  to  the  instructors  of  the  institu- 
tion, the  tutors  should  not  be  passed  over  with- 
out a  notice.  Among  the  living  and  the  dead, 
they  have  very  able  and  distinguished  repre- 
sentatives. Among  the  living  are  ex-Governor 
Morehead,  Hamilton  C.  Jones,  Anderson 
Mitchell,  Giles  Mebane,  Judge  Manly,  ex- Sec- 
retary Jacob  Thompson,  and  others  whose 
names  may  yet  swell  the  trump  of  fame.  Among 
the  dead,  I  would  point  you  to  James  Martin, 
afterwards  a  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court;  to 
Gavin  Hogg,  long  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


341 


the  State;  to  Lewis  Williams,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  so  longthat 
he  acquired  the  name  of  father  of  the  House; 
to  "William  D.  Moseley,  for  many  years  Speaker 
of  the  Senate  in  this  State,  and  afterwards 
Governor  of  Florida;  to  James  H.  Otey,  the 
able  and  learned  Bishop  of  Tennessee;  to  the 
Rev.  Joseph  H.  Saunders,  whose  early  death 
cut  short  a  bright  career  of  usefulness  in  his 
church;  to  Edward  D.  Simms,  whose  growing 
reputation  as  a  professor  in  the  University  of 
Alabama  was  closed  by  death  before  he  had  at- 
tained the  meridian  of  his  years;  and  to  Abra- 
ham F.  Morehead,  the  youngest  member  of  a 
distinguished  family ,who  would  doubtless  have 
greatly  increased  the  fame  of  that  family,  had 
he  not  died  in  the  earliest  dawn  of  manhood. 
I  name  with  peculiar  sadness  George  P.  Bryan, 
George  B.  Johnston, Iowa  Royster  and  E.  Gra- 
ham Morrow,  who  have  so  recently  been  con- 
signed to  soldiers'  graves. 

From  this  hasty  and  imperfect  sketch  of  the 
origin  and  history  of  the  University,  it  appears 
clearly  and  strongly  that  the  founders  of  our 
republic  and  their  successors,  have  always  had  a 
deep  sense  of  the  importance  of  a  collegiate  ed- 
ucation. The  enquiry  is  naturally  presented, 
how  far  their  hopes  have  been  realized  from 
this  institution;  in  other  words,  with  what 
measure  of  success  has  it  been  attended  in  pro- 
moting and  advancing  the  weal  of  the  State? 
A  practical  solution  of  this  enquiry  may  perhaps 
be  obtained  by  ascertaining,  if  we  can,  what 
influence  the  men  who  received  their  educa- 
tion here  have  had  in  the  management  and  di. 
rection  of  the  aff"airs  of  the  General  aud  State 
governments.  It  is  unnecessary  on  this  occa- 
sion, to  go  into  minute  details  on  this  subject, 
but  we  can  say  in  general,  and  say  with  cer- 
tainty, that  there  is  scarcely  an  ofiice  or  place 
of  profit  or  trust,  or  any  position  in  the  busi- 
ness of  life,  professional  or  non-professional, 
ecclesiastical  or  lay,   military  or   civil,  which 


has  not  been  filled,  time  and  again,  by  some 
one  who  has  received  his  education,  in  whole 
or  in  part,  at  this  University.  To  the  general 
government  it  has  furnished  one  President,  at 
least  five  members  of  the  cabinet  and  four  min- 
isters to  foreign  courts,  while  of  the  number 
which  it  has  sent  to  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  it  is  difiicult  to  make  a  reck- 
oning In  the  State  government  there  is  hardly 
any  ofiice  which  has  not  been  filled  b}'  those 
who  have  gone  forth  from  these  halls.  It  has 
its  representatives  in  the  highest  places  of  the 
church,  among  the  leaders  at  the  bar,  and  in 
the  chambers  where  suft'ering  humanity  most 
needs  the  aid  of  educated  science  and  skill. 
It  has  supplied  banks  and  railroads  with  pres- 
idents, clerks  and  superintendents.  It  sends  its 
uilumni  to  explore  mines  and  to  construct  rail- 
roads; and  above  all  and  best  of  all,  it  furnishes 
to  agriculture  and  commerce  some  of  their  most 
enlightened,  energetic  and  skillful  votaries. 

The  exciting  times  through  which  we  have 
just  passed  and  are  now  passing,  have  prevented 
me  from  bringing  more  particularly  to  your  at- 
tention the  men  whom  our  University  has  sent 
forth  to  act  their  parts  in  the  world.  It  is  only 
by  the  offices  which  they  have  filled,  or  the 
places  -?hich  they  have  occupied,  that  I  have 
recalled  them  to  your  recollection.  Many  of 
them  have  paid  the  great  debt  of  nature,  and 
gone  to  render  to  their  Maker  an  account  of 
their  stewardship.  Others  are  still  living  to 
perform,  it  may  be,  higher  duties  to  their  coun- 
try, and  to  obtain  greater  rewards  for  them- 
selves. Of  all  these,  dead  or  living,  I  have 
nothing  further  to  say.  But  with  your  indul- 
gence, I  will  occupy  a  few  more  moments  of 
your  time  in  recalling  from  the  dim  recollections 
of  the  past  the  names  of  a  few  men,  each  of 
whom  was  regarded  as  the  college  genius  of 
the  day,  and  who  with  well  directed  energies 
and  a  longer  life,  might  have  left  a  name  which 
the  world  would  not  willingly  have  let  die. 


342 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


William  Cherry  was  a  native  of  Bertie 
County,  and  was  graduated  here  in  the  year 
1800.  While  in  college  he  was  not  a  very  dil- 
igent student,  but  his  aptitude  for  learning 
was  so  marvellous  that,  it  was  said,  he  could 
prepare  his  lesson  after  the  recitation  bell  had 
commenced  ringing.  Having  selected  the  law  as 
his  profession,  he  had  already  attained  an  ex- 
tensive practice  and  a  high  rank  at  the  Bar, 
when  his  career  was  cut  short  by  death,  caused 
by  intemperance,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty- 
seven.  Those  who  were  engaged  in  practice 
with  him  could  not  but  wonder  at  the  admir- 
able manner  in  which  he  managed  his  causes, 
knowiTig  as  they  did  that  the  time  which  he 
ought  to  have  spent  in  the  preperation  of  them, 
was  passed  at  the  card  table  and  around  the  in- 
toxicating bowl.  A  story  is  still  remembered, 
that  on  one  occasion,  in  the  forgetfulness  caused 
by  a  deep  debauch,  he  opened  an  important 
cause  by  making  a.  veiy  able  argument  on  the 
wrong  side;  but  being  made  aware  of  his  mis- 
take just  as  he  was  about  to  close,  he,  immedi- 
ately, with  admirable  presence  of  mind,  com- 
menced a  reply  for  his  own  client,  by  saying 
that  the  argument  which  he  had  just  made  was 
what  he  supposed  would  he  urged  by  his  oppo- 
nent, and  that  he  would  proceed  to  answer  it, 
and  expose  its  fallacy.  Tradition,  however, re- 
ports that  his  first  argument  was  so  masterly 
that  he  could  not  answer'it  successfully,  and 
thus  lost  his  cause. 

About  fifteen  years  after  Mr.  Cherry  left  the 
University  a  young  man  from  the  County  of 
Nash  was,  with  many  others,  suspended  from 
college  in  consequence  of  what  was  long  known 
as  the  great  rebellion  of  1817,  which  resulted 
in  the  expulsion  of  the  leaders,  Messrs.  George 
C.  Drumgoole  and  William B.  Shepard,  and  the 
resignation  of  the  President,  Dr.  Chapman. 
The  expelled  members  both  afterwards  became 
distinguished  men,  but  talented  as  they  un- 
doubtedly were,  they  were  decidedly  inferior 


in  genius  to  their  classmate  and  friend,  Thomas 
N.  Mann.  He  became  a  lawyer,  and  at  the 
time  when  he  fell  a  victim  to  consumption', 
while  under  thirty  years  of  age,  he  was  one  of 
the  best  read  and  most  profound  lawyers  in  the 
State.  Though  so  young,  he  was  appointed  by 
the  then  President  of  the  United  States  as 
Charge  cV  Affaires  to  Central  America  and  died 
while  on  his  way  to  the  coui't  of  that  country. 
In  the  year  of  1824,  Thomas  Dewes,  a  young 
man  from  the  County  of  Lincoln,  took  his  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  dividing  with  Prof. 
Simrns,  Judge  Manly  and  ex-Governor  Graham 
the  highest  honor  of  the  class.  His  parents  were 
poor,  and  it  is  said  resorted  to  the  humble  oc- 
cupation of  selling  cakes  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
curing means  for  the  education  of  their  prom- 
ising boy.  After  his  graduation,  he  studied 
law  and  commenced  the  practice  with  every 
prospect  of  eminent  success,  when,  unhappily, 
a  morbid  sensitiveness  of  temperament  drove 
him  to  habits  of  intemperance,  during  one  of 
the  fits  of  which  he  came  to  an  untimely  end 
His  name  which  ought  to  have  gone  down  to 
posterity  on  account  of  great  deeds  achieved  by 
extraordinary  talents,  will  probably  be  remem- 
bered only  in  connection  with  a  happily  turned 
impromptu  epitaph.  When  ex-Governor  Swam 
was  at  the  Bar,  he  was,  on  a  certain  occasion, 
at  the  same  Court  with  Messrs.  James  R.  Dodge  ^ 
Hillman  and  Dewes.  Mr.  Swain  had  seen  some- 
where a  punning  epitaph  on  a  man  named 
Dodge,  which  ended  with  the  couplet  that 

"After  dodging  all  he  could, 
He  couldn't  dodge  the  devil." 

This  he  wrote  on  a  piece  of  paper  and  handed 

it  to  the  other  members   of  the  Bar,   whose 

merriment  it  very  much  excited.   After  a  while 

it  reached  the  hands  of  Mr.    Dodge    himself, 

who,  seeing  from  whom  it  came  and  supposing 

that  Hillman  and  Dewes  were  participes  crinii- 

nis,  immediately  wrote  on  the  back  the  follow 

ing: 


ORANGE  COtTNTY. 


343 


"Here  lie  a  Hillman  and  a  Swai". 

Their  lot  let  no  man  choose 
They  lived  in  sin  and  died  in  pain, 
And  the  devil  has  his  Dews." 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  playful  and 

happy  turn  of  thought  and  expression  which 

distinguish  the  lighter  writings  of  Washington 

Irving  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  Mr. 

Dodge  is  his  nephew. 

The  next  and  last  college  genius  to  whom  I 
shall  call  yom'  attention  was  the  late  Gen.  James 
.Johnston  Pettigrew.  Born  in  the  County  of 
Tyrrell,  he  was  prepared  for  college  at  the  cel- 
ebrated school  of  William  J.  Bingham,  a  son 
of  the  Rev.  William  Bingham  already  men- 
tioned, and  entered  the  Freshman  class  here  in 
the  year  1843.  His  whole  college  course  was  a 
continued  series  of  literary  triumphs.  In  a  class 
containing  many  members  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary talents  he  was  among  the  best,  if  not  the 
very  best,  in  all  his  studies;  but  mathematics 
was  his  speciality.  In  that  he  was  far  ahead  of 
all  his  classmates.  I  well  remember  being  pres- 
"^ .  ent  at  the  examination  of  the  class  on  Astrou  ■ 
omy,  when  the  learned  Professor,  after  having 
worried  several  members  by  putting  questions 
which  they  could  not  answer,  called  up  Mr 
Pettigrew.  As  he  did  so  one  of  the  class,  in 
a  whisper  loud  enough  to  be  heard  half  across 
the  room,  said,  "You  can't  stick  him,"  and  sure 
enough  he  couldn't.  After  taking  the  Bach- 
elor's degree,  and  after  a  short  term  of  service 
n  the  Naval  Observatory  in  Washington  city, 
he  selected  the  Law  as  his  profession,  and  went 
to  Europe  to  perfect  himself  in  that  depart- 
ment of  it  called  the  civil  law.  ,  On  his  return 
he  settled  in  Charleston  and  became  connected 
in  practice  with  his  distinguished  relative,  the 
late  Hon.  James  L.  Petigru,  who  was  perhaps 
the  ablest  and  most  profound  lawyer  in  South 
Carolina.  During  his  brief  residence  there  he 
became  one  of  the  representatives  of  the  city  in 
the  Legislature  of  the  State.  While  a  member 
of  that  body  he  greatly  distinguished  himself 


by  sending  in  from  a  committee  a  minority  re- 
port against  a  scheme  then  proposed  for  taking 
steps  towards  the  reopening  of  the  slave  trade. 
He  himself  constituted  the  minority,  and  his 
report  was  so  profound  in  its  views,  and  so  con- 
vincing in  its  arguments,  that  the  proposed 
measure  failed  to  secure  the  sanction  of  the 
Legislature,  though  strongly  urged  in  a  report 
agreed  upon  by  all  the  other  members  of  the 
committee. 

When  the  war  broke  out  between  the  North 
and  the  South  he  espoused  the  cause  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  After  some  service  at  Char- 
leston he  came  to  this  State,  was  elected  Colo- 
nel of  one  of  its  regiments  and  was  afterwards 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major-General.  Of  his 
merits  as  a  soldier  and  an  officer  it  is  unneces- 
sary for  me  now  to  speak.  His  untimely  death, 
in  a  slight  skirmish  near  the  banks  of  the  Poto- 
mac during  General  Lee's  retreat  from  Penn- 
sylvania, caused  his  friends  and  his  country  to 
deplore  an  event  which  extinguished  the  light 
of  his  genius  long  ere  it  had  attained  its  merid- 
ian splendor. 

My  young  friends,  my  task  is  done  and  no 
one  can  feel  more  sensibly  than  myself  how  im- 
perfectly it  has  been  accomplished.  No  one 
can  know  more  fully  than  myself  how  difficult 
it  has  been  to  withdraw  my  thoughts  from  the 
unhappy  condition  of  our  country  and  apply 
them  to  the  work  of  attempting  to  prepare  an 
offering  worthy  of  your  acceptance. 

In  the  commencement  of  my  address  I  had 
occasion  to  refer  to  the  low  condition  to  which 
the  war  had  suddenly  reduced  our  beloved  Uni- 
versity. Its  declension  was  as  great  as  it  was 
sudden.  Before  the  war  it  had  attained,  in  a 
very  few  years,  a  height  of  prosperity  of  which 
scarcely  a  parallel  can  be  found  in  any  country. 
In  the  extent  and  variety  of  its  studies,  the 
number  and  ability  of  its  instructors  and  the 
number  of  its  students,  it  surpassed  nearly  all 
similar  institutions  in  our  own  section  of  the 


344 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


country,  and  was  beginning  to  rival  the  old, 
time-honored  establishments  of  Yale  and  Har- 
vard. In  the  year  1858  its  catalogue  showed  a 
larger  number  of  under  graduates  than  that  of 
any  other  college  in  the  United  States,  except 
Yale.  All  this  success  was  accomplished  in  a 
very  short  time.  A  glance  at  the  rapidly  in- 
creasing ratio  of  its  graduates  will  illustrate  the 
truth  of  my  remark.  For  the  first  ten  years 
after  the  date  in  which  degrees  were  conferred 
hj  the  University,  the  number  of  students 
who  received  the  Baccalaureate  was  53  ;  for 
the  second  decade  it  was  110  ;  for  the  third 
259  ;  for  the  fourth  146  ;  for  the  fifth  308  ;  for 
the  sixth  448  ;  and  for  the  seventh  the  annual 
number  was  going  on  at  a  rate  which  would 
have  produced  882,  nearly  the  double  of  that 
which  immediately  preceded  it. 

Another  striking  manifestation  of  the  grow- 
ing fame  and  the  wide-spreading  influence  of 
the  University  was  afforded  by  the  honor  of 
having  had  among  the  visitors  at  each  of  the 
commencements  of  1847  and  1859  the  then 
President  of  the  United  States  and  a  part  of 
his  cabinet.  On  the  first  of  these  occasions 
one  of  her  own  sons  came  to  greet  his  fair 
mother,  and  on  the  second  a  stranger  from  a 
distant  State  came  to  do  her  honor. 

The  editor  deems  that  no  apology  to  the 
reader  is  needed  for  completing  this  sketch  of 
the  history  of  the  University  from  the  pen  of 
an  illustrious  father,  by  adding  the  following 
from  the  pen  of  his  illustrious  son. 

Hon.  Kemp  P.  Battle,  the  President,  on 
University  day  1883,  in  Gerrard  Hall,  gave  a 
most  interesting  History  of  the  Buildings  of 
the  University  of  North  Carolina  : 

This  anniversary  day  commemorates  the  lay- 
ing of  the  corner  stone  of  the  Old  East  Build- 
ing, on  the  12th  of  October,  1793.  I  have  al- 
ready recounted  at  length  the  celebration  of 
that  momentous  event,  when  Wm.  Richardson 
Davie,  in  stately  dignity,  arrayed  in  his  Grand 


Master's  Regalia,  with  his  silver  trowel  in  the 
hand  which  had  weilded  the  warrior's  sword, 
surrounded  by  Alfred  Moore,  W.  H.  Hill, 
Treasurer  John  Haywood,  Alexander  Mebane, 
John  Williams,  Thomas  Blount,  Frederick 
Hargett,  and  other  eminent  men  of  that  day, 
including  the  generous  donors  of  our  land, 
Benjamin  Yergain,  Colonel  John  Hogan,  Mat- 
thew McCauley,  Christopher  Barbee,  Alexan- 
der Piper,  James  Craig,  Edward  Jones,  John 
Daniel,  Mark  Morgan  and  Hardy  Morgan,  gave 
tangible  form  to  the  institution,  for  which  he 
had  labored  with  such  persistent  energy  and 
wisdom,  while  Dr.  Samuel  E.  McCorkle  in- 
voked the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  the  enterprise. 
The  building  was  of  humble  size,  only  two 
stories  high,  with  16  rooms,  designed  for  the 
occupancy  of  four  students  each, but  it  sheltered 
many  able  young  men  struggling  hard  and 
struggling  successfully  for  the  inestimable 
benefits  of  diciplined  minds — such  men  as 
Judge  Archibald  Murphey,  Governor  John 
Branch  and  Francis  L.  Dancy,  John  L.  Haw- 
kins, Wm.  Hardy  Murfree,  Judge  John  Cam- 
eron, Judge  James  Martin,  Judge  John  R. 
Donnell,  Gavin  Hogg  and  Chancellor  Williams 
of  Tennessee,  of  the  earlier  students,  not  to 
mention  the  names  of  great  men  who  inhab- 
ited it  in  succeeding  years. 

The  Old  East  was  intended  only,  as  the 
South  wing  of  a  grander  structure  looking  to 
the  East,  to  front  a  wide  avenue,  nearly  a 
mile  long,  leading  through  the  forests  east- 
wardly  to  the  conspicuous  eminence  of  which 
Gen.  Davie  speaks :  "This  peak,"  he  says,  "is 
called  Point  Prospect.  The  fiat  country  spreads 
out  below  like  the  ocean,  giving  an  immense 
hemisphere,  in  which  the  eye  seems  to  be  lost 
in  the  extent  of  space."  The  name  has  by  the 
mutation  of  time  become  singularly  inappro- 
priate. The  growth  of  trees  and  brushwood 
has  shut  out  the  "  prospect  "  and  the  irreverent 
successors  of  Davie,  not  being  able  to  see  the 


OKANGE    COtJNTY. 


345 


"  Point,"  have  with  tar-heel  obstinacy  and  tar- 
heel  appropriateness  changed  it  iato  "  Piney." 

It  will  doubtless  interest  you  to  hear  a  few 
sentences  in  Davie's  own  language,  describing 
the  laying  of  this  corner  stone.  He  says  :  "  A 
large  number  of  the  brethren  of  the  Masonic 
Order  from  Hillsboro,  Chatham,  Granville  and 
Warren  attended  at  the  ceremony  of  placing 
the  corner  stone  ;  and  the  procession  for  this 
purpose  moved  from  *Mr  Patterson's  at  12 
o'clock,  in  the  following  order  :  the  Masonic 
brethren  in  their  usual  order  of  procession  ; 
the  commissioners  ;  the  Trustees,  not  commis- 
sioners ;  the  Hon.  Judge  Mackay  and  other 
public  officers  ;  then  followed  the  gentlemen 
of  the  vicinity.  On  approaching  the  south  end 
of  the  building  the  Masons  opened  to  the 
right  and  left  and  the  commissioners,  &c.,  pas- 
sed through  and  took  their  places.  The  Ma- 
sonic procession  then  moved  on  around  the 
foundation  of  the  building  and  then  halted 
with  their  usual  ceremonies,  opposite  the 
Southeast  corner,where  Wm.Ei chard  son  Davie, 
Grand  Master  of  the  Fraternity,  &c.,  in  this 
State,  assisted  by  two  Masters  of  Lodges  and 
four  other  officers,  laid  the  corner  stone,  en- 
closing a  plate  to  commemorate  the  transac- 
tion." 

"  The  Rev.  Dr.  McCorckle  then  addressed 
the  Trustees  in  an  excellent  discourse  suited 
to  the  occasion."  I  give  only  a  few  sentences. 
He  commenced  by  saying  :  "  It  is  our  duty  to 
acknowledge  that  sacred  scriptual  truth,  "Ex- 
cept the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labor  in 
vain  who  build  it  ;  except  the  Lord  watcheth 
th«  city,  the  watchman  walketh  but  in  vain." 
He  then  contended  that  "  the  advancement  of 
learning  and  science  is  one  great  means  of  en- 
suring the  happiness  of  mankind."  *  *  * 
"Liberty  and  law  call  for  general  knowledge 


*NoTE. — Mr.  Patterson  was  the  architect.    His  tem- 
porary dwelling  was  on  Cameron  Avenue  East. 


in  the  people  and  extensive  knowledge  in  the 
matters  of  State  ;  and  these  demand  public 
places  of  education."  ♦  *  *  "  How  can 
glory  or  wealth  be  procured  and  preserved 
without  liberty  and  laws? "  *  *  * 
"Knowledge  is  wealth,  it  is  glory,  whether 
among  philosophers,  ministers  of  State  or  Reli- 
gion, or  among  the  great  mass  of  the  people. 
Britons  glory  in  the  name  of  a  Newton  and 
honor  him  with  a  place  among  the  sepulchres  of 
their  Kings.  Americans  glory  in  the  name  of  a 
Franklin,  and  every  nation  boasts  of  her  great 
men,  who  has  them.  Savages  cannot  have, 
rather  cannot  educate  them,  though  many  a 
Newton  has  been  born  and  buried  among 
them."  *  *  *  "Knowledge  is  liberty  and 
law.  When  the  clouds  of  ignorance  are  dis- 
pelled by  the  radiance  of  knowledge,  power 
trembles,  but  the  authority  of  the  laws  remain 
inviolable."  *  *  *  "And  how  this  knowl- 
edge, productive  of  so  many  advantages  to 
mankind,  can  be  acquired  without  public  places 
of  education,  I  know  not."  Dr.  McCorckle 
concludes  as  follows  :  "The  seat  of  the  Uni- 
versity was  sought  for,  and  the  public  eye  se- 
lected Chapel  Hill,  a  lovely  situation,  in  the 
centre  of  the  State,  at  a  convenient  distance 
from  the  capitol,  in  a  healthy  and  fertile  neigh- 
borhood. May  this  hill  be  for  religion,  as  the 
ancient  hill  of  Zion  ;  and  for  literature  and  the 
muses  may  it  surpass  the  ancient  Parnassus. 
We  this  day  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the 
corner-stone  of  the  University,  its  foundation, 
its  material  and  the  architect  for  the  building, 
and  before  long  we  will  see  its  stately  walls 
and  spires  ascending  to  their  summit.  Ere 
long  we  hope  to  see  it  adorned  with  an  elegant 
village,  adorned  with  all  the  necessaries  and 
conveniences  of  civilized  society." 

"The  discourse,"  says  Davie,  "was  followed 
by  a  short  and  animated  prayer,  closed  with  the 
united  Amen  of  an  immense  concourse  of  peo- 
ple." 


846 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


The  hopes  thus  expressed  so  earnestly  by  Dr. 
McCorckle,  we  on  this  day,  ninety  years  from 
the  deliveiy  of  his  noble  discourse .  fully  realize. 
We  see  around  us  eight  stately  buildings,  from 
which  have  issued  five  thousand  students,  in 
long  procession,  dispersing  over  this  broad 
Southern  land  to  take  their  places  among  its 
strongest  and  wisest  and  best  leaders,  in  peace 
and  in  war.  The  great  institution  thus  inau- 
gurated has  supplied  with  mental  nourishment 
our  fathers  and  grand-fathers,  sheds  its  lus- 
trous influence  on  us  to-day,  and  will  be  an  ed- 
ucational luminary  to  all  the  ages  which  are 
to  follow. 

The  Old  East  was  designed  to  be  no 
ephemeral  structure.  The  foundation  is  a 
stone  wall  three  feet  thick.  The  mortar  is  of 
two  measures  of  lime  to  one  of  sand.  The 
sleepers  are  3  by  10  inches  and  are  only  14 
inches  apart.  The  timbers  are  of  the  best  heart, 
the  bricks  carefully  made  on  the  University 
grounds  and  burnt  hard  as  the  imperishable 
rocks.  The  lime  was  burnt  likewise  on  our  own 
land  from  shells  brought  by  boat  from  Wil- 
mington to  Fayetteville  and  thence  hauled  by 
wagon.  Among  the  donations  of  this  period  I 
find  50  bushels  of  shells  by  Richard  Bennehan, 
grand-father,  as  the  royal  charters  say,  "of 
our  well -beloved  cousin  and  trusted  counsellor," 
Paul  C.  Cameron. 

The  Old  East  continued  in  its  primitive  con- 
dition until  1824,  when  its  roof  was  adorned 
by  another  story  nearer  to  the  skies.  At  the 
same  time  the  Old  West  was  built  of  a  corres- 
ponding size.  In  1848  the  length  of  both  Avas 
extended  towards  the  north  so  as  to  admit  new 
Society  Halls  and  Libraries.  I  remember  well 
the  ceremonies  of  the  inauguration  of  the  new 
Hall,  of  which  I  was  a  member.  I  violate  no 
confidence  in  describing  them,  because  by  gen- 
eral consent  the  seal  of  secrecy  was  removed. 
The  Professor  of  Rhetoric,  a  graduate  of  the 
class  of  1818,  still   surviving,   the   venerable 


Bishop  Green,  of  the  Episcopal  diocese  of  Mis- 
sissippi, a  classmate  of  President  Polk,  of  Rev 
Dr.  Morrison,  now  living,  the  first  President  of 
Davidson  College,  and  of  our  good  old  friend. 
Gen.  Mallett,  of  New  York,  opened  the  exer- 
cises with  prayer.  A  young  lawyer  of  the  class 
of  1841,  now  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  cul- 
tured members  of  that  profession  our  State 
has  produced,  who,  notwithstanding  he  has  at- 
tained the  honor  of  being  the  second  law  oflft- 
cer  of  a  country  of  50,000,000  people,  has  not 
lost  a  particle  of  his  early  love  for  the  Univer- 
sity, Gen.  Phillips,  delivered  an  address,  which 
for  appropriateness  and  literary  ability,  I  have 
never  heard  surpassed   and    seldom    equalled. 

The  first  President  of  the  Society  in  1795  was 
still  living,  the  venerable  James  Mebane,  who 
had  occupied  the  high  office  of  Speaker  of  the 
Senate.  His  father,  Alexander  Mebane,  one 
of  the  early  members  of  Congress  under  the 
constitution  of  1789,  had  been  one  of  our  early 
Trustees,  was  one  of  the  committee  who  selec- 
ted the  site  of  the  University  and  assisted  in  lay- 
ing the  corner  stone.  As  James  Mebane  had  a 
distinguished  father,  so  he  had  a  distinguished 
son,  likewise  Speaker  of  the  Senate,  one  of  the 
best  of  men,  Giles  Mebane,  of  Caswell.  I  had 
the  eminent  honor  of  sitting  by  the  side  of  this 
noble  father  of  the  Dialectic  Society,  and  pre- 
sidingjointly  with  him  over  its  deliberations. 
I  wish  that  I  could  produce  the  words  of  wis- 
dom which  fell  from  his  lips  on  that  night. 
The  oil  portrait  over  the  President's  chair  in 
the  Dialectic  Hall  is  a  perfectly  faithful  image 
of  the  President  of  1795.  He  was  of  stately 
figure,  tall  and  ponderous.  His  bearing  was 
like  Washington's,  grave  and  dignified,  al- 
ways courteous,  but  repelling  familiarity.  He 
was  seated  on  an  elevated  platform.  In  front 
were  officers  of  the  Society.  I  recall  Thomas 
Settle,  the  Vice  President,  who  showed  then 
the  powers  which  have  made  him  so  eminent 
since,  once  a  Judge  of  the   Supreme  Court  of 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


347 


North  Carolina,  now  Judge  of  the  District 
Court  of  the  United  States  for  Florida.  The 
Secretary  was  Washington  C.  Kerr,  the  State 
Geologist,  one  of  the  most  eminent  scientiiie 
men  this  University  or  the  State  has  produced. 
The  President  of  the  Society,  a  marked  con- 
trast to  the  President  of  1795,  sat  on  the  same 
platform,  on  his  right.  While  the  old  Presi- 
dent's weight  was  near  230,  the  new  balanced 
about  100  pounds.  He  was  thin  even  to  ca- 
daverousness.  He  was  conspicuous  as  one  of 
the  smallest  boys  in  college.  Whatever  dig- 
nity he  had  was  borrowed  for  the  occasion. 
He  was  a  hard  student,  but  jokes  and  laughter 
were  more  natural  to  him  in  those  days  than 
severity  or  even  gravity  of  demeanor. 

Having  thus  presided  over  the  Dialectic 
Society,  jointly  with  the  first  President,  I  feel 
that  I  have  a  kind  of  Apostolic  succession  in 
that  body. 

Having  finished  the  story  of  the  Old  East 
and  West  buildings,  I  return  to  my  starting 
point. 

The  lots  of  the  village  of  Chapel  Hill  were 
sold  on  the  same  12th  of  October,  1793,  the 
price  for  all,  about  $3,000,  being  considered 
highly  satisfactory.  It  was  pressingly  neces- 
sary to  provide  a  residence  for  the  President, 
or  presiding  Professor,  and  also  a  Steward's 
Hall,  wherein  the  hungry  students  of  the  per- 
iod might  turn  hog  and  hominy,  beef  and  po- 
tatoes and  the  juicy  "coUards"  into  muscle 
and  bones  and  brains  and  nerves.  The  Presi- 
dent's Mansion  is  the  house  on  the  Avenue 
west  of  the  New  West  I5uilding,  which  we 
are  now  getting  ready  for  the  occupancy  of 
our  Professor  of  Physics  and  any  company 
which  he  may  bring  with  him  from  Bonny 
Maryland.  In  that  house  were  sheltered 
David  Kerr  and  Joseph  Caldwell  and  Dr.  Chap. 
man,  then  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  Dr. 
Elisha  Mitchell,  who  fell  a  martyr  to  his  love 
of  scientific  accuracy  on  the  loftiest  srmmit  of 


the  Black  Mountains.  President  Caldwell 
preferred  to  rest  under  his  own  vine  and  fig 
tree,  the  present  residence  of  Prof.  Hooper, 
which  was  purchased  by  the  University  after 
Caldwell's  death.  The  old  President's  house 
contained  in  the  small  room  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs,  the  library  of  the  institution. 

The  Steward's  Hall  was  situate  nearly  oppo- 
site the  New  East  Building  in  the  centre  of 
Cameron  Avenue.  It  was  there  that  most  of 
the  students  for  many  years  boarded  at  Com- 
mons, paying  for  the  first  year  $30,  or  $3  per 
month,  for  the  next  four  years  $40  per  year  or 
$4  per  month,  in  1800  rising  to  $57  per  year,  in 
1805  to  $60,  in  1814,  under  the  inflated  war 
prices  to  $66.50,  in  1818  to  $95,  or  $9.50  per 
month,  in  1839  to  $76,  when  the  system  was 
abandoned  and  every  man  made  his  own  con- 
tracts for  the  supplies  of  life.  It  was  in  this 
building  that  the  "Balls"  of  the  old  daj-s  were 
given,  at  which  tradition  hath  it,  venerable 
Trustees  and  Faculty,  even  the  great  Presi- 
dent himself,  together  with  their  pupils,  with 
hair  powdered  and  plaited  into  "pigtails",  and 
legs  encased  in  tight  stockings  and  knees  re- 
splendent with  buckles,  mingled  in  the  mazy 
dance  with  the  beauteous  damsels  of  the  day, 
whose  brilliant  dresses  and  angelic  beauty  far 
be  it  from  me  to  describe.  I  must  for  that 
purpose  call  into  my  service  the  scientific  pens 
of  my  unmarried  professors,  glowing  with 
electric  energy  and  chemical  forces,  or  of  Dr. 
Manning's  students,  so  well  qualified  by  re- 
searches into  the  ancient  laws,  to  give  informa- 
tion on  such  antiquarian  matters. 

At  the  Commencement  of  1881  we  had  a 
most  eloquent  and  instructive  address  to  the 
students  by  an  excellent  specimen  of  the  old 
school,  an  octogenarian,  Gen.  Mallett,  of  New 
York,  lately  called  to  his  final  home.  I  intro- 
duced him  as  having  received  his  diploma  63 
years  before  that  day,  and  stated  that  for  70 
years  he  had  never  taken  a  glass  of  ardent  spir- 


348 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


its,  and  thereforeihat  he  had  still  the  inestimable 
blessings  of  mcus  sana  in  corpore  sano,  and  that 
other  still  gj'oater  blessings,  mens  sibi  conscia 
recti.  In  his  autobiography,  printed  only  for 
his  relatives — a  copy  being  given  our  Historical 
Society  at  the  urgent  request  of  Mrs.  Spencer, 
we  find  an  account  of  the  Ball  given  in  com- 
pliment to  his  class,  when  graduating.  I 
must  extract  a  description  of  his  dress: 

"The  style  of  costume,"  says  Gen.  Mallet, 
"and  even  the  manners  of  the  present  genera- 
tion are  not  in  my  opinion  an  improvement  on 
a  half  century  ago.  The  managers  would  not 
admit  a  gentleman  into  a  ball-room  with  boots, 
or  even  a  frock  coat;  and  to  dance  without 
gloves  was  simply  vulgar.  At  Commence- 
ment Hall,  (when  I  graduated,  1818,)  my 
coat  was  broadcloth  of  sea-green  color,  high 
velvet  collar  to  match,  swallow-tail,  pockets 
outside  with  lapels,  and  large  silver-plated  but- 
tons; wnite  satin  damask  vest,  showing  the 
edgeof  a  blue  undervest;  a  wide  opening  for 
bosom  ruffles,  and  no  shirt  collar.  The  neck 
was  dressed  with  a  layer  of  four  or  five  three- 
cornered  cravats,  artisticallj^  laid,  and  sur- 
mounted with  a  cambrick  stock,  pleated  and 
buckled  behind.  My  pantaloons  were  white 
canton  crape,  lined  with  pink  muslin,  and 
showed  a  peach  blossom  tint.  They  were 
rather  short,  in  order  to  display  flesh  colored 
silk  stockings,  and  this  exposure  was  increased 
by  very  low  cut  pumps  with  shiny  buckles. 
My  hair  was  very  black,  very  long  and  queued. 
I  should  be  taken  for  a  lunatic  or  a  harlequin 
in  such  costume  now." 

I  challenge  Mr.  Chief  Manager  Roberts  to 
produce  a  dress  as  gorgeous  as  this  on  any  stu- 
dent of  the  Ball  of  1883. 

Having  provided  dormitories  for  sheltering 
the  students  and  food  for  their  bodily  susten- 
ance, and  halls  for  their  mental  instruction,  the 
Trustees  next  addressed  themselves  for  provi- 
sion for  the  religious  and  moral  training.     The 


old  ante-revolutionary  Chapel  of  the  Church 
of  England,  from  which  the  place  took  its 
name,  originally  New  Hope  Chapel,  the  place 
being  likewise  New  Hope  Chapel  Hill,  had 
gone  to  decay.  A  building  under  the  control 
of  the  Trustees  must  be  erected.  When  it 
was  barely  above  the  ground  the  treasury  ran 
low;  when  the  strong  box  was  tapped  it  gave 
a  hollow  sound.  An  old  bachelor,  one  of  that 
class,  which  having  no  immediate  claims  on  its 
bounty,  sometimes  redeems  by  beneficence  to 
public  objects  their  failures  in  social  duty,  came 
to  their  releif.  His  name  was  Thomas  Person. 
He  had  been  an  ardent  lover  of  liberty,  had  sym- 
pathized with  the  Regulators  in  their  abortive 
effort  to  shake  off  colonial  oppressors,  and  had 
suffered  from  the  ravages  of  Tryon's  army. 
He  was  prominent  in  resisting  the  exactions  of 
the  British  Government,  which  led  to  the  war 
of  Independence.  He  appeared  at  Newbern  as 
a  delagate  from  Granville  to  the  first  Assem- 
bly held  in  defiance  of  the  royal  authority 
in  August,  1774,  of  which  that  noble  patriot, 
John  Harvey,  was  moderator.  He  was  one  of 
the  thirteen  Council  of  Safety  which  was  the 
supreme  Provisional  Government,  after  the  end 
of  the  Royal  authority.  He  assisted  in  1776, 
as  a  member  of  the  Congress  at  Halifax,  in 
forming  our  State  constitution,  in  which  alone 
of  all  others  was  a  provision  requireing  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  University.  He  was  the  first 
Brigadier  General  of  the  District  of  Hillsboro. 
He  was  among  the  band  of  forty  of  the  greatest 
men  the  State  had  in  1789 — the  first  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  University,  among  whom  were 
six  Governors;  eight  Judges,  of  whom  two 
were  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Uni- 
ted States;  fifteen  members  of  Congress,  of 
whom  three  were  Senators,  besides  able  men 
like  Archibald  Maclaine,  Frederick  Hargett, 
Stephen  Cabarrus,  Wm.  Lenoir,  Joel  Lane, 
John  Haywood,  Joseph  McDowell,  Joseph  Gra- 
ham, and  others,  who  were  great  in  war,  or  as 


ORANGE   COUNTY. 


349 


trusted  officers  or  legislators  of  our  State,  or 
in  the  pursuits  of  private  life.  "With  these 
Person  was  a  fit  associate.  As  Senator  from 
Granville  he  gave  his  vote  for  the  new  institu- 
tion. He  did  more.  He  put  his  hand  into 
his  pocket.  He  pulled  out  and  dropped  into  its 
treasury  shining  gold.  In  grateful  memory  of 
his  services  to  the  State  the  General  Assem- 
bly gave  his  name  to  a  gallant  little  county 
carved  out  of  old  Orange.  In  gratitude  for 
his  generous  gift  the  Trustees  called  the  new 
Chapel  after  him — Person  Hall — or  as  it  still 
appears  on  the  diploma.  Aula  Persomca. 

In  this  Hall  our  ancestors  worshipped  for 
nearly  fifty  years.  On  its  platform  verdant 
Freshmen  and  sapient  Sophomores  and  dignified 
Juniors  spouted  about  "They  tell  us,  sir,  that 
we  are  weak,"  and  "Blind  old  Bard  of  Scio's 
Rocky  Isle,"  and  "Boys  standing  on  Burning 
Decks,"  and  "Lindens  when  the  Sun  was  low," 
and  on  grand  Commencement  occasions  "most 
potent,  grave  and  reverend  Seniors  made  Latin 
Salutatories,  in  which  every  allusion  to  ^'for- 
mosissimoe pnelhx  Septentrionalis  Carolinnce,"  (all 
the  Latin  the  boys  understood),  was  greeted 
with  tumultuous  applause,  delivered  valedicto- 
ries loaded  with  mournful  farewells,  and  disser- 
tations in  Literature,  Science  and  History, 
worthy  to  live  forever — or  at  any  rate  to  fill  the 
pages  of  a  University  Monthly, 

Although  this  building  is  named  Person  Hall, 
yet,  because  of  its  use  as  a  church  on  Sundays 
and  for  morning  and  evening  prayers,  it  gained 
the  name  of  "the  Chapel,"  and  when  Gerrard 
Hall  was  built,  the  foi'mer  was  called  and  is  so 
known  to  this  dav  by  old  students  as  "the  Old 
Chapel."  I  have  heard  recent  students  speak 
of  Physics  Hall,  but  that  is  a  desecration. 
"Throw  Physic(8)  to  the  dogs".  I  would  as 
soon  steal  the  old  General's  monument  and 
convert  it  into  a  door-step,  as  purloin  his 
name  from  his  building.  So  whenever  a  visi- 
tor asks  you  where  is  Dr.  Venfetable's  Indust- 


trial  Museum,  which  he  has  collected  and  ar- 
ranged with  such  intelligent  skill,  carry  him 
straight  to  person  hall. 

A  larger  Hall  was  needed  for  the  growing 
institution.  The  building  where  we  now  are 
assembled  was  begun  in  1822.  It  was  called 
after  another  revolutionary  hero — not  a  bach- 
elor, but  childless.  He  was  a  native  of  Carteret, 
but  long  a  resident  of  Edgecombe.  Major  Chas. 
Gerrerd.  He  served  in  the  war  of  the  revo- 
lution from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  As  a 
soldier  he  was  "brave,  active  and  persevering." 
His  character  asa  citizen,husband,father,  friend 
and  neighbor  was  justly  admired  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  rank  in  the  army  ( Lieutenant ) 
entitled  him  to  a  grant  of  2560  acres,  which 
he  located  at  the  junction  of  Yellow  Creek 
with  Cumberland  river,  not  far  below  the  dty 
of  Nashville.  I  hold  in  my  hand  the  original 
grant  sealed  with  the  great  seal  of  the  State. 
This  tract,  the  fruit  of  his  toil  and  suttering  and 
blood,  he  regarded  with  peculiar  affection,  and 
when  he  bequeathed  this,  with  some  10,000 
acres  additional'  which  he  had  purchased, 
he  requested  in  his  will  that  it  should  perpetu- 
ally remain  the  property  of  the  University. 
For  35  years  the  Trustees  regarded  this  wish 
as  sacred.  But  after  this  long  experiment, 
after  losses  from  neglect  and  perfidy  of  agents 
and  the  onerous  charges  of  high  taxes,  while 
the  black  cloud  of  debt  hung  over  the  institu- 
tion, they  concluded  with  sorrow  to  authorize 
its  sale.  Two  of  their  ablest  lawyers,  Gaston 
&  Badger,  after  examination  reported  the  fol- 
lowing resolution, 

"Whereas,  The  Trustees  of  the  University 
of  Norih  Carolina  have  been  compelled  to  di- 
rect a  sale  of  a  valuable  tract  of  land,  be- 
queathed by  Major  Charles  Gerrard,  with  the 
request  that  the  same  might  be  perpetually  re- 
tained by  the  University,  and 

"Whereas,  They  are  solicitous  not  only  to 
manifest  their  own  sense  of  the   liberality  of 


350 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


the  donor,  but  as  far  as  may  be  practicable  to 
perpetuate  its  remembrance, 

Rcsoh^ed,  Therefore  that  $2,000,  part  of  the 
purchase  money  of  said  land  shall  be  applied 
to  the  finishing  of  the  new  Hall  at  the  Uni- 
versity, and  that  the  same  shall  be  called  by 
the  name  of  '  Gerrard  Hall.'  " 

Five  yeai's  afterwards  this  resolution  was 
carried  into  efl:ect.  I  wish  you  to  note  par- 
ticularly the  spelling  of  the  name  of  the  old 
hero.  The  original  will  and  the  orbituary 
notice  in  the  North  Carolina  Journal,  published 
at  Halifax,  by  Hodge  &  Wills,  Oct.  16th,  1797, 
give  the  name  Gerrard.  Judges  Gaston  and 
Badger  in  their  resolution  have  the  same  spel" 
ling,  which  I  am  particular  about,  because  un- 
fortunate carelessness  has  often  confounded 
our  benefactor's  name  with  that  of  Stephen 
Girard,  the  benefactor  of  Philadelphia.  I  am 
quite  sure  that  in  every  respect,  except  in 
wealth  and  money-making  cunning  our  gallant 
lieutenant  of  the  revolution  was  vastly  the 
superior  of  the  Philadelphia  trader. 

I  witnessed  once  in  this  Hall  one  of  those 
exhibitions  of  uncontrolable,  unreasoning 
fright,  which  sometimes  happen  to  ci'owds  and 
which  the  ancients  attributed  to  temporary 
madness,  inspired  by  the  God,  Pan.  A  cry 
was  raised  "the  Gallery  is  falling !  "  There 
was  a  rush  of  the  crowd  amid  screams  of  ter- 
ror. There  was  for  a  moment  imminent 
danger  of  trampling  to  death  in  the  narrow 
stair-cases.  I  recall  vividly  how  fij'm  and  se- 
vere was  the  attitude  of  President  Swain,  of 
Morehead,  Graham,  Battle,  and  other  Trustees, 
who  sat  on  the  rostrum.  There  was  no  serious 
damage  done.  Some  gallant  young  men,  who 
were  on  the  outside,  displayed  their  heroism 
by  catching  in  their  arms  the  frightened  dam- 
sels leaping  from  the  windows,  but  I  heard  no 
complaints  on  either  side.  A  $100  reward 
oflered  on  the  spot  failed  to  detect  the  giver 
of  the  false  alarm. 


An  architect's  examination  proved  that  not 
Sampson,  in  all  his  long-haired  glory,  could  have 
pulled  down  the  galleries,  even  if  they  were 
loaded  with  bad  Philistines,  instead  of  good 
North  Carolinians,  but  still  additional  pillars 
were  inserted  and  other  alterations  made  to 
give  public  confidence  and  afford  larger  room 

When  this  Hall  was  built  it  was  intended 
to  have  a  broad  avenue  running  along  the 
Southern  wall.  East  and  West.  Hence  the 
porch  on  the  South  side  of  the  building.  The 
merchants  of  the  village  claimed  that  this 
would  injure  their  trade  by  diverting  travel 
from  Franklin  Street,  and  the  plan  was  aban- 
doned to  the  mystification  of  all  who  do  not 
know  this  veracious  history. 

We  will  now  return  to  what  we  call  the 
South,  but  what  was  known  for  many  years  as 
the  "Main"  Building,  the  old  plan  of  grand 
structures  to  face  the  East,  just  as  the  capitols 
at  Washington  and  Raleigh,  were  faced  under 
the  influence  of  orientalization  was  soon  aban- 
doned, and  the  European  plan  of  a  quadrangle 
— in  old  times  a  veritable  prison  in  which  the 
students  were  locked  at  night,  giving  rise  to 
the  expression  "being  in  quad,"  was  adopted, 
probably  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Caldwell  and 
Prof.  Harris,  who  were  educated  at  Princeton. 
Its  corner  stone  was  laid  in  1798.  Its  walls 
reached  the  height  of  a  story  and  a  half,  and 
then  remained  roofless  for  years.  Dr.  Wm. 
Hooper  in  his  "  50  Years  Since,"  a  most  inter- 
esting and  amusing  production,  tells  how  the 
students  of  that  day  packed  in  the  East  Buil- 
ding four  in  a  room,  built  cabins  in  the  corners 
of  the  South  in  order  to  secure  greater  privacy 
for  devotion  to  their  books,  and  how,  "as  soon 
as  spring  brought  back  the  swallows  and  the 
leaves,  they  emerged  from  their  den  and  chose 
some  shady  retirement,  where  they  made  a 
path  and  a  promenade,"  like  the  Peripatetics  of 
ancient  Greece.  He  states  moreover,  what 
sounds  strange  to  us,  that  holidays  were  some- 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


351 


times  given  for  the  curious  reason   that  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather  prevented  study. 

To  finish  this  building  was  the  great  problem 
of  the  young  University.  The  Trustees  in  de- 
spair did  not  hesitate  to  practice  what  was  com- 
mon in  old  time,  even  for  building  churches 
and  denominational  schools,  but  which  the 
sounder  morals  of  our  day  make  a  criminal  of- 
fence ;  the  raising  of  money  by  lotteries.  I  have 
their  circular  of  1802,  announcing  with  sanc- 
timonious gravity  that  "■  the  interests  of  the 
University  of  North  Carolina  and  of  learning 
and  science  generally,  are  concerned  in  the  im- 
mediate sale  of  these  tickets."  The  highest 
prize  was  $1,500,  and  was  drawn  by  Gen.  Law- 
rence Baker,  of  Gates.  The  lucky  number, 
1138,  was  announced  as  an  important  item  by 
the  Metropolitan  Journal,  the  Raleigh   Register. 

Still  the  building  was  unfinished,  and  still 
the  intellectual  squatters  of  the  University  sat 
sub  dim,  as  the  Professor  of  Latin  would  say. 
President  Caldwell  mounted  with  heroic  en- 
ergy his  stick-back  gig  and  painfully  traveled 
over  the  State  in  1809,  and  again  in  1811,  so- 
liciting subscriptions. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  contrast  his  jour- 
neys with  those  of  the  present  day,  when  one 
/jandine  in  Goldsboro' and  breakfast  next  morn- 
ing in  Asheville.  The  battle  of  New  Orleans 
occuiTed  on  the  8th  of  January,  1815.  The 
news  did  not  reach  Raleigh  until  the  17th  of 
February.  Prof.  Charles  W.  Harris  writes  in 
1795  to  Dr.  Caldwell,  at  Princeton,  that  his 
best  way  of  reaching  Chapel  Hill  is  to  buy  a 
horse  and  sulky  and  thus  travel  in  his  own 
conveyance,  selling  the  same  at  Chapel  Hill. 
He  is  confident  that  the  trip  can  be  made 
in  tMrty  days. 

Last  week  the  President  of  1883  left  New 
York  at  a  quarter  before  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  in  a  luxurious  coach,  which 
ran  so  smoothly  that  reading  and  even 
writing  was  easy.  So  well  lighted  at  night  that 


he  read  with  comfort  and  pleasure  Anthony 
Trollope's  most  interesting  autobiography  un- 
til bed-time  at  Washington,  then  went  regu- 
larly to  bed,  had  a  refreshing  night's  rest,  and 
dined  next  day  at  a  quarter  before  two  in  the 
afternoon  at  home — less  than  tiocnty-tioo  hours. 
It  was  doubtless  the  achings  and  weariness 
of  these  journeys  which  caused  Dr.  Caldwell 
20  years  after  to  astonish  the  State  by  his  elo- 
quent and  practical  Carlton  letters,  advocating 
the  N.  C.  Rail  Road  from  the  Tennessee  line 
to  Beaufort.  His  labors  were  successful.  He 
secured  about  $12,000,  and  while  our  people 
were  gomg  crazy  over  the  naval  victories  of 
1814  the  rejoicing  students  moved  into  the 
completed  "■  South  Building."  The  corner- 
stone was  laid  the  year  when  the  great  Napo- 
leon gained  the  first  victory  of  the  Pyramids, 
the  3'ear  before  he  usurped  the  power  of  1st 
Consul;  it  was  finished  the  year  when  he  laid 
down  the  imperial  title  for  a  petty  throne  in 
Elba,  the  year  before  his  final  ruin  at  Water- 
loo. When  that  corner  stone  was  laid  the 
land  was  ringing  with  preparations  for  a  war 
with  France.  The  building  was  ready  for  oc- 
cupanc}^  while  we  were  fighting  England.  It 
has  lately  sheltered  cavalry  of  the  conquering 
Union  army  in  the  great  civil  war. 

It  was  one  of  the  grandest  buildings  in 
North  Carolina  in  those  days.  It  afforded  am- 
ple recitation  rooms.  It  furnished  for  a  third 
of  a  century  halls  and  libraries  for  the  two  so- 
cieties, which  before  its  erection  were  forced 
to  meet  by  turns  in  Person  Hall.  I  have 
thought  that  it  should  have  been  called  in  honor 
of  the  Father  of  the  University,  Gen.  Davie. 
The  omission  thus  to  recognize  his  great  ser- 
vices has  been  rectified  by  the  happy  thought 
of  a  gifted  lady,  on  whom  the  Muses  of  History 
and  Poesy  have  benignly  breathed,  Mrs.  C.  P. 
Spencer,  by  calling  the  historical  tree  which 
sheltered  the  venerable  men,  who  under  its 
shade  located  the  site  of  the  University,  which 


352 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


in  spite  of  a  century's  storms  and  the  fierce  as- 
sault of  the  thunderbolt,  still  rears  its  majestic 
head  above  the  neighboring  oaks,  the  Davie 
Poplar. 

In  1852  the  Trustees  did  tardy  honor  to  the 
first  benefactors  of  the  University.  T  e  char- 
ter was  granted  in  1789.  The  first  meeting  of 
the  Board  was  held  in  1790  at  the  flourishing 
town  of  Fayetteville.  The  President  of  the 
Board  was  a  King's  Mountain  hero,  Gen.  Wm. 
Lenoir  who  has  given  his  name  to  a  county  and 
town  of  our  State-the  last  survivor  of  this  illus- 
trious forty-dying  in  1839  at  the  age  of  88.  Gen. 
Benjamin  Smith,  of  Brunswick,  then  a  mem- 
ber, made  the  first  donation  for  the  cause  of 
higher  education  in  North  Carolina.  He  glad- 
ened  the  hearts  of  all  present  by  the  gift  of 
20,000  acres  of  land  in  Tennessee  It  is  true 
they  were  not  immediately  available.  The}' 
were  afterwards  surrendered  to  the  Chicka- 
saws  and  subsequently  repurchased  by  the 
Government.  It  was  forty  years  before  they 
were  made  available.  They  were  ultimatel}' 
sold  for  $14,000,  after  being  shaken  up  by  the 
greatest  earthquake,  which  has  afflicted  Amer- 
ica since  its  discovery,  into  lakes  and  hills 
The  proceeds  went  into  the  endowment  and 
were  swallowed  up  by  the  great  civil  war, 
which  with  more  terrible  voracity  than  a  hun- 
dred earthquakes  engulped  so  much  of  the 
wealth  and  population  of  the  Southern  Coun- 
try. 

Benjamin  Smith  was  a  man  of  mark.  He 
was  in  youth  an  aide-de-camp  of  Washington 
in  the  disastrous  defeat  on  Long  Island.  He 
was  conspicuous  for  his  gallantry  under  Moul. 
trie.  By  his  fiery  eloquence  the  militia  of  Brun- 
swick volunteered  to  serve  under  him  in  the 
threatened  war  against  France.  He  was  fifteen 
times  Senator  from  Brunswick.  He  was  cho 
sen  Governor  in  1810.  His  county  called  its 
capital,  Smithville,  in  his  honor.  His  name 
survives  too  in  the  bleak  and  stormy  island  at 


the  mouth  of  the  Cape  Fear.  The  land  he 
gave  us,  as  was  also  the  land  of  Gerrard,  was 
won  by  valor  and  blood  in  the  war  for  free- 
dom. Their  sacrifices  were  not  useless.  Their 
monuments  are  far  more  enduring  than  brass 
or  marble.  Centuries  will  come  and  go. 
Families  will  grow  great  and  be  extmguished. 
Fortunes  will  be  made  and  lost.  Otfices  will 
be  struggled  for  and  ambitious  hopes  realized, 
but  the  names  of  the  contestants  will  vanish  as 
if  written  on  the  sea  shore.  Reputations  blazing 
in  pulpit,  or  forum,  and  senate  chamber  will 
fade  as  rapidly  as  the  meteor's  path.  But  the 
blessings  of  the  gifts  of  Person,  Gerrard  and 
Smith  will  never  cease.  For  nearly  a  century 
they  have  planted  learning  and  sound  princi- 
ples in  the  minds  of  men  over  all  our  Southern 
land.  In  all  the  ages  to  come  their  work  will 
go  on.  The  thousand  young  men,  who  will 
have  their  mental  panoply  supplied  from  the 
University  armory  to  engage  in  life's  varied 
conflicts,  will  hold  their  names  in  honor.  As 
long  as  the  University  lasts  they  will  never  be 
forgotten,  and  the  University  will  last  forever ! 

I  will  say  only  a  few  words  of  the  New 
West  buildings.  Prior  to  1850  the  highest 
number  of  students  was  170.  After  the  dis- 
covery of  the  California  gold  raines^  and  con- 
sequent increase  in  the  supply  of  the  circu- 
lating medium,  there  ensued  wonderfully  pros- 
perous times  for  all  the  world,  and  especially 
for  our  Southern  States.  The  old  North  Caro- 
lina families  who  had  carried  their  lares  and 
peiudes  into  the  fertile  regions  of  the  South- 
west sent  back  their  sons  to  their  native  State 
for  education.  Students  swarmed  into  the 
University.  They  overflowed  the  old  build- 
ing and  were  camped  in  little  cottages  all  over 
the  town  from  Couchtown  to  Craig's.  In  1858 
there  were  as  many  as  456,  of  whom  178  were 
from  other  States  than  North  Carolina.  The 
New  East  and  New  West  were  built  for  their 
accommodation,  and  fijiished  in  1859.     The  two 


ORAIsGE  COUNTY. 


353 


societies  aided  in  a  considerable  degree  in  the 
construction  and  adornment  of  their  beautiful 
Halls  and  library  rooms.  Probably  no  Socie- 
ties in  America  have  superior  accommodations 
in  these  respects,  and  I  am  bound  to  say  that 
in  my  opinion,  no  Societies,  by  intelligent  and 
honest  devotion  to  the  purposes  of  their  crea- 
tion better  deserve  them.  Long  may  they 
flourish. 

We  come  at  last  to  the  Memorial  Hall, 
which  though  about  to  take  a  winter  nap,  will 
in  the  spring,  we  hope,  rise  rapidly  in  all  its 
harmony  and  grandeur.  I  have  already  ex- 
plained to  the  students  that  a  miscalculation 
as  to  the  cost  was  made  by  the  architect,  and 
hence  a  delay  is  necessary  in  order  to  replenish 
our  Treasury.  I  desire  it  to  be  understood 
that  very  experienced  builders  think  that  the 
work  ought  to  be  stopped  for  a  Avhile  in  order 
to  allow  the  timbers  to  dry.  They  are  greeii 
as  yet,  and  greenness  is  a  fault  in  architectural 
as  well  as  intellectual  timbers.  After  being 
securely  covered  so  that  the  rain  and  snow 
shall  not  reach  them,  the  great  rafters  will  by 
the  end  of  winter  shrink  to  their  final  dimen- 
sions and  support  their  majestic  roof  with  no 
warpings  or  distortions. 

Such  a  Hall  is  necessary,  in  order  to  enable 
us  to  accommodate  our  visitors — the  people  of 
North  Carolina.  We  have  gained  much  odium 
by  turning  from  our  door  the  good  citizens, 
who  made  long  journeys  in  order  to  hear  the 
eloquence  of  our  Representatives  and  Gradu- 
ates. Every  person,  rich  and  poor,  who  desi- 
res, should  have,  and  sliall  have  a  comfortable 
seat  during  our  commencement  exercises. 

This  hall  will  supply  all  our  needs.  It  will 
hold  2450  seated  without  crowding,  and  if 
needed  4000  can  be  pleasantly  cared  for  by 
utilizing  the  aisles.  You  can  gain  a  vivid  idea 
of  its  proportions  by  noting  that  the  New 
West  Building   can  be  placed  in  it,  centre  to 


centre,  and  whirled  around  without  touching 
its  walls. 

It  will  be  a  Memorial  Hall,  not  alone  of  my 
predecessor,  who  so  long  and  so  ably  presided 
over  this  institution,  Grov.  Swain,  but  of  all  the 
departed  good  and  great — Trustees,  Professors, 
Alumini — who  have  aided  and  honored  the 
University.  It  will  be  a  Memorial  of  those 
gallant  Alumni  who,  at  the  call  of  our  State, 
gave  up  their  lives  in  the  great  civil  war. 
Though  God  gave  them  not  the  victory,  and 
though  we  will  not  question  the  wisdom  of  the 
decision  of  the  All-Wise,  yet  we  must  always 
honor  the  courage,  the  devotion  to  dut}',  the 
high  resolve  and  the  willing  sacrifice  of  our 
Confederate  Dead. 

A  writer  in  the  Nnvs-Obscrver,  says  the  plan 
of  honoring  the  great  and  worthy  men  of  the 
University  of  our  State,  trustees,  professors 
and  students,  by  placing  on  the  walls  of  Me- 
morial Hall  tablets  in  their  memory,  has  met 
with  great  favor.  Such  has  been  its  reception 
that  we  are  able  to  pronounce  it  crowned  with 
success. 

We  have  not  seen  the  list  of  all  for  whom 
tablets  have  been  pledged,  but  we  have  heard 
of  the  following,  who  are  certainly  deserving 
of  the  highest  honor-for  example,  there  is 
Samuel  Johnston,  the  first  named  of  the  board 
of  trustees,  that  of  1789;  forty  of  the  most  ill- 
ustrious men  of  the  da}'.  Gov.  Johnston  was 
the  first  who  held  executive  power  in  our  State, 
having  been  president  of  the  provincial  coun- 
cil of  1775,  which  was  our  provisional  govern- 
ment. He  was  president  of  the  convention 
which  adopted  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States;  also  one  of  the  first  Senators,  where  he 
he  ranked  with  the  ablest  men  of  America. 
He  was  afterwards  judge  and  governor. 

Tablets  are  also  engaged  for  Gen.  Wm.  Le- 
noir, of  King's  Mountain  fame,  who  was  the 
first  president  of  the  first  board  of  trustees,  and 
and  the  last  survivor  of  the  board,  dying  in 


3ii4 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


1839;  also  to  Benjamin  Hawkins,  one  of  the 
first  Senators  of  the  United  States;  to  Judge 
Archibald  Murphey,  probably  the  most  progres- 
sive man  in  the  annals  of  North  Carolina;  to 
Gov.  Morehead,  one  of  the  ablest  governors 
any  State  ever  had;  to  the  great  jurist  and  fi- 
nancier, Judge  Duncan  Cameron ;  to  the  pure 
and  steadfast  Gov.  "Worth;  to  the  wise  states- 
man, Bartlett  Yancey;  to  the  distinguished 
botanist,  Louis  DeSchweinitz;  to  the  active 
revolutionary  patriot,  Archibald  Maclaine;  to 
our  eminent  fellow  citizen,  John  H.  Bryan; 
to  the  scholar  and  eloquent  divine.  Dr.  Wm. 
Hooper;  to  the  gallant  general,  Bryan  Grimes, 
to  Judge  Battle,  than  whom  no  State  ever 
had  a  purer  judge  or  more  upright  citizen;  to 
Burtyn  Craige,  who  as  a  publicman,  and  ardent 
lover  of  North  Carolina  and  a  strong  lawyer  has 
had  few  equals;  to  Michael  Hoke,  who  so  well 
illustrated  our  people  by  his  manly  characteris- 
tics, whose  brilliancy  ranked  him  with  the  gi- 
ants of  his  generation.  We  mention  these  as 
occurring  to  our  minds  just  now,  and  hope  to  be 
furnished  with  a  complete  list  at  an  early  day. 

This  memorial  hall  will  be  the  grandest  his- 
torical building  in  the  South.  Mr.  P.  C.  Cam- 
eron, chairman  of  the  building  committee, 
pi'omises  that  the  next  commencement  (1885) 
shall  be  held  in  it. 

Associated  with  the  Univereity  of  North 
Carolina  is  the  name  of  Charles  Force  Deems, 
D.  D.,  L.  L.  D.,  who  was  an  inhabitant,  "part 
and  parcel"  of  her  fame  from  1842  to  1848. 
He  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  on  Dec- 
ember 4th,  1820.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Dickin- 
son College,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  class  of  1839. 
In  his  twentieth  year,  he  was  made  general 
agent  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  and 
chose  North  Carolina  as  his  field  of  labor,  and 
ever  since  he  has  claimed  that  State  as  his 
home — though  greatly  honored  in  New  York 
City  and  elsewhere,  he  always  speaks  of  North 
Carolina  as  "home". 


Here  he  became  adjunct  professor  in  logic 
and  rhetoric  in  the  University  at  Chapel  Hill 
in  conjunction  with  Doctor,  (now  Right  Rev- 
erend Bishop)  Green  and  remained  for  five 
years,  when  he  accepted  the  chair  of  Natural 
Science  in  Randolph-Macon  College,  Virginia, 
which  position  he  occupied  for  one  year.  Re- 
turning to  North  Carolina,  he  was  stationed 
at  New  Berne,  and  became  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Conference  held  at  St.  Louis  ;  it  was 
during  its  session  that  he  was  elected  president 
of  the  Greensboro'  Female  College ;  he  had 
charge  of  this  institution  for  five  years.  In 
1854  he  returned  to  the  regular  work  of  the 
ministry,  and  after  preaching  at  Goldsboro'  and 
at  Wilmington,  he  was  re-elected  to  the  Gen- 
eral Conference,  where  he  was  chosen  presi- 
dent of  the  Centenary  College  of  Louisiana  He 
has  been  repeatedly  invited  to  professorship 
and  presidencies  of  colleges,  but  it  was  in  Dec- 
ember 1865  that  Dr.  Deems  removed  to  New 
York  City,  and  there  engaged  in  literary  labor 
and  in  July  1866  began  to  preach  in  the  chapel 
of  the  University  ;  his  congregation  there  as- 
sembled soon  crystalized  into  a  new  society 
and  became  known  as  the  "Church  of  the 
Strangers."  In  1870,  through  the  munifi- 
cence of  the  famous  railroad  magnate,  Cor- 
nelius Vanderbilt,  who  became  a  devoted 
friend  of  Dr.  Deems,  this  congregation  found 
its  home  by  the  purchase  of  the  Mercer  Street 
Presbyteran  Chiirch,  (No  4.  Winthrop  Place,) 
where  they  were  most  solemnly  installed  Oc- 
tober 9,  1870,  and  has  since  become  one  of  the 
great  institutions  of  the  great  commercial  me- 
tropolis. 

Dr.  Deems  received  his  degree  of  doctor  of 
divinity  from  the  Randolph-Macon  College 
when  he  was  only  thirty  years  of  age,  and  in 
1877  the  University  of  North  Carolina  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  L  L.  D. 

He  is  the  author  of  more  than  a  dozen  vol- 
umes   of  diflferent  religious     works,     among 


■ 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


355 


which  may  be  mentioned  "The  Home  Altai' ;" 
"What  Now";  "Annals  of  Southern|Metho- 
diem  ";  "Weights  and  Wings"  and  "Who  was 
Jesus  ? " 

He  is  cue  of  the  Council  of  the  University 
of  New  York,  a  Director  of  the  American 
Tract  Society  and  a  life  member  of  the  New 
York  Historical  Society  founded  by  another 
North  Carolinian,  Rev.  Dr.  F.  L.  Hawks.  Dr. 
Deems  is  the  president  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Christian  i'hilosophy,  of  which  he  was 
the  chief  founder. 

In  Patton's  "Lives  of  the  Clergy,"  we  find 
the  following,  touching  this  eminent  divine: 
"He  is  impassioned  even  in  argument,  and 
there  is  in  all  that  he  writes  and  says  the  glow 
of  earnest  and  sincere  feeling.  In  his  preach- 
ing there  is  a  display  of  the  finest  powers  of 
the  national  orator  and  thorough  scholar.  His 
thoughts  are  rapid  and  are  all  aglow  with  beau- 
tiful sentiment  and  tender  emotion,  which  can 
only  be  imparted  by  extensive  learning. 

Dr.  Deems  enjoys  great  popularity  at  the 
South,  and  was  esteemed  one  of  the  foremost 
theologians  and  public  men  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

Dr.  Deems  has  shown  his  love  of  North  Caro- 
lina by  founding  a  fund  for  the  help  of  young 
men  pursuing  their  education  in  the  University 
of  North  Carolina.  It  is  a  memorial  to  his  son, 
Lieutenant  Theodore  D.  Deems,  who  fell  in 
our  civil  war.  Mr.  William  H.  Vanderbilt's 
munificence  and  the  accrued  interest  has  car- 
ried the  "  Deems'  Fund  "  to  over  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars. 

Paul  Carrington  Cameron,  of  Orange  County 
North  Carolina,  the  second  son  of  Hon.  Dun- 
can Cameron  and  his  wife  Rebecca  Bennehan, 
was  born  Sept.  25th,  1808  at  Stagville,  Orange 
County,  the  residence  of  his  gradfather,  Richard 
Be^inehan. 

He  received  his  education  partly  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina  (1825-26)  and  partly 


at  what  is  now  Trinity  College,  Hartford, 
Conn.  At  this  latter  Institution  he  gradu- 
ated, July  1829.  He  read  law  in  Raleigh  in 
the  office  of  his  father  Judge  Cameron,  look 
ing  forward  to  the  practice  of  that  profession 
with  eager  ambition.  Like  many  other  south- 
ern gentlemen,  however,  he  was  heavily 
weighted  at  the  start  by  circumstances  and  re- 
sponsibilities that  could  neither  be  delegated 
nor  ignored,  and  found  himself  compelled  to 
turn  his  energies  and  abilities  into  channels 
where  the  sense  of  duty  fulfilled  alone  must 
be  his  reward,  where  no  hopes  of  laurels  to 
be  achieved,  or  the  enjoyments  that  are  found 
in  congenial  studies  would  stimulate  his  ettort. 
A  large  landed  interest,and  the  guardianship 
of  numerous  slaves  demanded  his  care,  and 
he  became  of  necessity  a  planter,  managing 
not  only  his  own  estate,  but  his  fathers,  and 
those  of  various  near  relatives  committed  to 
his  charge  in  the  States  of  North  Carolina,  Ala- 
bama and  Mississippi. 

Mr.  Cameron  has  exhibited  in  the  conduct 
of  these  responsibilities  for  more  than  fifty 
years,  an  administrative  and  financial  ability, 
an  energy  and  an  integrity  which  would  have 
secured  him  high  honors  on  any  field  of  action. 
His  career  has  been  characterized  by  the  simple 
straight-forward  devotion  to  what  he  conceived 
duti/  in  every  relation  of  life.  As  a  son,  as  the 
head  of  a  family,  as  a  citizen,  and  as  the  guar- 
dian of  nineteen  hundred  slaves,  his  course  may 
challenge  inquiry,  and  would  doubtless  repay  it. 
The  very  mistakes  of  such  men  are  instructive. 
That  Mr.  Cameron  has  never  erred,  no  one  will 
affirm;  that  he  has  been  able  to  please  every 
body  in  the  conduct  of  his  wide  and  multifari- 
ous interests  is  equally  doubtful;  but  his  strict 
sense  of  honor,  of  justice,  and  his  unflinching 
adherence  to  what  appeared  to  him  right,  at 
the  time,  have    never  been  called  in  question. 

He  engaged  with  great  earnestness  in  all  agri- 
cultural improvements,  advocated  the  early  in- 


356 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


troduction   of  all   labor-saving  machines,  and 
the  adoption  of  the  best  and   most  intelligent 
systems  of  farming.     He  was  President  of  the 
first    agricultural    society    organized    in    the 
county  of  Orange,  North  Carolina,  and  his  ad- 
dress at  its  first  meeting  is  yet  a  model  of  prac- 
tical  suggestion    and   sagacious  forecast.    Mr. 
Cameron  has  also  been  always  an  ardent    sup- 
porter of  internal  improvements  and  though  in- 
cm'ring  losses  occasionally   as   all   pioneers   in 
such  work  do,  has  always  been  a  large  stock- 
holder and  contractor  on  our   rail- roads.      On 
the  building   of  the   North    Carolina    Central 
Rail-Road  he  was  the  first  man  to  enter  on  the 
work  and  the   first   to    complete  his   section. 
Subsequently  he  succeeded   Col.  Fisher    as  its 
President,  and  was  for  years  one  of  its  Direc- 
tors.    A  director  also  for  the  last  ten  years  of 
the  R.  &  G.  and  of  the  R.  &  A.  Air  Line  Rail- 
road 8  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  in 
1856.    Wherever  an  important  committee  could 
procure   Mr  Cameron  as  its  chairman  ,the  public 
has  long  felt  secure  that  the  business  in    hand 
would  be  done,  and  well  done.  His  conservative 
attitude  towards  the  old    has  alwaj'S  ijeen  ac- 
companied by  most  intelligent  and  discrimining 
liberality  towards  the  new,  and  this  fine  spirit 
keeps  him  now  in  advanced  life,  still  fresh  and 
indomitable,  en  rapport  with  all  around  him,ac- 
cepting  the  new  order  of  thing   and    making 
the  best  of  the    inevitable    with   unimpaired 
judgment  and  sagacity. 

Mr.  Cameron  has  never  sought  ofiice,  and 
never  has  accepted  it  but  at  the  call  of  duty 
and  when  he  felt  he  could  serve  the  State. 
The  successful  management  of  his  large  estates 
and  their  complicated  interests,  the  perform- 
ance of  his  duty  to  his  own  family,  and  large 
circle  of  friends,  the  exercise  of  an  ample  and 
genial  and  truly  southern  hospitality  have  sutfi- 
ciently  employed  his  energies.  He  was  one  of 
the  very  few  southern  planters  whom  emanci- 
pation found  free  from  debt,  so  that  he  retained 


his  landed  property  and  reestablished  his  for- 
tune on  the  new  basis,  with  undiminished 
credit  and  success. 

His  army  of  slaves  had  ever  received  strict 
humane  attention.  He  took  pride  in  the 
knowledge  that  all  his  dependants  were  well 
fed,  clothed  and  housed,  and  that  their  con- 
dition might  challenge  comparison  with  that 
of  any  in  the  fifteen  slave  States  of  the  Union. 
When  freed  at  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  they 
parted  from  their  master  with  kindly  feeling, 
and  the  elder  ones  greet  him  yet,  whenever 
they  chance  to  meet  him,  with  the  same  exhi- 
bition of  attachment.  He  has  a  right  to  be 
as  proud  of  this  record  as  of  any  other  of  his 
life's  work's,  and  he  probably  is,  for  he  tells 
with  some  zest  in  these  latter  days  of  a  family 
of  negroes  devised  to  him  by  a  friend  "for 
emancipation,"  whom  he  settled  in  Liberia 
under  the  care  of  the  American  Colonizaton 
Society,  providing  them  with  house  and  food 
for  twelve  months,  and  one  thousand  dollars 
in  gold  as  an  aa  outfit.  They  returned  from 
Africa  and  presented  themselves  at  his  door  in 
Orange  County,  begging  him  to  take  them  back. 
Reviewing  his  life  in  a  late  letter  to  a  friend, 
Mr.  Cameron  writes:  "Best  of  all  I  have  been 
a  trustee  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
steadfast  and  true  to  its  everj-  interest  at  all 
times,  and  anxious  now  to  make  it  in  the 
future  the  best  ornament  of  the  State-" 

When  the  University  was  restored  and  re- 
organized after  the  calamities  that  befel  it 
upon  the  death  of  Grov.  Swain,  he  was  made 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Repairs,  and  in 
fact  did  all  the  work.  Its  speedy  rehabilita- 
tion, and  re-occupation  in  1875  were  due  to  his 
energetic  oversight.  He  has  been  since  an  ac- 
tive and  influential  and  most  judicious  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee  to  which  is  entrus- 
ted the  practical  conduct  of  the  aft'airs  of  the 
Institution.  One  striking  evidence  of  the 
public    estimation  of  the  value  of    .\Ir.    Cam- 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


357 


eron's  services,  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  he  was 
unanimously  elected  Chairman  of  the  Alumni 
Association  and  continued  for  a  succession  of 
3'ears  against  his  earnest  protest  as  not  being 
a  graduate. 

Mr.  Cameron  is  a  capital  public  speaker. 
He  goes  to  the  point,  commands  attention,  and 
is  always  effective.  Those  who  have  been  so 
fortunate  as  to  hear  his  singularly  neat,  elegant, 
and  impressive  short  speeches  on  various  occa- 
sions at  the  University  Commencements  will 
remember  them  long  as  models  of  their  kind. 
His  frequent  visits  in  term  time  to  the  Uni- 
versity and  short,  unpremeditated  addresses  to 
the  students,  present  him  in  a  most  amiable 
and  interesting  light.  His  iine  ruddy  complex- 
ion and  bright  dark  eye,  surrounded  by  an 
aureole  of  snow-white  curling  hair,  his  air  of 
habitual  command,  conjoined  with  the  line 
courtesy  of  a  through-bred  gentleman  of  the 
old  school  afford  a  picture  that  our  young  peo- 
ple will  do  well  to  keep  in  mind. 

One  aspect  of  Mr.  Cameron's  character 
which  should  not  be  omitted  in  even  a  slight 
sketch,  is  his  benignant  interest  in  young  peo- 
ple, and  in  their  pleasures.  For  years  he  has 
made  a  point  of  being  a  spectator  at  the  Com- 
mencement dances,  giving  them  dignity,  and 
endorsing  their  claims  to  public  respect  by  his 
presence. 

He  stands  now  representative  to  the  rising 
generation  of  a  class  of  men,  the  like  of  whom 
will  never  again  be  seen  in  our  country.  Their 
faults  as  well  as  their  virtues  have  been  the 
product  of  a  s^'stem  of  life  now  passed  away 
forever.  The  southern  slaveholders  will  figure 
in  History,  will  adorn  the  pages  of  Romance, 
and  will  be  held  up  alternately  to  the  admira- 
tion, and  the  scorn  of  mankind  as  magnate,  as 
despot,  as  tyrant  or  as  patriarch,  according  as 
friend  or  foe  shall  depict  him.  We  who  know 
them  well,  who  recall  the  high-toned  chival- 
rous   gentleman,    the    ardent    and    patriotic 


citizen,  the  generous  friend  and  neighbor,  the 
devoted  husband  and  father,  the  just  and  hu- 
mane master — we  take  courage  when  we 
reflect  that  the  Final  Judge  of  all  is  not  a  man. 
He  alone  knows  through  what  difficulties  the 
southern  planter  went  forward  to  his  duty; 
how  fearfully  weighted  by  his  inheritance  ; — 
how  blinded,  how  hampered,  how  weakened  by 
circumstances  which  neither  he  nor  his  fathers 
could  control. 

Remembering  what  we  do,  we  look  with 
reverence  and  affection  on  those  who  remain. 
Their  failings  have  vanished  from  our  vision 
with  the  system  that  brought  them  to  light, 
and  we  bid  om*  young  men  take  courage  bj' 
the  example  of  their  virtues  to  go  on  in  the 
path  of  duty,  self-sustained,  fearless  and  per- 
severing. 

Mr.  Cameron  married,  Dec.  20th  1832,  Anne, 
daughter  of  Chief  Justice  Rufhn  at  his  resi- 
dence on  the  Alamance.  This  union  has  se- 
cured his  domestic  happiness  now  for  more 
than  fifty  years.  Seven  of  their  children  have 
lived  to  maturity.  Their  home  the  centre  for 
many  years  of  a  large  and  amiable  hospitality, 
and  interesting  family  connection  was  at  Far- 
intosh,  their  plantation  in  Orange  county,  but 
of  late  they  reside  chiefly  in  Hillsboro'. 

Julian  Shakspeare  Carr  was  born  at  Chapel 
Hill  the  seat  of  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina, in  the  county  of  Orange,  October  12th, 
1845.  His  father,  John  "W.  Carr,  descended 
from  a  Scotch  family,  is  a  gentleman  of  consid- 
eration in  the  county,  who,  before  and  since 
the  war,  has  tilled  the  responsible  stations  of 
Magistrate,  Justice  of  the  Inferior  or  county 
court,  and  County  Commissioner.  His  mother 
is  of  the  highly  respectable  family  of  Bullock, 
of  Granville  county,  and  a  sister  of  Colonel 
Robert  Bullock,  a  distinguished  citizen  of 
Florida. 

Mr.  Carr  acquired  the  rudiments  of  education 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  and  was  prepared 


358 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


for  college  under  the  tuition  of  J.  L.  Stewart, 
Esq.,  now  a  prominent  lawyer  resident  at  Clin- 
ton. He  spent  nearly  two  years  at  the  Univer- 
sity, beginning  in  June,  1862,  but  in  the  early 
part  of  1864,  before  attaining  to  nineteen  years 
of  age,  he  enlisted  in  the  Third  North  Carolina 
Cavalry,  which  was  then  at  Dinwiddie  Court 
House,  and  with  little  time  for  soldierly  train- 
ing, he  was  brought  face  to  face  with  the  enemy, 
in  some  of  the  fiei'cest  conflicts  of  the  desper- 
ate and  protracted  struggle  before  Petersburg 
— among  them  Thatcher's  Run  and  Burgess' 
Mill.  A  writer,  Mr.  H.  V.  Paul,  with  oppor- 
tunities for  obtaining  correct  information,  states 
that  the  command  to  which  Mr.  Carr  belonged 
very  gallantly  assisted  in  covering  the  retreat 
of  the  army  from  Petersburg  to  Appomattox, 
and  during  the  engagement  was  cut  in  two  at 
Five  Forks.  He  never  lost  a  single  day's  duty 
during  the  entire  period  of  his  service,  was  a 
genei'al  favorite  among  his  comrades,  and  pre- 
ferred to  be  simply  a  private,  in  order  to  be 
among  "  the  boys,"  although  he  carried  in  his 
pocket  a  detail  as  an  ofiicer  on  the  staff  of  Gen- 
eral Barringer. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Carr  returned  to 
his  college  course  at  the  University,  but  re- 
mained only  one  session.  He  then  engaged  in 
merchandisining  the  town ;  but  soon  becoming 
dissatisfied  with  his  prospects  in  that  small,  se- 
cluded community',  he  gave  up  the  business,  and 
set  out  upon  a  tour  of  observation  through  the 
South  and  West.  Passing  through  Georgia, 
Tennessee  and  Mississippi,  and  at  length  reach- 
ing Little  Rock,  the  capital  of  Arkansas,  he 
decided  to  locate  in  that  thriving  town.  He  im- 
mediately entered  into  business  with  an  uncle 
and  a  Mr.  Kingsbury,  under  the  name  and  firm 
of  Carr  &  Kingsbury.  This  was  in  1868.  He 
continued  in  thisconnection  for  about  eighteen 
months,  when  the  opportunity  offered  of  his 
engaging  in  a  business  near  his  birth-place, 
whicn  was  destined  to  eclipse  in  magnitude  and 


importance,  in  the  near  future,  anything  his 
imagination,  or  day  dreams,  could  have  con- 
ceived of. 

It  seems  that  Mr.  Carr  is  indebted  to  the 
foresight  of  his  father  for  the  idea  of  quitting 
Arkansas  to  return  home,  and  engage  in  the 
manufacture  of  tobacco.  We  are  told  by  Mr. 
Paul  that  after  a  residence  at  Little  Rock  for 
eighteen  months,  "  his  father  saw  an  opportu- 
nity of  purchasing  a  third  interest  in  W.  T. 
Blaclvwell's  tobacco  factory,  at  Durham,  and 
being  anxious  that  his  son  should  settle  nearer 
home,  insisted  and  prevailed  upon  him  to  re- 
turn. Accordingly,  in  1870,  he  joined  that 
firm,  and  ever  since  had  the  entire  control  of 
its  mercantile  and  financial  departments." 

And  this  brings  us  to  the  original  history  of 
the  greatest  business  enterprise  which  North 
Carolina — perhaps  the  South — has  ever  known ; 
a  brief  sketch  of  which  will  be  presented. 

Among  the  several  suits  in  which  W.  T. 
Blackwell  &  Co.  have  been  involved  by  the 
necessity  of  defending  their  business  against 
encroachments,  is  that  of  a  party  who  applied 
in  1877,  to  the  Commissioner  of  Patents,  for 
the  Registration  of  the  Durham  Bull  Trade 
Mark.  This  application  was  made  more  than 
seven  years  after  W.  T.  Blackwell  had  become 
the  purchaser,  at  auction  sale,  made  by  Mager 
Green,  the  Executor  of  J.  R.  Green,  of  the  said 
Trade  Mark  and  Factory.  It  is  alleged,however, 
that  the  applicant  brought  suit  in  Iredell 
County  in  1875,  aa  the  assignee  or  partner  of 
J.  R.  Green,  against  Blackwell  &  Co.  But  this 
was  five  years  after  Blackwell's  purchase,  and 
after  Blackwell  &  Co.  had  raised  the  business 
of  the  firm,  under  the  Durham  Bull  Trade  Mark 
from  a  position  of  insignificance,  and  little 
value,  to  one  of  world-wide  fame  and  princely 
revenue. 

From  depositions  taken  in  this  case  before  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  Autumn  of  1877,  in 
Orange  County ,|the  following  facts  are  derived. 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


S59 


They  are  of  historical  value  and  interest,  since 
thej  leave  no  doubt  about  the  origin  of  this, 
the  greatest  southern  business  enterprise;  an 
enterprise  which  has  inaugurated  and  given  im- 
pulse to  the  grand  career  of  industrial  develop- 
ment upon  which  the  State  has  entered. 

Mr.  James  R.  Blacknall,  a  different  name, 
the  readers  will  notice,  from  the  future  propri- 
etor of  the  great  Durham  factory — stated  in 
his  deposition  that  the  iirst  parties  he  ever 
knew  to  manufacture  smoking  tobacco  at  Dur- 
ham were  Morris  &  Wright,  in  the  year  1860. 
This  firm  was  succeeded  in  1861  and  1862  by 
Blacknall  &  Morris,  and  during  these  latter 
years  "W.  H.  Bowles  became  a  partner,  when  the 
firm  took  the  name  of  Blacknall,  Morris  &  Co. 

In  June  1862,  W.  P.  Ward  bought  out 
Bowles;  and  John  R.  Green  in  November 
bought  out  Morris  and  Blacknall,  when  the 
fij-m  became  Ward  &  Green.  They  were  equal 
partners,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
chewing  and  smoking  tobacco.  This  firm  held 
together  until  sometime  in  1864,  when,  perhaps 
in  March,  Ward  bought  Green  out.  Their  busi- 
ness had  been,  mostly,  the  manufacture  of 
chewing  tobacco.  Ward  continued  it  until 
November  1865.  when  he  in  turn  sold  out  to 
Green. 

Dp  to  this  time  there  was  but  one  tobacco 
factory  at  Durham,  which  place  was  little  more 
than  a  way  station  on  the  North  Carolina  rail- 
road, twenty-six  miles  west  of  Raleigh.  The 
"factory"  had  the  appearance  of  a  cow-house, 
the  top  of  which  was  scarcely  ten  feet  above 
the  ground,  while  around  it,  within  a  distance 
of  a  few  hundred  yards  were  perhaps  a  dozen 
small  dingy  dwellings,  a  country  store  or  two, 
a  smithy,  and,  as  may  be  supposed,  a  whisky 
shop.  Such  was  Dm-ham,  nineteen  years  ago, 
and  for  some  years  later.  A  more  dreary,  in- 
auspicious outlook — one  less  calculated  to  in- 
spire the  hope  of  future  developements  cannot 
be  imagined. 


The  frequent  mutations  in  the  proprietor- 
ship of  the  sole  Durham  tobacco  factory,  up  to 
the  close  of  the  war,  as  above  recounted,  can 
leave  no  doubt  that  the  business  was  far  from 
being  prosperous  or  remunerative. 

But  it  seems  that  in  the  spring  of  1865,  an 
incident  befell  the  establishment,  such  as,  in 
the  ordinary  course  of  human  affairs,  is  ac- 
counted a  great  disaster,  but  which  in  this  case 
turned  out  to  be  a  blessing  in  disguise,  and  the 
source  of  the  greatest  good  fortune.  In  April 
of  that  year,  it  will  be  remembered,  at  the  close 
of  the  war,  and  after  the  suspension  of  hostili- 
ties, the  two  armies  of  General  Sherman  and 
General  Joe  Johnson  were  encamped  around 
Dm'ham  station.  Green,  who  was  then  the 
owner  of  the  factory,  had  stored  away  in  his 
ware-house  many  thousand  pounds  of  the  fin- 
est smoking  tobacco,  which  is  grown  no  where 
else  in  such  perfection,  as  in  that  vicinity.  It 
is  not  in  the  nature  of  soldiers,  at  such  a  time, 
with  pay-day  remote,  to  stand  on  ceremonies; 
and  "not  to  put  too  fine  a  point  upon  it,"  they 
helped  themselves  bountifully  to  Green's  to- 
bacco. He  had  not  at  that  time  adopted  the 
famous  Trade  Mark,  and  it  is  to  be  supposed 
that  he  had  not  arrived  at  the  perfection  in 
the  manufacture  which  his  successors  have  at- 
tained to;  but  the  inherent  virtues  of  the  old 
Granville  and  Orange  weed  could  not  be  mis- 
taken, or  confounded  with  the  inferior  pro- 
ducts of  other  less  favored  regions  of  the  earth. 
The  opposing  hosts  lay  encamped  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Durham  station  only  a  few  days,  but  long 
enough  to  become  familiar  with  the  locality, 
and  with  the  name  of  the  tobacconist  whom 
they  had  so  liberally  patronized.  They  were 
soon  mustered  out  of  the  service  by  the  bellig- 
erents and  returned  to  their  respective  homes; 
not  doubtless,  without  a  pipe-full  or  two,  in 
their  wallets,  at  any  rate  with  a  lively  recollec- 
tion of  the  fragrant  Durham  antidote  to  all 
the  imaginary  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to.     The 


360 


WHEELER'S  REMmiSCENCES. 


consequence  was  that  from  their  distant  homes, 
from  Maine  to  Texas,  they  sent  their  orders  to 
Mr.  Green  for  liis  unrivaled  smoking  tobacco. 
They  boasted  of  its  virtues  to  their  neighbors, 
and  regaled  their  senses  with  its  odors;  and 
thus  was  laid  the  foundation  of  the  world-wide 
celebrity  of  the  Durham  smoking  tobacco. 

The  introduction  of  the  Durham  Bull  as  the 
conspicuous  characteristic  of  the  Trade  Mark 
was  not  made  until  the  Autumn  of  1866.  This 
fact  rests  upon  the  testimony  of  more  than  one 
witness.  James  Y.  Whitted,  a  manufacturer 
of  tobacco  at  Hillsboro'  and  a  man  whose  char- 
acter is  avouched  by  his  neighbors,  deposed 
that  he,  in  the  year  1866,  suggested  to  Green, 
the  idea  of  adopting  the  Durham  Bull  as  his 
Trade  Mark,  and  that  Green  acted  upon  the  sug- 
gestion, in  the  Autumn  of  that  year.  Several 
other  deponents  state  that  Green  never  used 
the  Bull  as  a  Trade  Mark  prior  to  that  date. 
But  the  conclusive  proof  of  this  fact  is  the 
certificate  of  copj'-i'ight  taken  out  by  Green 
in  the  Clerks  Office  of  the  Southern  District  of 
New  York,  May  2nd,  1866,  which  makes  no 
reference  to  the  Bull.  In  this  copy-right  the 
brand  is  in  the  following  words:  "Genuine 
Durham  Smoking  Tobacco  manufactured  by  J. 
R.  Green,  the  right  whereof  he  claims  as  pro- 
prietor in  conformity  with  the  act  of  Congress, 
&c." 

Ward  deposed  that  up  to  the  time  he  resold 
to  Green  in  November,  1865,  there  was  no 
representation  of  a  Bull,  nor  any  part  of  a 
Bull  used  on  packages  of  smoking  tobacco,  or 
any  sign  by  any  one  at  Durham.  The  absence 
of  any  reference  to  the  Bull  as  a  Trade  Mark 
in  the  above  certificate  of  the  copy-right, 
coupled  with  this  testimony  of  Ward,  a  part- 
ner or  sole  owner  in  1862,  1863,  1864,  and 
1865,  is  fatal  to  any  claim  founded  on  an  al- 
leged purchase  of  an  interest  in  the  Trade 
Mark,  at  an  earlier  date.  Indeed,  Ward  be- 
came a  partner  in  the  business  before  Green 


purchased  an  interest,  and  could  not  fail  to  be 
thoroughly  informed  in  regard  to  its  history. 
In  1869  J.  R.  Green  disposed  of  a  half  in- 
terest in  his  business  to  W.  T.  Blackwell  and 
James  R.  Day.  These  gentlemen,  up  to  that 
date,  Avere  engaged  in  the  sale  of  manufac- 
tured tobacco  at  Kinston  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  State.  The  terms  of  the  contract  are  stated 
in  a  paper  signed  by  J.  R.  Green,  and  dated, 
Durham,  March  30,  1869.  Green  acknow- 
ledges the  receipt  from  Blackwell  and  Day  of 
fifteen  hundred  dollars,  "to  be  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  tobacco  for  the  present  year, 
and  it  is  hereby  agreed  that  the  full  amount 
shall  be  used  for  the  tobacco  business  exclu- 
sively and  for  no  other  purpose,  for  twelve 
months  from  date;  and  it  is  hereby  agreed 
that  J.  R.  Day,  of  the  firm  of  Blackwell  & 
Day,  is  to  give  all  his  personal  attention  to  the 
management  of  the  business;  and  that  I  agree 
to  give  such  attention  to  the  business  as  my 
health  will  adnnt,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
twelve  months  we  are  to  divide  equally  all  the 
profits,  if  there  be  any,  between  myself  and 
Blackwell  &  Day,  after  allowing  me  one  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  rent  of  factory  and  the 
advantages  of  my  trade,  and  in  case  of  loss 
each  party  interested  shall  bear  their  propor- 
tionable part." 

[signed]  J.  R.  Green. 

This  contract  is  doublj^  interesting,  as  form- 
ing at  once,  an  important  link  in  the  narra- 
tive, and  as  illustrating  the  contrast  between 
the  small  begining,  and  the  vast  progress  made 
within  a  few  brief  years,  of  this  remarkable  en- 
terprise. 

Mr.  Green's  health  was  failing.  Earl}-  in 
July,  1869,  he  went  to  the  Catawba  Springs,  in 
the  hope  of  finding  relief;  but  he  continued  to 
sink  rapidly,  and  died  on  the  21st  day  of  that 
month.  He  left  a  will,  in  which  his  father 
Mager  Green,  was  named  as  Executor. 

The    latter,   in  pursuance  of  the  authority 


ORANGE   COtmTT. 


361 


derived  from  the  will,  in  November,  advertised 
the  tobacco  factory,  the  ground  on  which  it 
stood,  the  brand  and  Trade  Mark  for  sale  pri- 
vately. The  advertisement  was  published  in 
both  the  Raleigh  Sentinel  and  Standard,  the 
leading  newspapers  of  the  State,  published 
nearest  the  property.  The  sale,  however,  was 
not  effected  under  this  advertisement,  and  the 
Executor  again  advertised  'the  property  for 
sale,  at  auction,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1870. 
This  advertisement  was  posted  at  various  places 
in  Orange,  and  contiguous  counties,  and  the 
sale  took  place  in  accordance  with  its  terms. 
William  T.  Blackwell  became  the  purchaser. 
The  price  paid  was  two  thousand  two  hundred 
and  ninety-two  dollars.  The  conveyance  was 
made  to  William  T.  Blackwell,  without  nam- 
ing his  partner,  Mr.  Day;  but  the  latter  appears 
to  have  retained  his  interest. 

Mr.  Julian  S.  Carr  being  produced  as  a  wit- 
ness by  Mr.  Blackwell,  deposed  that  in  Sep- 
tember, 1870,  he  coimected  himself  with 
Messers  Blackwell  and  Day,  who  were  manu- 
facturing both  plug  and  smoking  tobacco,  in 
Durham,  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  T.  Black- 
well.  The  term  of  co-partnership  was  for 
three  years,  during  which  they  continued  to 
operate  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  T.  Black- 
well,  and  to  use  the  Trade  Mark,  "  Genuine 
Durham  Smoking  Tobacco,"  in  connection 
with  the  side  view  of  a  Durham  Bull.  The 
name  on  the  labels  was  W.  T.  Blackwell,  suc- 
cessor to  J.  R.  Green  &  Co.  Neither  Mr. 
Day  nor  Mr.  Carr,  by  the  terms  of  their  part- 
nership, acquired  any  interest  in  Blackwell's 
brand  or  Trade  Mark.  They  only  acquired  a 
right  to  use  it  during  the  three  years  of  their 
partnership.  Mr.  Carr  states  that  he,  on  be- 
half of  Mr.  Blackwell,  paid  the  purchase 
money  for  the  property,  including  the  Factory, 
the  lot  on  which  it  stands,  the  brand  and 
Trade  Mark,  at  Hillsborough,  the  county  town 
on  the  31st  day  of  August,  1871. 


Mr.  Carr,  in  response  to  a  question,  by 
Blackwell's  comisel  explained  his  duties  in 
connection  with  the  establishment,  as  follows 
"  I  had  "  he  says,  "  entire  charge  of  the  oflace 
duties  of  W.  T.  Blackwell,  and  of  W.  T.  Black- 
well  &  Co.;  superintended  and  directed  their 
correspondence,  managed  their  finances,  lines 
of  credit,  etc.  The  firm  of  W.  T.  Blackwell 
expired  by  limitation  the  12th  da}^  of  Septem- 
ber, 1873;  immediately  thereafter,  onthejflnie 
day,  the  same  parties,  to  wit:  W.T.  Blackwell, 
James  R.  Day  and  myself,  associated  ourselves 
in  business  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  T. 
Blackivell  &  Co.  and  they  continued  to  use  the 
same  Trade  Mark  as  that  used  by  the  firm  of 
W.  T.  Blackwell,  to  wit:  "Genuine  Durham 
Smoking  Tobacco,"  with  the  side  view  of  a 
Durham  Bull,  in  gilt  letters,  on  steel  blue  pa- 
per; there  was  this  change,  however,  made  in 
the  wording  of  the  label  used  by  W.  T.  Black- 
well  &  Co.:  where  the  label  of  W.  T.  Black- 
well  read  "  Successor  to  J.  R.  Green  &  Co.," 
the  label  used  by  W.  T.  Blackwell  &  Co.  reads 
"  Sucessors  to  W.  T.  Blackwell." 

Mr.  Carr,  in  reply  to  a  question  by  the  Re- 
spondent's counsel,  states  that  the  year  before 
he  entered  into  the  partnership  Blackwell 
manufactured  lessthan  ninet}'  thousand  pounds 
of  tobacco,  and  employed,  not  exceeding  one 
dozen  hands,  and  that  in  the  course  of  the  cur- 
rent year,  1877  when  the  deposition  was  given, 
Blackwell  &  Co.,  had  in  one  week  shipped 
eighty  odd  thousand  pounds  of  smoking  to- 
bacco, upon  which  they  paid  the  United  States 
Government  an  Internal  Revenue  tax  of  more 
than  nineteen  thousand  dollars.  In  the  mouth 
of  April  of  that  year  they  paid  the  Govern- 
ment sixty  thousand  dollars  in  taxes  on  to- 
bacco, while  their  average  monthly  taxes  were 
forty  thousand  dollars,  or  nearly  half  a  million 
in  twelve  months.  During  this  time  they  em- 
ployed in  the  manufacture  of  smoking  tobacco 
alone  two  hundred  and  twenty -five  hands. 


362 


WHEELER'S  REMmiSCENCES. 


In  reply  to  the  question  "to  what  is  the  in- 
crease and  growth  of  your  business  attributa- 
ble ?"  Mr.  Carr  replied  that  the}^  attributed 
their  success  to  the  superior  quality  of  the  to- 
bacco grown  in  the  adjacent  country,  to  their 
careful  selection  of  the  best,  to  extensive  ad- 
vertising, and  to  the  energy  with  which  the 
business  had  been  conducted. 

The  peculiar  fitness  of  Mr.  Carr  for  the  man- 
ag|Maent  of  a  great  enterprise  is  best  attested 
by  the  extraordinary  success  which  has  at- 
tended his  labors.  When  he  entered  the  firm 
of  W.  T.  JJlackwell  &  Co.,  the  business  was 
small,  insignificant,  indeed,  if  compared  with 
what  it  soon  became.  The  whole  machinery 
of  adminis'tration  was  to  be  organized,  and 
adapted  to  the  rapidly  growing  business,  and 
it  required  an  organizing  and  directing  talent 
of  a  high  order  to  meet  the  constantly  recur- 
ring emergencies.  The  histoiy  of  this  country 
has  shown  that  it  requires  no  extraordinary 
amount  of  talent  to  fill  the  oflice  of  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  for  instance,  with  passable 
credit.  The  new  appointee,  selected  from  con- 
siderations of  his  political  standing  and  services 
to  the  party ;  or  with  reference  to  the  equitable 
distribution  of  honors  among  the  States,  steps 
into  office,  finding  the  machinery  in  motion, 
polished  and  oiled;  and  for  months,  his  great 
duty  is  not  to  direct,  but  to  learn  from  his 
subordinates.  The  exijerienced  messenger  who 
brings  him  a  paper  to  sign,  properly  made  out 
by  an  obscure  clerk,  recorded  by  another, 
docketed  by  half  a  dozen  others,  and  certified 
by  auditors,  comptrollers,  and  other  heads  of 
bureaus,  becomes  the  new  Secretary's  first  in- 
structor. What  he  fails  to  learn  from  the 
messenger,  he  ekes  out  day  by  day,  and  week 
by  week,  from  the  chiefs  of  the  several 
branches  of  his  department.  If  he  is  an  apt 
scholar,  he  may,  in  the  course  of  twelve  months 
begin  to  understand  the  motive  powers,  and 
operations  of  the  department  of  which  he  has 


been  the  nominal  head,  and  which  the  country 
gives  him  the  credit  of  being  the  controlling 
spirit.  But  persons  who  have  had  opportuni- 
ties of  seeing  and  knowing  how  public  aflairs 
are  managed  at  the  seat  of  Government,  are 
well  aware  of  the  insignificant  part  played  by 
new  heads  of  departments.  And  such  minute 
knowledge  of  aflairs  is  necessary  to  a  just  ap- 
preciation of  a  genius  like  that  of  Alexander 
Hamilton,  who  at  thirty-one  years  of  age,  or- 
ganized and  successfully  administered  the 
Treasury  Department.  His  successors  have 
only  to  learn  their  routine  duties  from  their 
subordinates.  He  planned  them,  and  adapted 
them  to  the  situation  of  the  country,  under 
an  entirely  new  form  of  Government.  And 
akin  to  the  great  achievement  of  Hamilton 
has  been  the  work  of  Mr.  Carr.  Beginning 
from  next  to  nothing,  he  has  developed  a  vast 
enterprise,  involving  the  employment  of  many 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  nearly  a  thou- 
sand men,  women  and  boys.  He  has  wisely 
directed  capital  to  the  most  useful  applications; 
he  has  assigned  to  an  army  of  laborers,  their 
several  places  and  spheres  of  duty,  and  by  the 
judicious  subordination  of  ranks  and  employ- 
ments, which  are  various  and  unlike,  he  pre- 
serves order  and  co-operation,  to  the  common 
end  of  producing  the  best  results. 

Among  the  most  gratifying  incidents  connec- 
ted with  this  great  and  successful  North  Caro- 
lina manufacturing  enterprise,  is  the  fact  that 
it  originated  with,  and  has  been  directed,  in  all 
its  stages  of  development,  by  natives  of  the 
State.  Taken  in  connection  with  many  simi- 
lar ventures  in  the  manufacture  of  tobacco, 
cotton  and  other  articles,  within  the  last  few 
years,  there  is  left  no  ground  for  longer  hold- 
ing the  idea  that  yankee,  or  northern  genius 
alone,  is  equal  to  such  achievements.  It  is  cir- 
cumstances that  develope  men.  Slavery  absorb- 
ed all  the  active  capital  of  the  south,  and  applied 
it  almost  exclusively  to  agriculture.     Capital 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


363 


was  thus  applied  for  two  reasons.  In  the  first 
place,  it  required  too  great  an  out-lay  of  capi- 
tal to  engage  in  manvifacturing  with  slave 
labor,  in  competition  with  the  free  labor  of  the 
North.  To  realize  this  fact,  it  is  only  necessary 
to  imagine  that  the  great  firm  of  Blackwell's 
Durham  Tobacco  Company,  in  addition  to  their 
half  a  million  of  capital,  invested  in  grounds, 
buildings,  machinery,  and  raw  material,  were 
under  the  necessity  of  owning  as  slaves,  eight 
hundred  laborers,  worth  an  average  of  one 
thousand  dollars  each. 

Here,  then,  was  the  great  obstacle  to  South- 
ern enterprise  before  the  war.  But  the  im- 
pediment being  removed,  we  see  in  all  direc- 
tions the  development  of  Southern  genius  for 
business  enterprises  of  every  kind — nowhere, 
however,  with  such  astonishing  results  as  at 
Durham,  North  Carolina,  and  by  the  renowned 
firm  of  Blackwell  &  Co.,  of  which  Mr.  Carr  has 
been  to  a  great  extent  the  organizing  and  di- 
recting spirit. 

The  business  of  the  company  has  grown  stead- 
ily and  rapidly  from  the  time  Mr.  Carr  became 
a  partner  and  director  of  its  aflairs.  We  have 
seen  that,  prior  to  that  time,  Mr.  Blackwell, 
by  his  sagacity  and  enterprise  and  with  his  very 
limited  capital,  had  been  able  to  turn  out 
nearly  ninety  thousand  pounds  of  the  manu- 
factured article  in  a  year.  The  product  of  the 
establishment  is  now  about  four  million  of 
pounds,  or  nearly  a  fifty-fold  increase  in  four- 
teen years.  Mr.  B.  employed  a  dozen  hands, 
all  told ;  the  company  last  year  emploj^ed  seven 
hundred  and  fifty;  and  still  the  work  goes  on 
increasing.  Before  the  considerable  reduction 
which  was  made  in  the  tobacco  taxes,  in  May, 
1882,  the  company  paid  for  stamps,  in  a  single 
year,  $645,691.33.  And  who  must  not  be 
amazed  at  the  statement  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  thirty-five  years  ago,  and  prior  thereto, 
the  whole  revenue  of  the  State  Government 
was  only  about  eighty  thousan  d  dollars !     If  any 


one  had  predicted  at  that  time  that  the  young 
men  and  women,  and  many  who  had  reached 
middle  life,  would  live  to  see  the  day  when  a 
manufacturing  company  on  North  Carolina  soil, 
to  be  located  at  a  place  which  then  had  no 
name,  would  pay  taxes  to  the  United  States 
Government  eight  times  greater  than  the  State 
tax;  he  might  have  escaped  arrest  and  confine- 
ment as  a  harmless  lunatic,  but  on  no  other 
grounds. 

The  flourishing  town  of  Durham,  now  con- 
taining 4,000  industrious  inhabitants,  owes  its 
existence  to  the  Blackwell-Durham  Tobacco 
Company.  It  is  true  that  similar  and  dissimi- 
lar industries  have  grown  up  all  around  it,  but 
they  all  owe  their  success  to  the  world-wide 
renown  achieved  by  this  great  establishment.* 

In  1882  Mr.  Blackwell  sold  his  entire  inter- 
est in  the  company;  and  in  January,  1883, the 
purchasers  obtained  a  charter  under  the  laws 
of  the  State.  The  authorized  capital  is  one  mil- 
lion; and  a  half  million  was  paid  in  at  the  time. 
Mr.  Julian  S.  Carr  became  the  President  of  the 
company,  and  a  principal  share-holder ;  Mr.  M. 
E.  McDowell,  Vice-President,  and  Mr.  Jno.  A. 
McDowell,Secretary;  Sam'l H.Austin, jr.,Treas- 
urer. 

By  genuine  goodness  of  heart  and  affability 
of  manners,  by  integrity  and  liberality  Mr. 
Carr  has  endeared  himself  to  all  classes  of  the 
people;  to  rich  and  poor;  to  those  to  whom  he 
employs,  and  to  those  with  whom  he  deals, 
and  has  social  intercourse.  He  takes  an  active 
part  in  the  benevolent  movements  of  the  day, 
is  a  firm  and  efiicient  supporter  of  religion,  and 


*Since  the  Author  of  these  Reminisceuces  wrote  his 
sketch  of  "Durhiira,"  the  county  of  Durham  has  been 
erected  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  dated  February 
28th,  1881.  And  one  of  the  mos:  prosoerous  couuties 
of  the  State  owes  its  name  and  sudden  growth  to  the 
enterprise  inaugurated  by  W.  T.  Blackwell  and  Com- 
pany. 

Whether  the  County  should  be  established  or  not 
was  left  to  a  vote  of  the  people  embraced  in  the  terri- 
tory. The  election  was  held  on  the  3nd  Thursday  in 
April  and  tlie  Justices  of  the  Peace  met  on  the  1st  Mon- 
day in  May.  The  act  of  the  Legislature  authorizing 
this  action  was  ratified  February  38th,  1881. 


364 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


has  been  made  a  trustee  of  the  University  and 
member  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and 
trustee  of  Trinity  College.  He  is  also  President 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Fe- 
male Seminary  at  Durham;  and  doubtless  its 
best  patron ;  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
Greensboro  Female  College,  Greensboro.  He 
is  Vice-President  of  the  Durham  Cotton  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  and  holds  the  same  rela- 
tion to  the  companies  organized  for  the  manu- 
facture of  wool  and  of  wooden  wares.  He  is 
Vice-President  of  the  North  Carolina  State 
Exposition,  and  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  National  Tobacco  Associa- 
tion.* 

Mr.  Carr  was  married,  in  1873,  to  Miss  Nan- 
nie Graham  Parish,  daughter  of  the  late  Col. 
D.  C.  Parish,  a  gentleman  of  high  standing  and 
for  a  number  of  years  mayor  of  the  new  and 
thriving  town  of  Durham. 


*In  polities  Mr.  Carr  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  late  Democratic  National  Convention  at 
Chicago,  and  was  honored  by  the  State  Delegation 
witli  tae  position  on  the  Committee  of  Resolutions,  or 
•'Platform." 


He  is  still  a  young  man,  but  has  already  at- 
tained to  a  high  place  in  the  regards  of  the 
people.  In  spite  of  his  manifold  duties  as  the 
head  of  a  great  manufacturing  establishment, 
he  has  found  time  to  store  his  mind  with  a 
knowledge  of  literature,  and  to  keep  abreast  of 
current  events  in  the  political  world.  If  his 
ambition  should  lead  in  that  direction,  he  is 
destined  to  fill  a  still  higher  place  in  the  public 
eye,  and  to  apply  his  remarkable  talents  for 
business  to  the  business  of  the  people. 

Note. — The  heartfelt  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  Chief-Justice  Thomas  Puffin,  so  long  a  resi- 
dent of  this  County,  will  be  found  in  Ala- 
mance County,  page  3.  That  of  Governor 
William  A.  Graham,  also  a  resident  of  Hills- 
boro',  will  be  found  in  Lincoln  County,  page 
232. 

Two  more  illustrous  characters  cannot  be 
found;  the  glory  of  our  race,  the  inheritance 
of  our  State,  their  fameprevaded  the  civilized 
world. 


PASQUOTANK    COimTY. 


365 


CHAPTER  XLin. 


PASQUOTANK    COUNTY. 


Comiected  with  memories  of  the  County  is 
the  name  of  John  L.  Baily,  born  August  13th, 
1795;  died  June  30th,  1877  late  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  the  State  ; 
who  was  the  son  of  Gabriel  Baily  and  born 
in  Pasquotank  County.  He  was  educated  at 
Chapel  Hill,  and  studied  law  with  Governor 
Iredell,  at  Edenton.  In  1824  he  represented 
this  County  in  the  House  of  Commons  and  was 
elected  to  the  Senate  in  1827  and  1828;  he  was 
elected  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts 
in  1836,  which  position  he  filled  with  honor 
to  himself  and  the  great  satisfaction  of  the 
country.  He  resigned  in  1863.  As  a  Judge  he 
was  patient,  impartial,  kind  and  learned;  as  a 
citizen,  just  and  loyal;  as  a  friend,  sincere  aud 
genial.  Preferring  the  bracing  climate  of  Bun- 
combe County,  even  to  that  of  his  native  Coun- 
ty, he  removed  to  Asheville  some  years  ago, 
where  he  died.  His  amiable  wife,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Brownrigg,  of  Chowan  Count}^,  had 
died  a  few  years  before  him.  He  was  the  father 
of  Thomas  B.  Baily  and  Wm.  H.  Baily,  Esqs., 
of  Charlotte,  as  also  of  Mrs.  Caine. 

.William  Biddle  Shepard,  born  1799  ;  died 
18S2;  resided  and  represented  this  County.  He 
was  born  in  New  Berne;  the  son  of  William 
Shepard,  who  was  the  father  of  a  family  noted 
family  for  their  talents  and  eloquence.  He 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Blount,  by 
whom  he  had  ten  children,  viz: 

I.  Ann,  married  Ebenezer  Pettigrew;  II. 
John,  who  first  married  Maria  Long,  second, 

Gamble;  IH    Wm.   Biddle;  IV.  Mary, 

married  John  H.Bryan;  V.  Frederick  Blount, 
VI.  Hannah, single;  VH.  Penelope,single ;  VIII. 


Charles,  in  Congress,  who  married  first,  Jones, 
second,  Donnel;  IX.  Richard;  X.  James  B. 

"William,  the  subject  of  our  present  sketch, 
was  the  second  son.  and  was  educated  at  the 
University,  where  he  stood  high  for  scholar- 
ship, Ijut  he  never  graduated  because  of  an  un- 
fortunate ditficulty  which  occured  at  the  time; 
he  studied  law  and  practiced  with  success;  his 
first  entrance  into  public  life  was  as  a  member 
of  the  twenty  first  Congress  (1829-31)  and  he 
served  till  1837  when  he  declined  a  re-election. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  for 
several  sessions,  from  1838  to  18-50,  and  was 
very  popular  from  his  decided  state-rights 
opinions,  and  the  ability  aud  firmness  with 
which  he  maintained  them. 

He  died  in  Elizabeth  City,  in  1852  ;  he  was 
twice  married,  first  to  Miss  Cazenove,  of  Alex- 
andria, and  second  to  Miss  Collins,  of  Edenton. 

George  W  Brooks,  was  born  March  16, 1821 
in  this  County  ;  his  father,  Wm.  C.  Brooks, 
was  an  eminent  merchant  of  Elizabeth  City, 
who  came  from  Gates  County.  His  ancestors 
were  amongst  earliest  settlers  in  the  Albemarle 
region  of  the  State  and  emigrated  from  Vir 
ginia.  Branches  of  the  same  family  are  still 
in  Virginia  and  at  one  time  were  one  of  the 
leading  families  of  Essex  and  the  adjacent 
Counties. 

His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Catha- 
rine B.  Davis,  of  Pasquotank.  She  first  mar- 
ried Captain  Hugh  Knox.  After  the  death 
of  Captain  Knox,  she  married  Mr.  Brooks, 
and  BO  was  the  mother  of  Judge  Brooks. 
Her  ancestors  were^also  amongst  the  earliest 
settlers    in    Pasquotank    County     and    were 


366 


WHEELEE'S  REMINISCENCES. 


prominent  in  their  County,  many  of  them 
filHng  important  positions  in  the  Legislature  of 
the  State  and  the  local  posts  of  trust  at  home. 

Judge  Brooks  was  mostly  educated  at  Bel- 
videre  in  Perquimans  Countj^,  North  Carolina. 
The  Society  of  Friends  in  that  section,  as  early 
as  the  year  1834,  had  founded  an  Academy  at 
that  place,  which  from  the  foundation  to  the 
present,  has  taken  high  rank  amongst  the  hest 
schools  of  the  country.  At  the  school  many 
of  the  men  now  prominent  in  Eastern  North 
Carolina  were  educated  and  some,  distin- 
guished for  practical  worth,  in   other  States. 

In  1844  he  was  licensed  to  practice  law  in 
the  County  Courts  of  the  State  and  in  1846  was 
admitted  as  an  attorn  ej^n  the  Superior  Courts. 

From  his  first  entrance  at  the  bar  he  was 
successful.  The  numerous  friends  of  his  father, 
made  so  by  his  kindness,  rectitude  and  fidel- 
ity, flocked  to  the  support  of  the  son,  and 
save  him  at  once  a  start  in  life.  His  first 
appearance  was  not  flattering.  He  was  slow 
and  almost  painfully  awkward  from  embarrass- 
ment and  ditfidence ;  but  still,  amidst  the 
tribulation  which  a  young  lawyer  endures  at 
first  in  the  presence  of  a  critical  audence,  he  dis- 
played a  power  of  endurance  and  pertinacit}^, 
that  was  at  once  recognized  as  the  talisman  of 
success.  He  was  penniless  when  he  came  to  the 
Bar,  and  in  1861  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  he 
had  accumulated  a  large  estate,  which  was  ad- 
mitted by  all  to  have  been  justly  and  honora- 
ably  acquired. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  owned  a 
large  number  of  slaves,  all  of  them  purchased 
by  him  and  nearly  all  purchased  at  their  own 
request  to  save  them  from  the  hands  of  the 
negro-buyer.  For  some  years  before  1861,  he 
predicted  their  emancipation  and  often  when 
asked  to  purchase  a  negro  he  refused  upon  the 
ground,  that  the  tenure  of  ownership  was  in 
the  near  future  to  end. 

His  arguments  upon  this  subject  were  dis- 


tasteful to  public  sentiment  and  grew  to  be 
the  subject  of  harsh  criticism  amongst  the 
leading  democrats  of  his  region  ;  many  of 
his  personal  and  warmest  friends  frequently 
remonstrated  with  him,  against  his  utterance 
of  opinions  so  widely  at  variance  with  the 
wishes  and  convictions  of  the  public. 

He  made  no  political  speeches  and  no  haran- 
gues to  the  public  ;  but  he  claimed  the  right 
to  express  his  private  opinion  upon  public 
matters,  and  he  never  yielded  that  right  to 
public  clamor  or  private  remonstrance.  In 
1852  he  consented  to  represent  his  native 
County  in  the  Legislature  of  the  State.  Ho 
only  consented  to  prevent  a  division  in  the 
Whig  Party  in  his  county.  He  served  with 
perfect  acceptability  to  his  constituents  one 
term,  but  positively  refused  to  accept  a  re- 
nomination.  He  has  always  refused  to  mingle 
in  the  strife  of  politics. 

He  was  a  firm  adherent  of  the  Whig  Party 
up  to  the  civil  war.  During  that  war  he  was  an 
avowed  Union  man;  though  his  conduct  was 
calm  and  quiet,  and  showed  his  actions  to  be 
the  result  of  conviction,  produced  by  reflection 
rather  than  mere  sen  timent,  the  result  of  the 
passions  of  the  hour. 

During  the  whole  civil  war  he  was  the  same, 
— true  to  his  conviction  of  the  ultimate  tri- 
umph of  the  Federal  Government,  yet  kind  to 
opponents  and  always  ready  to  succor  the  dis- 
tress of  Federal  or  Southern  suff"erers. 

In  August  1855,  he  was  appointed  Judge  of 
District  Court  for  the  District  of  North  Car- 
olina, and  his  nomination  was  confirmed  by 
the  United  States  Senate  in  January  1866. 
In  1866  he  was  elected  a  delagate  to  the  Con- 
vention which  met  to  frame  a  Constitution  for 
North  Carolina.  He  stood  high  in  that  body, 
but  with  the  close  of  that  Convention  his  re- 
lation with  the  public  ceased  except  as  a  judge. 

The  business  in  the  federal  Courts  of  North 
Carolina  before  the  war  was  nominal.    The 


PASQUOTANK  COUNTY. 


367 


terms  of  the  Circuit  Courts  rarely  consumed  a 
week,  and  a  few  hours  sufficed  to  dispose  of 
the  dockets  of  the  District  Courts. 

Since  the  war  the  Circuit  Courts  have  usually 
continued  for  several  weeks  at  each  term  and 
the  labor  of  the  judges  has  been  severe  and 
constant.  Hundreds  of  cases  have  been  tried 
in  open  coui-t  at  each  term,  and  the  busi- 
ness at  chambers  has  been  quite  as  laborious 
as  in  the  court  room.  The  district  courts  have 
also  been  crowded  smce  1867  with  cases  in 
bankruptcy,  besides  a  large  accession  of  other 
questions  upon  the  Eevenue  Laws  of  the  United 
States  and  questions  of  private  right. 

No  judge  performed  more  labor  since  1866 
than  Judge  Brooks;  and  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties  he  won  and  retained  the  highest  re- 
spect of  the  Bar  of  North  Carolina,  for  learn- 
ing, for  courtesy  and  practical  good  sense.  His 
decisions  are  rarely  questioned  and  the  people 
regarded  him  as  an  honor  to  the  bench. 

Besides  the  ordinary  business  of  the  Court 
__  in  which  he  presided,  he  was  called  upon  to 
determine  questions  under  the  recent  amend- 
ments to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
at  a  time  of  intense  excitement,  Avhen  there 
was  serious  alarm  felt  lest  a  fearful  strife  should 
break  forth,  growing  out  of  the  points  upon 
he  was  called  to  adjudicate. 

In  the  year  1870,  Governor  Holden  declared 
several  Counties  of  North  Carolina  in  a  state 
of  insurrection  and  sent  troops  who  arrested 
and  held  in  custody  a  number  of  citizens  of 
those  Counties.  These  sued  out  writs  of  ha- 
beas corpus  from  Chief-Justice  Pearson,  of  the 
State  Court.  The  writs  were  issued,  but  by 
direction  of  the  Governor  the  prisoners  were 
not  returned.  An  act  of  the  Legislature  of 
North  Carolina  had  been  passed,  empowering 
the  Governor  upon  good  cause  to  declare  any 
County  in  insurrection  and  to  employ  the 
miltia  force  to  repress  such  insm-rection. 


When  the  Governor  refused  the  prisoners 
in  obedience  to  the  writs  issued  by  Chief-Jus- 
tice Pearson,  that  .Judge  declared  that  he  had 
no  power  to  proceed  and  that  the  power  of  the 
judiciary  was  exhausted.  The  prisoners  still 
remained  in  military  custody. 

Immediately  they  procured  writs  from  Judge 
Brooki,  returnable  before  him  at  Salisbury  in 
August,  1870.  The  questions  arising  upon 
these  proceedings  were  of  the  gravest  kind, 
involving  the  construction  of  the  14th  amend- 
ment to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
and  the  act  of  February  fifth,  1867,  passed  in 
pursuance  thereof.  The  prisoners  were  sup- 
posed to  be  Democrats,  seeking  relief  at  the 
hands  of  the  federal  government  from  the 
wrongs  of  their  own  State  officers;  the  coun- 
sel for  the  prisoners,  all  leading  Democrats, 
filed  argument  upon  argument  to  convince  the 
Court  tiiat  the  Federal  arm  ought  to  interfere. 
The  Judge  was  easy  to  convince;  he  had  com- 
mon sense,  the  text  of  the  Constitution,  the 
written  statute  and  the  bias  of  a  life-time  on 
his  side.  He  extended  the  ^Egis  of  the  Fed- 
eral Constitution  over  the  citizen  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  and  proclaimed  to  eternity  that  the 
United  States  is  a  nation  charged  to  vindicate 
the  wrongs  of  the  subject  in  every  corner  of 
its  domain  and  armed  with  power  to  resist  the 
tyranny  of  any  or  either  of  the  several  States. 

He  granted  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  and 
extended  the  federal  jurisdiction  to  the    case 

The  prisoners  e.xulted  in  their  liberty  and  a 
shout  of  triumph  went  up  from  the  people  and 
the  press  over  the  result.  The  .Judge  enjoyed 
an  ovation  such  as  seldom  honors  the  bench, 
and  at  the  time,  no  honor  would  have  been  too 
great  for  the  State  to  lay  at  his  feet. 

The  decision  referred  to,  although  it  did 
present  at  the  time  only  a  local  aspect,  is,  in 
fact,  a  national  one,  and  may  one  day  form  the 
basis  of  an  opinion  of  as  wide  notorietj^  as  the 
Dred  Scott  case.     It  in  fact  ranks  with  it   in 


368 


WHEELER'S  REMmiSCENCES. 


interest,  and  like  it  must  form  the  departure 
for  clashing  political  creeds  hereafter. 

Judge  Brooks  married  Margaret,  daughter 
of  James  Costin,  of  Gates  County,  on  June  20, 
1850,  and  he  had  five  children:  Three  sons, 
"William,  George  and  James,  and  two  daugh- 
ters; Margaret  and  Sally.  He  died  at  his  home 
in  Elizabeth  City  on  January  6th,  1882,  amid 
the  regrets  of  the  Country  at  the  loss  of  so 
pure  and  good  a  man. 

Gen.  James  Green  Martin,  born  1819,  died 
October  1878,  was  a  native  of  this  county. 
He  was  educated  at  the  United  States  Mili- 
tary Academy  and  graduated  June  30th,  1840, 
in  the  same  class  with  Sherman,  Thomas  and 
others.  He  was  assigned  to  the  Artillery  and 
performed  the  varied  duties  of  that  service, 
at  home  and  abroad  with  credit.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  the  war  with  Mexico;  and  was  sever- 
ely wounded  at  the  battle  of  Cherubusco,  on 
the  August  20th,  1847,  from  which  he  lost 
his  I'ight  arm.  He  was  brevetted  Major  "for 
gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  in  the  battle 
of  Contrereas  and  Cherubusco."  On  the  com- 
mencement of  the  civil  war,  he  was  stationed 
at  Fort  Riley.  He  promptly  resigned  his  com- 
mission in  the  United  States  Army,  and  tend- 
ered his  services  to  his  native  State.  The 
Governor  appointed  him  Adjutant  General  of 
the  State,  a  most  important  position,  and  well 
did  he  fill, it,  for  it  was  unaer  his  provident 
care  that  tlie  troops  of  the  State  were  or- 
ganized, equipped  and  amply  provided  for. 
It  was  his  suggestion  that  the  "blockade  run- 
ning" ships  were  first  employed  to  bring  cloth- 
ing and  supplies  from  Europe  for  the  troops  and 
the  people.  In  1862  when  he  had  accom- 
plished his  duties  as  Adjutant  General,  he  was 
coniniissioned  Brigadier  General  and  labored 
faithfully,  zealously  and  gallantly  to  the  close 
of  the  war;  which  found  him  at  Asheville. 
Pleased  with  the  advantages  of  climate,  and 


the  salubrity  of  this  section,  he  resolved  to 
make  it  his  home;  here  he  remained,  till  his 
death.  He  was  the  law  partner  of  Hon.  John 
L.  Baily,  whose  genial  and  generous  temper 
was  so  germain  to  that  of  Gen.  Martin.  He 
was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  Miss 
Reed  of  New  Castle,  Delaware,  he  had  four 
children.  His  second  wife  was  the  daughter 
of  the  late  Hon.  Charles  King,  who  was  the 
son  of  Rufus  King. 

John  Pool*  is  a  native  of  Pasquotank  County, 
born  June  16,  1826,  educated  at  the  Univer- 
sity at  which  he  graduated  in  1847.  Studied 
law  and  practiced  it  successfully.  Elected  to 
the  State  Senate  in  1856  and  again  in  1865. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Convention  in 
1865  and  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Gover- 
nor in  1858,  but  was  defeated  by  Governor 
Ellis. 

He  was  elected  Senator  in  Congress  in  1868 
and  served  till  March,  1873. 

Mr.  Pool's  course  in  public  life  has  been 
marked  by  a  strict  adherence  to  his  views  of 
right;  never  pandering  to  party  or  persons  to 
secure  popularity.  This  devotion  to  duty  has 
doubtless,  while  it  secured  him  friends,  pro- 
duced some  political  enemies.  He  has  retired 
from  the  arena  of  politics  and  devotes  his  time 
to  the  duties  of  his  profession. 

No  further  seek  his  merits  to  disclose, 

Or  draw  his  frailties  from  their  quiet  abode. 

He  has  been  twice  married;  first  to  Miss 
Sawyer,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter  [Mrs. 
Mills;]  and  second  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Dr. 
A.  W.  Mebane,  by  whom  he  has  a  son  and  two 
daughters. 

Lucian  D.  Stai'ke,  long  a  resident  of  Eliza- 
beth City,  was  raised  in  Suflblk,  Virginia. 
His  native  ability  is  excelled  by  his  cultivated 


*Mr.  Pool  died  in  Washington  City  on  August  16th, 

1884. 


PERQUIMANS  COUNTY. 


369 


manners.  He  edited  "the  Pioneer,"  a  dem- 
ocratic paper  at  Elizabeth  City,  with  much 
ability,  and  was  for  a   time   Collector   of  the 


Port.  He  entered  the  army  during  the  Civil 
War,  Eervina;  on  the  Staff  of  the  late  lamented 
Col.  William  F.  Martin. 


^^^'^b^^.^^tV^'^^^^ 


PERQUIMANS    COUNTY. 


John  Harvey  is  a  name  that  should  ever  be 
cherished  in  the  early  annals  of  our  history. 
He  was  a  prominent  leader  in  the  Assembly, 
and  was  for  a  long  time  Speaker  in  the  House 
and  was  Moderator  of  that  band  of  heroes 
who  met  at  New  Berne  m  177-4,  in  open  defi- 
ance to  the  Eoyal  Governor  as  advocates  of 
liberty  and  independence.  Unfortunate!}^,  he 
died  before  independence  was  secured;  but 
his  name  and  his  efforts  are  entitled  to  our  re- 
spect and  gratitude.  His  name  is  still  j^re- 
served  by  many  families  in  this  region,  and 
his  patriotism  duly  remembered. 

Josiah  T.  Granbury  was  long  a  useful  and 
honorable  citizen  of  this  County.  He  was 
distinguished  for  his  success  as  a  farmer — one 
ot  the  most  extensive  in  this  fertile  section  of 
the  State.  But  his  means  and  fortunes  were 
wrecked  by  the  vicissitudes  of  the  civil  war, 
and  his  active  spirit  sunk  under  its  calamities. 
In  his  views  of  statemanshiphe  was  a  devoted 
admirer  of  the  tenets  of  Jefferson  and  Jack- 
son; so  strong  and  fixed  were  these  opinions 
that  they  tinged  his  whole  life. 

His  only  child  married  Lucius  J.  Johnson, 
who  shared  with  Mr.  Granbury  his  political 
preferences,  his  high  intellectual  acquirements 
and  his  devotion  to  duty.  "  Mr.  Johnson,"  says 
Moore,  "  was  of  that  stock  of  men  which  made 


the  upper  portion  of  Chowan  celebrated  for  a 
centui-y  past,  for  its  patriotism  and  intelli- 
gence." He  was  greatly  beloved  as  a  man,  and 
respected  as  a  faithful  and  able  advocate.  He 
died,  Major  of  the  17th  N.  C.  State  Troops, 
with  his  face  to  the  foe  in  the  last  battle  of 
Kinston  in  ^larch  1865. 

J.  W.  Albertson  is  a  native  of  this  county; 
of  Quaker  parentage,  born  September  9,  1826. 
Educated  at  Belvidere  Academy  and  at  the 
Friends'  Boarding  School  in  Guilford  County. 
He  studied  law  and  was  licensed  to  practice  in 
1849.  Elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1852.  In 
1856  he  became  a  Democrat  on  principle. 
Elected  Solicitor  in  1868,  and  was  so  accepta- 
ble and  faithful  that  he  was  appointed  Judge 
of  the  Superior  Court  in  April,  ]872. 

On  the  resignation  of  Richard  C.  Badsrer,  in 
1878,  he  was  appointed  b}^  the  President  Dis- 
trict Attorney  for  the  eastern  district  of  North 
Carolina,  which  position  he  discharged  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  coun- 
try. 

William  H.  Bagley,  is  a  native  of  Perquimans  ' 
county, born  July  5th,  1833,  son  of  Col.  Willis  II. 
Bagley,  long  the  Sherift"  of  this  county,  a  pop- 
ular and  useful  citizen.  He  was  liberall}'  ed- 
ucated under  John  Kimberly,  at  the  Hertford 
Academy.     For  a  time  he  was  editor  of  the 


870 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Sentinel  in  Elizabeth  City;  studied  law  and 
was  licensed  in  1859.  Although  opposed  to 
secession,yet  when  the  State  actually  embarked 
in  the  war,  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  share 
her  fortunes,  and  so 'entered  the  Confederate 
service  as  a  private,  but  was  soon  made  a  First 
Lieutenant  in  the  Eighth  Regiment  N.  C. 
Troops.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Is- 
land, where  he  was  taken  prisoner.  After  his 
exchange  he  was  appointed  Captain  of  his  com- 
pany, and  subsequently  promoted  to  be  Major 
of  the  66th  Regiment  where  he  served  on  the 
coast  defenses  in  North  and  South  Carolina, 
and  Georgia,  until  his  resignation  in  1864. 
He  had  been  elected  to  the  Senate,  from  the 
first  Senatorial  District,  composed  of  the  co- 


unties of  Perquimans  and  Pasquotank  in  Aug. 
1862,  and  was  re-elected  in  1864.  In  July  1865 
he  was  appointed  by  President  Johnson  Super- 
intendent of  the  Mint  at  Charlotte;  but  being 
unable  to  take  the  test  oath  he  was  prevented 
from  filling  that  position.  In  December  of  that 
year  he  was  Private  Secretary  of  Gov.  Worth; 
at  the  close  of  which  service  he  was  elected 
Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  which 
elevated  position  he  njw  holds.  He  is  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  has  been  M.  W.  Grand  Master,  and  held 
the  highest  honor  of  the  order  in  his  State. 
He  married  ( March  1st  1866,)  Adelaide,  daugh- 
ter of  Gov.  Worth,  for  whose  biography  see 
Randolph  County. 


-^-^^^^1^:7^=^^ 


PERSON  COUNTY, 


General  Henry  Atkinson,  of  the  U.  S.  Army, 
born  1802,  died  1842,  was  a  native  of  this  coun- 
ty. He  was  appointed  a  Captain  in  the  3rd 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  1808;  Colonel  of  45th 
Infantry,  1814,  and  a  Brigadier-General  1820. 
He  was  a  gallant  and  active  officer  and  com- 
manded the  Western  Army  at  the  defeat  of  the 
Sioux  Indians,  and  took  their  celebrated  Chief, 
Black  Hawk,  prisoner  near  Bad  Axe  River,  2d 
August,  1832. 

He  died  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Missouri,  14th 
June,  1842.  His  brother,  Richard  Atkinson, 
was  a  Member  of  the  Legislature  fro;n  Person 
County,  from  1807  to  1820,  except  1815-'16. 
Like  his  distinguished  brother,  he  was  of  mili- 
tary tastes,  and  was  Colonel  of  a  North  Caro- 
lina Regiment  in  the  war  with  the  Creek  In- 


dians, in  1815-'16.     He  died  in  Person  County 
on  3rd  December,  1821.* 

Edwin  Godwin  Reade,  son  of  Robert  and 
Judith  A.  Reade,  was  born  November  19, 1812, 
at  Mt.  Tirzah,  in  Person  County,  in-which 
county  he  has  always  resided.  His  father  died 
while  he  was  a  child,  and  his  early  advantages 
were  few. 

His  mother's  means  were  limited,  but  she 
was  a  wise,  christian  woman  and  guided  her 
sons,  of  whom  she  had  three,  with  much  care. 

Edwin  was  liberally  educated  by  Rev.  Alex- 
ander Wilson,  D.D.  Studied  law  under  Benja- 
min Sumner;  obtained  his  license  to  practice  in 
1835,  and  practiced  with  profit  and  honor.     In 


*Dictionary  of  Am,  Biography  by  Thomas  S.  Drake, 
Boston,  1872.  r   . 


PERSON  COUNTY. 


871 


1855  he  was  elected  a  Member  of  the 
(34th)  Congress.  He  declined  a  re-election, 
and  determined  to  retire  from  public  life. 

In  1861  he  was  prevailed  upon  by  friends  of 
the  Union  to  be  a  candidate  for  a  seat  in  the 
convention  to  oppose  the  secession  of  the  State. 
He  was  elected  by  a  large  majority,  but  the 
convention  was  defeated  by  a  popular  vote. 
When  another  convention  was  soon  after  call- 
ed, and  when  it  was  apparent  that  the  State 
would  secede,  he  was  not  a  candidate.  After 
Secession  was  accomplished  by  a  vote  of  the  con- 
vention, he  cast  his  lot  with  his  State.  Judge 
Reade  was  elected  to  the  Confederate  States 
Senate,  and  served  therein  during  the  war. 

In  December,  18G3,in  his  absence,  and  with- 
out his  active  solicitation,  he  was  elected  by 
the  legislature  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  in  1865  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  judge  in  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment. 

In  the  fall  of  1865  he  was  unanimously 
elected  to  the  state  convention,  called  to  form 
a  constitution,  and  was  chosen  President  of 
that  bodj'  by  acclamation. 

The  legislature  that  met  in  Dec.  1865  elect- 
ed him  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  In  1868,  under  the  new  government, 
he  was  nominated  by  both  parties  and  elected 
by  nearly  a  unanimous  vote  to  the  ofiice  of 
Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Coui-t;  his 
terra  of  ofHce  expired  in  1878.  lie  returned 
to  his  practice  in  Roxboro,  where   he  resides. 

He  was  married  December,  1836,  Emily  A.L. 
Moore,  daughter  of  Phillips  Moore. 

He  was  always  a  Whig  and  as  opposed  to 
secession  has  been  a  Unionist. 

He  is  a  clear,  chaste  and  forcible  writer,  and 
was  distinguished  as  an  acute  lawyer,  and  an 
eloquent  and  persuasive  advocate  and  public 
speaker.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  fi"om  his  j^outh  and  is  now  a 
ruling  elder.    He  has  discharged  ably  and  well 


the  duties  of  all  the  positions  which  he  has 
ever  occupied. 

There  lived  near  Roxboro,  a  Scotchman 
named  James  Williamson.  His  first  wife  was 
a  daughter  of  Dempsey  Moore.  Of  this  mar- 
riage was  born  John  Gustavus  Adolphus  Wil- 
liamson, one  of  the  most  prominent  sons  of  Per- 
son, a  lawyer  by  profession,  and  an  eminent 
statesman ;  represented  his  county  in  the  House 
of  Commons  in  1823,  was  afterwards  Consul  to 
Venzuela  and  later  appointed  Charg^  d'Affaires 
at  Caraccas. 

His  second  wife  was  Susan  Paine,  daughter 
of  Major  Paine,  who  lived  at  Paine's  "Ornery." 
Of  this  marriage  were  born  three  sons,  Robert, 
James  and  Alexander;  and  fom'  daughters, 
Mary,Partlienia,  Annie  and  Madrid  [named  for 
the  Capital  of  Spain.] 

Mary  married  Mr.  Donaho,  who  died  in  Mil- 
ton. Parthenia  married  Judge  Dick,  father  of 
the  present  Judge  R.  P.  Dick.  She  is  still  liv- 
ing in  Greensboro'.  Susan  married  a  brother 
of  Chief  Justice  Thomas  Ruffin,  formerly  of 
Hillsboro'.  Madrid  married  a  young  lawyer  by 
the  name  of  Jones,  and  moved  to  Tennessee. 

Dr.  Robert  Williamson,  the  oldest  son  of  his 
second  wife,  was  a  prominent  physician  in  Rock- 
ingham County,  where  he  he  died  about  the 
j'ear  1843.  James  M.,  second  son  by  same  mar- 
riage, moved  to  Tennessee,  and  followed  the 
law,  represented  this  County  in  the  State  Leg- 
islature, 1834. 

Alexander,  the  third  son  by  the  same  mar- 
riage, was  a  successful  merchant  in  Memphis, 
left  a  large  estate. 

The  first  we  learn  of  the  Barnett  family  is 
that,  John  Barnett,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania. 
His  son  John  married  Miss  Currie  of  that 
State.  He  lived  at  Bailey's  Bridge,  on  the  line 
of  Person  and  Halifax  counties.  This  was  then 
the  famous  place  to  settle  questions  of  honor 
by  the  pistol.     Immediately  upon  the  Virginia 


372 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


and  North  Cai'olina  line  the  officers  of  the  law 
in  either  State  could  be  evaded  by  passing  from 
one  Sta^e  to  the  other.  It  was  here  that  Judge 
Cameron  once  vindicated  the  code. 

John  Barnett  was  summoned  to  cut  out  a 
direct  road  from  Halifax  C.  H.,  in  Virginia,  to 
to  Hillsboro'.  Commencing  at  Halifax  he  came 
on  bj'  Adam's  Creek.  At  this  ford  he  was  re- 
minded by  the  red  land  of  that  in  Pennsylva- 
nia. And  fancying  a  similarity  in  its  fertility  he 
immediately  went  to  the  land -office  and -'took 
up"  a  large  number  of  acres  of  land  located 
here.  This  land  fell  into  the  hands  of  John 
W.  Williams,  as  the  heir  or  executor  of  one 
Towler. 

A  brother-in-law  of  this  John  Barnett, 
named  Currie,  also  settled  upon  these  lands, 
now  occupied  by  J.  M.  Barnett,  Esq.,  who  also 
owned  the  Towler  place.  Thus  we  trace  the 
Currie  family  of  Caswell  County. 

Richard  Stanford,  was  a  Member  of  Congress 
from  1797  to  1816  continuously,  nearly  twenty 
years.  He  died  in  Washington  City,  in  April, 
1816,  during  the  session  of  Congress,  and  lies 
buried  in  the  Congressional  Cemetery.  He  was 
a  prominent  politician  of  his  day,  and  was  the 
confidential  friend  of  the  distinguished  John 
Randolph  of  Roanoke.  Mr.  Stanford's  unex- 
pired term  was  filled  by  Hon.  Samuel  Dickens, 
who  often  represented  Person  in  the  State  Leg- 
islature, he  removed  in  1820  to  West  Tennes- 
see, which  was  then  called  the  Chickasaw  pm'- 
chase;  he  died  there  many  years  ago,  full  of 
wealth  and  the  good  will  of  his  countrymen. 
Hon.  James  Cochran, (the  maternal  grandfather 
of  James  Cochran  Dobbin,)  was  a  native  of  Per- 
son, and  a  Member  of  Congress  from  1809  to 
1813;  he  lies  buried  at  Lea's  Chapel,  five  miles 
west  of  Roxboro'. 

Hon.  Robert  Vanhook  was  a  native  of  Per- 
son, he  served  in  both  branches  of  the  State 
Legislature  and  was  elected  twenty-two  times, 
from  1807  to  1834,  the  last  year  he  had  no  op- 


position, and  died  before  the  convening  of  the 
Legislature.  Major  Isham  Edwards  [father  of 
Col.  L.  C.  Edwards,]  was  elected  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy. Mr.  Vanhook  was  a  politician  of  the 
Jeflersonian  school,  he  was  not  a  great  man 
mentally,  though  highly  gifted  in  procuring  the 
good  will  of  the  people  and  retaining  it. 

Hon.  Thom.as  McGhee,  [father  of  Montford 
McGhee,  Esq.,]  was  a  wealthy  farmer  onHyco, 
and  served  five  sessions  in  the  State  Legislature 
[lower  branch]  1826-'29-'30-'31-'33,  and  was 
Governor's  council  during  the  administrations 
of  Dudley  and  Morehead  and  was  many  years 
president  of  the  bank  at  Mijton. 

His  son,  Montford  McGhee,  born  in  this 
county,  on  December  4,  1822,  was  educated  at 
the  University;  graduated  in  1841,  in  the  same 
class  with  Thos.  L.  Avery,R.  R.  Bridgers,  Wm. 
J.  Clarke,  John  W.  Ellis,  John  F.  Hoke,  Charles 
and  Sauuiel  F.  Phillips.  He  studied  law  with 
Judge  Butler,  and  spent  some  time  at  Harvard 
College.  He  removed  to  Caswell  County,  and 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Convention  in  1865^  and 
as  Representative  in  1862  and  1866.  Elected 
to  the  Legislature  in  1879, and  since  continued 
to  1882  with  great  acceptability.  He  has 
attained  high  distinction  as  a  writer,  and  his 
eulogy  on  Governor  Graham  ranks  him  with 
the  most  polished  writers  of  the  State. 

He  is  at  present  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Legislature  and  of  the  bar.  Highly  esteemed  by 
his  friends  and  his  associates  as  a  gentleman  and 
a  scholar.  He  has  recently  been  appointed  by 
the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  Commissioner 
of  Agriculture,  succeeding  Col.  L.  L.  Polk, 
[1880.] 

He  married  a  daughter  of  Judge  Badger  in 
1854. 

John  W.  Cunningham,  resides  in  this  Coun- 
ty. He  was  born  in  Petersburg,  Virginia  on 
Feb.  6th,  1820;  educated  at  Bingham  Acad- 
emy, and  at  the  University,  where  he  grad- 
uated in  1840,  in  the  same  class  with  David  A. 


PITT  COUNTY. 


373 


Barnes,  Tod  E.  Caldwell,  C.  C.Graham.  Lucius  Govrs.  Ellis  and  Clark,  and  member  of  the 

I.  Johnston,  Wm.  Johnston,  0.  H.  Prince,  Will-  Convention  of  1875.     These  manifestations  of 

iam  M.  Shipp,  Calvin    A.    Wiley  and   others.  ,  ,.          ,.  ^ 

TT              1     X   J   X     i.1      o       i.     •      lor.-)  ..   ,n  public  conhdence  and  regard,  evmce  the  proper 

He  was  elected  to  the  8enate   m    1852-  4-'6  ^    '^ 

and  8 ;  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  1861,  appreciation  of  Mr.  Cunningham's  integrity  and 

(secession.)     Keelected  to  the  Senate  in  1864,  ability.     He  married  Miss   Sue  Sonierville   of 

'66-'72  and  1876.     Councillor  of  State    under  "Warrenton. 


,^^ 


CHAPTEE  XLIV. 


PITT  COUNTY. 


Dr.  Bobert  Williams  of  Pitt  County,  was  dis- 
tinguished in  the  Eevolutionary  War,  as  a  de- 
voted Patriot,  a  skilful  Surgeon  and  able  Phy- 
sician. He  served  as  surgeon  during  the  whole 
war,  and  after  the  war  was  over  he  devoted 
his  services  to  his  extensive  practice.  He  was 
selected  by  the  people  to  fill  many  positions  of 
honor  and  trust.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Convention  that  met  at  Hillsboro,  July  21st, 
1788,  to  consider  the  Federal  Constitution; 
and  was  repeatedly  elected  to  the  Legislature 
of  the  State  for  nearly  thirty  years,  [from 
1786  to  1814.]  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Convention  of  1835,  that  met  at  Raleigh  tore- 
vise  the  State  Constitution. 

He  died  in  Pitt   County  on   November  12, 

1842,  aged  83,  much   esteemed   and   much  re- 
gretted. 

Byran  Grimes,  Major-General  C.  S.  A.,  born 

Nov.  2,  1828;  died  Aug  14,  1880. 
He  was  not  born  to  shame; 


Upon  liis  l)io\v  sliame  was  asliained  to  sit, 

For  it  was  a  lliione  uliere  Honor  misht  be  crowned 

Sole  mouurcli  of  the  universal  earth." 


The  tragic  death  of  General  Grimes,  and  the 
assassin-like  mode  by  which  it  was  accom- 
plished, produced  a  thrill  of  sorrow  through- 
out the  State,  and  added  interest  to  the  exalt- 
ed traits  that  adorned  his  character.  He  was 
born,  lived,  and  died  in  Pitt  County. 

There  are  few  counties  in  North  Carolina 
whose  early  record  is  more  distinguished  by 
devotion  to  liberty  than  the  county  of  Pitt 
Its  inhabitants,  as  early  as  July,  1775,  under 
the  ties  of  religion,  honor  and  regard  for  pos- 
terity, resolved  to  execute  the  measures  of 
the  General  Congress,  then  sitting  at  Phil- 
adelphia, and  to  oppose  the  execution  of  the 
arbitrary  and  illegal  acts  of  the  British  Parlia- 
ment." These  resolutions  were  signed  by  John 
Simpson,  chairman,  and  ninety-two  others. 
Among  these  signers  was  the  great-grand 
father  of  General  Grimes.  His  grand -father 
[William]  was  a  leading  and  influential  pat- 
riot, and  represented  Pitt  County  in  1793  and 
'94,  the  date  of  his  death.     His  father,  whose 


374 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


patronymic  he  bore,  was  a  most  upright,  honest, 
and  enterprising  farmer,  and  raised  his  sons  to 
that  useful  and  hotiorabie  avocation.  On  these 
sons  he  bestowed  every  advantage  that  wealth 
and  education  could  present.  General  Grimes 
was  born  November  2d,  J  828;  and  graduated 
at  the  University  of  North  Carolina  in  1848, 
in  the  same  class  with  Victor  Clay  Barnnger, 
[now  a  judge  in  Egypt,]  Oliver  H.  Dockery, 
[in  Congress  1867,  '68,  '69,  '71,]  Seaton  Gales, 
late  Document  Clerk  to  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives; Willie  P.  Mangum,  Jr.,  [now 
Consul  of  the  United  States  in  China,]  Judge 
Oliver  P.  Mears,  and  others.  Avei'se  to  polit- 
ical excitement  and  public  position,he  embraced 
the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  and  was  disting- 
uished for  his  success  and  enterprise  in  a  sec- 
tion of  the  State  distinguished  for  its  fertility 
and  prolific  productions.  He,  however,  in  the 
exciting  times  of  1861,  was  a  member  of  the 
convention  at  Raleigh  that  seceded  from  the 
Union.  With  his  characteristic  sincerity  he  sus- 
tained his  opinions  and  convictions  of  duty  by 
his  deeds.  He  entered  the  Confederate  service, 
and  was  appointed  by  Governor  Ellis,  major  of 
the  4th  Regiment  of  North  Carolina  State 
Troops,  commanded  bj^ George  B.  Anderson  as 
colonel,  and  John  H.  Young  as  lieutenant-colo- 
nel. He  served  throughout  the  whole  war. 
He  was  among  the  j&rst  to  enter  the  field  and 
was  the  last  to  quit  it.  Such  was  his  gallantry 
and  devotion  to  the  cause  that  he  was  distin- 
guished in  every  prominent  battle  in  Northern 
Virginia.  He  was  with  Lee  at  Sharpsburg  and 
Gettysburg,  and  was  severely  wounded  at 
South  Mountain.  For  his  gallantry  he  was 
promoted  through  the  several  grades  of  service 
and  attained  the  position  of  Senior  Major- 
General  of  Stonewall  Jackson's  corps.  In  these 
fearful  ordeals  his  brave  spirit  had  never  quail- 
ed, and  he  gallantly  led  his  troops  in  the  des- 
perate and  furious  strife.  Like  Henry,  of  Nav- 
arre, at  Ivry,he  was  ever  "foremost  in  the  fray," 


and,  like  Henry,  urged  his  troops  to  combat. 

"Press  where  you  see  my  white  plume  shine  amidst 

the  rallies  of  war, 

Aud  be  your  oriflamme  to-day  the  lielmet  of  Navarre." 

This  poetic  idea   was   realized   by    General 

Grimes,  for  his  division  made  the  last  charge 

Appomattox.     The  history  of  that   last  effort 

of  the  Lost  Cause  tells  us   that  General   Lee, 

seeing  the   last  gallant  and   fruitless  chargd 

asked  "What  troops  are  those?"    When  told 

that    it    was  a   North    Carolina   division,   his 

placid    face    brightened  and    he    exclaimed, 

"God  bless  North  Carolina!  She  is  the  first  and 

last  in  every  charge." 

I  add,  "God  bless  Pitt  County  !"  Her  son, 
Henry  W^-att,  Avas  the  first  ottering  on  the 
altar  of  his  country  at  Bethel  in  1861,  and  her 
son.  Grimes,  led  the  last  charge  at  Appomattox. 
Pitt,  glorious  Pitt,  the  alpha  and  omega  of  the 
civil  war! 

The  war  ended,  General  Grimes  returned  to 
his  home  and  to  its  peaceful  pursuits.  But 
his  active  and  useful  career  was  soon  to  be  ter- 
minated by  a  tragic  end.  On  Saturday  evening, 
the  14th,  of  August,  1880,  General  Grimes 
was  returning  from  Washington  to  his  home 
in  his  buggy.  A  lad,  about  twelve  years  of 
age,  named  Bryan  Sattherwaite,  was  with 
him.  When  about  two  miles  from  his  resi- 
dence, near  Bear  Creek,  about  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  he  Avas  fired  upon  by  some  mis- 
creant in  ambush  and  killed.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  a  few  moments  after  the  fatal  shot 
was  fired.  Thus  perished  one  of  the  purest 
and  best  men  of  the  State. 

Prominent  in  his  character  was  his  devoted 
patriotism,  his  modest  and  decided  conduct, 
his  devotion  to  truth,  and  his  abhorrence  of 
anjr  kind  of  artifice  or  intrigue.  Decided, 
honest  and  firm  in  his  opinions,  he  expressed 
them  with  dignity,  firmness  and  courtesy.  His 
gallantly  in  the  field  was  only  excelled  by  his 
kindness  to  and  scrupulous  regard  for  his  troops. 


PITT  COUJsTY. 


375 


"[lis  life  wn  '^"itU',  ami  the  elements 
So  mixed  in  liim,  tliat  Xiittii-e  might  stand  up 
An  1  s  ly  to  all  tlie  world,  This  ic-ts  a  man  " 

General  Grimes  was  the  ready  and  devoted 
friend  of  every  movement  to  advance  the  well- 
fare  and  prosperity  of  his  State.  He  was  the 
steady  and  consistent  advocate  of  all  improve- 
ments and  of  e  kiuation.  lie  was  the  constant 
friend  and  patron  of  his  Ahiia  Mater,  in  so 
much  so,  that  one  of  the  literary  societies  (the 
Philanthropic)  has  procured  his  portrait,  ex- 
ecuted by  that  faithful  artist,  Wm.  Gar] 
Browne,  to  whose  genius  and  talent  our  State 
is  deeply  indebted  for  the  preservation  of  the 
features  of  so  many  of  her  distinguished  sons. 
The  following  letter  to  Mr.  Browne,  post- 
marked on  the  same  day  he  was  killed,  is  prob- 
ably the  last  letter  that  General  Grimes  ever 
wrote. 

"  Washington,  N.  C,  Atyust  I?,  1S80. 

VV.  Garl  Browne,  Esq., 

''Washington  CiU/,  D.  C. 

"  My  Dear  Sir  :  Your  letter  forwarded 
through  Mr.  Cowper  to  hand.  When  the  por- 
trait is  completed,  please  put  it  in  a  suitable 
frame  and  write  in  paint  colors  and  small  let- 
ters on  the  back  of  the  canvas,  "Br^-an  Grimes, 
Major-General  Provisional  Army  Confederate 
States,"  also  your  own  name  as  artist.  Have 
it  boxed  and  addressed  to  the  Philanthropic 
Society,  Chapel  Hill,  N.  C,  care  of  Messrs. 
James  Pender,  C.  B.  Avcock  and  Locke 
'^i-aige,  committee.  Prepay  the  freight  by  ex- 
press, at  same  time  notify  the  gentlemen  that 
you  have,  by  my  request,  shipped  the  box  to 
their  address.  Send  original  portraits  back  to 
Raleigh,  care  of  Pulaski  Cowper,  and  send 
your  bill  for  it  all  to  me.  I  will  not  insult 
you  by  asking  if  the  portrait  is  well  done,  for 
I  know  otherwise  it  could  not  come  from  your 
hand. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Bryan  Grimes." 


(Postniarked  14th  August,  1880,  the  day  he 
was  killed.) 

The  perpetrator  of  his  t\jul  assassination 
was  never  con\-icted;  the  alleged  cause  was 
that  General  Grimes  became  an  important 
witness  in  some  criminal  matter,  and  the  par- 
ties took  this  means  to  prevent  his  testimony 
from  being  given. 

General  Grimes  was  twice  married;  first  to 
Miss  Bettie  Davis,  and  second  to  Miss  Char- 
lotte Bryan,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  John 
H.  Bryan,  (member  of  Congress  1825-27,)  and 
leaves  a  large  family  to  deplore  his  untimely 
fate. 

In  Moore's  "History  of  ISTorth  Carolina"  is 
the  following  tribute  to  General  Grimes:  "  In 
the  disastrous,  final  retreat  there  were  many 
brave  deeds  doneb}^  the  troops  of  North  Caro- 
lina. Especially  did  Major-General  Bryan 
Grimes  and  Brigadier  General  William  R.  Cox 
distinguish  themselves.  General  Grimes  had 
won  his  waj-  to  the  proud  position  he  then  held 
amid  the  few  immortals  surviving  the  many 
glorious  conflicts  waged  by  the  Army  of  North- 
ern Virginia.  His  bravery  and  devotion  were 
supervised  bj-  an  intelligent  and  scrupulous  re- 
gard for  his  command,  and  no  officer  rendered 
fuller  or  more  patriotic  duty  to  the  Southern 
cause."  General  Grimes  furnished  the  histo- 
rian with  a  most  interesting  sketch  of  the  clos- 
ing scenes  of  the  conflict  in  Virginia.  From 
this  narrative  I  make  a  number  of  extracts  : 
'•'About  9  o'clock,"  saj-s  Genei-al  Grimes,  '-'I 
heard  the  roar  of  artillery  in  our  front,  and  in 
consequence  of  information  received,  I  had  my 
command  aroused  in  time,  and  passed  through 
the  town  of  Appomattox  Court  House  before 
daylight,  where,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
town,  I  found  the  enemy  in  my  front.  Throw- 
ing out  skirmishers  and  forming  a  line  of  bat- 
tle, I  reconnoitred  and  satisfied  myself  as  to 
their  position,  aud  awaited  the  arrival  of  Gen- 


376 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


era!  (iordon  for  instructions,  wlio,  awliile  be- 
fore day,  accompanied  by  General  Fitz  Lee, 
came  to  my  position,  wben  wo  held  a  council 
of  war.  General  Gordon  was  of  the  opinion 
that  the  troops  in  our  front  were  cavaliy,  and 
that  General  Fitz  Lee  should  attack.  Fitz  Lee 
thought  that  they  were  infantry,  and  that 
Gordon  should  attack.  They  discussed  the  mat- 
ter so  long  that  I  because  imp;itient,  and  said 
it  was  the  duty  of  some  one  to  attack,  and 
that  too  immediately;  and  I  felt  satisfied  that 
they  could  be  driven  from  the  cross-roads  oc- 
cupied by  them,  which  was  the  I'oute  it  was 
desirable  our  wagon  train  should  pursue,  an^ 
that  I  would  undertake  it.  Whereupon  Gor- 
don said:  "Well  drive  them  off;"  I  replied,  '-I 
cannot  do  so  with  my  division  alone,  but  re- 
quire assiatanee."  He  then  said,  "You  can 
take  the  other  two  divisions  of  the  corps." 
.\bout  this  tim-e  it  was  becoming  sufficiently 
light  to  make  the  surrounding  localities  visible. 
"I  then  rode  down  and  invited  General 
Walker,  who  commanded  a  division  on  my 
left  composed  principally  of  Virginians  to  ride 
with  me,  showed  him  the  position  of  the  en- 
emy, and  explained  to  him  my  views  and  plan 
of  attack.  lie  agreed  with  me  as  to  its  ad- 
visability. *  *  *  The  enemy,  observing  me 
placing  these  troops  in  position,  opened  upon 
me  with  four  pieces  of  artillery.  I  then  gave 
the  signal  to  advance;  at  the  same  time  Fitz 
Lee  charged  those  posted  at  the  ci'oss-roads, 
when  my  skirmishers  attacked  the  breast- 
works, which  were  taken  without  much  loss  on 
raj^  part;  also  capturing  several  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery and  a  large  number  of  prisoners,  I  at 
the  same  time  moving  the  division  up  to  the 
support  of  the  sicir I nishers  en  echelon  by  brig- 
ades, driving  the  enemy  in  confusion  for  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  beyond  a  range  of  hills  cover- 
ed with  oak  under-growth.  *  *  *  I  tlien  sent 
an  officer  to  General  Gordon  announcing  our 
success  and  that  the  Lynchburg  road  was  open 


for  the  escape  of  the  wagons,  and  that  I  awaited 
orders.  Thereupon  I  received  an  order  to 
withdraw,  whi..:h  I  declined  to  do,  supposing 
that  General  Gordon  did  not  understand  the 
commanding  position  which  my  troops  occu- 
pied, but  he  continued  to  send  me  orders  to 
the  same  ett'ect  which  I  still  disregarded  being 
under  the  impression  that  he  did  not  compre- 
hend our  favorable  location,  until  finally  I  re 
ceived  a  message  from  him  with  an  additional 
one  as  coming  from  General  Lee  to  fall  back. 
*  *  *  As  ni}'  troops  approached  their  position 
of  the  morning,  I  rode  up  to  General  Gordon 
and  asked  where  I  should  form  line  of  battle. 
He  replied,  "  Anj'where  you  choose." 

"Struck  by  tne  strangeness  of  the  replj^  I 
asked  an  e.Kplanation,  wliereupon  he  informed 
me  that  we  would  be  surrendered.  I  expressed 
very  forcibly  m)^  dissent  at  being  surreadered 
and  indignantly  upbraided  hiiu  for  not  giving 
me  notice  of  such  an  intention,  as  I  could  have 
escaped  with  nn'  division,  and  joined  General 
Jo.  Johnston,  then  in  North  Carolina;  further- 
more, that  I  should  then  inform  my  men  of 
the  purpose  to  surrender,  and  whomsoever 
desired  to  escape  that  calamity  could  go 
with  me,  and  galloped  off  to  carry  this  idea 
into  effect.  Before  reaching  my  troops,  how- 
ever. General  Gordon  overtook  me,  and  plac- 
ing his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  asked  me  if  I  was 
going  to  desert  the  army  and  tarnish  m^'  own 
honor  as  asoldier;  that  it  would  be  a  reflection 
upon  General  Lee  and  an  indelible  disgrace  to 
me  that,  I,  an  officer  of  rank,  should  escape 
under  a  flag  of  truce  which  was  pending.  I 
was  in  a  dilemma  and  knew  not  what  to  do, 
but  finally  concluded  to  say  nothing  to  my 
troops  on  the  subject.  *  *  *  We  were  then 
beyond  the  creek  at  Appomattox  Court  House, 
and  stacked  arms  amid  the  bitter  tears  of  bron- 
zed veterans,  regretting  the  necessity  for  cap- 
tulation." 

Dr.  Richard  11.  Lewis,  the  most  distinguish- 


PITT  COUNTY. 


377 


ocfulist  and  aurist  in  North  Carolina,  was 
born  on  the  18th  of  Febiuary,  1850,  in  Pitt 
County;  the  son  of  Kichard  Henry  Lewis,  of 
Edgecomhe,  who  was  the  son  of  Erwin  Lewis, 
of  that  County,  whose  father,  Erwin  Lewis, 
moved  to  Edgecombe  from  Brunswick  Count}-, 
Virginia,  and  was  a  descendant  of  Henry  Lewis 
one  of  the  three  brothers  who  came  to  Virginia 
from  England  in  1695,  and  who  settled  in 
Brunswick, Charles  settling  in  Augusta  Count}', 
and  John  on  the  James  River. 

He  entered  the  Freshman  class  at  the  Uni- 
versity at  Chapel  Hill  in  July  1866,  and  re- 
mained there  until  the  republicans  broke  it  up 
in  1868,  having  completed  his  sophomore  j'ear. 
He  obtained  his  first  distinction  the  second  ses- 
sion of  the  Freshman,  and  during  the  whole 
Sophomore  year.  From  Chapel  Hill  he  went 
to  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  there  re- 
mained for  two  years,  the  last  in  the  study  of 
medicine.  The  first  was  devoted  chiefly  to 
the  study  of  belles  lettres,  and  he  received  a 
diploma  in  Moral  Philosophy  and  French.  He 
entered  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Maryland,  in  Baltimore,  and  grad- 
uated there  in  the    following   spring,   March 


1871.  After  graduation  he  was  appointed  as- 
sistant physician  of  the  University  Hospital 
and  the  following  year  was  elected  Eesident 
Physician.  Devoting  himself  exclusively  to 
one  branch  of  the  profession — namel}',  diseases 
of  the  ej-e  and  ear,  he  became  fitted  for  it  b}' 
taking  a  course  under  Prof.  J.  J,  Chisolm  of 
Baltimore,  and  afterwards  at  the  Royal  Lon- 
don Ophthalmic  Hospital,  Moorsfield,  Lon- 
don. He  first  settled  in  Savannah,  in  the 
spring  of  1875,  and  was  elected  Professor  of  Dis- 
eases of  the  Eye  and  Ear,  in  the  Savannah 
Medical  College. 

Married  to  Miss  Cornelia  V.  Battle,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  Kemp  P.  Battle,  on  February  1.3th, 
1877,  he  gave  up  a  successful  practice  in  Savan- 
nah and  returned  to  Xorth  Carolina  to  settle. 
His  license  to  practice  in  this  State  was  obtained 
from  the  State  Board  of  Medical  Examiners 
and  he  joined  the  State  Medical  Society  at 
Salem  in  the  following  May.  At  the-  meeting 
of  the  Society  in  Wilmington  in  May  1880,  he 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Medical  Examiners,  Dr.  Hicks  rke  of  Gran- 
ville, resigned. 


-^-^^^^T^^ 


RANDOLPH     COUNTY. 


Jonathan  Worth,  son  of  Dr.  David  Worth, 
was  born  in  Guilford  County,  N.  C,  November 
18th,  1802.  He  died  in  1869.  He  received  a 
fair  English  education,  at  the  neighboring  "old 
field  schools,"  being  much  indebted  to  William 
Reynolds  for  the  solid  training  he  there  receiv- 
ed. At  the  age  of  18  years  he  was  sent  to  the 
academy  at  Greensboro',  where  he  remained  for 
two  and  a  half  years.      His  conduct  there  was 


marked  for  his  diligence  and  proficiency  in  his 
studies.  His  father  being  unable  to  continue 
him  longer  at  the  academy,  he  took  charge  of 
a  school,  near  the  residence  of  Hon.  A.  D.  Mur- 
phey,in  Orange  County,  and  commenced  read- 
ing law  under  the  direction  of  that  learned 
and  distinguished  lawyer.  On  April  20th,  1824, 
he  married  Martitia  Daniel,  a  niece  of  Judge 
Murphey,and  in  January,  1825,  he  obtained  his 


*  ! 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


license  to  practice  law.  Soon  afterwards  lie 
settled  at  Aslieboro',  Randolph  County,  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
Owing  to  extreme  ditKdeuee  and  the  total  ab- 
sence of  anything  like  oratorical  displaj^,  others 
not  more,  (and  perhaps  less,)  learned,  took  the 
lead  of  him  in  practice.  Notwithstanding  his 
great  need  of  professional  gains, at  this  period, 
he  has  been  often  heard  to  remarL'C,  that  he 
would  rather  lose  a  fee  than  make  a  speech. 
After  lingering  at  the  bar  for  several  years, 
with  few  clients,  he  determined  as  a  means  of 
overcoming  this  diffidence,  to  become  a  candi- 
date for  the  Legislature,  hoping  the  canvass 
might  give  him  more  assurance.  He  was  elec- 
ted (1830,]  ahead  of  his  competitors.  The  next 
year,  (1831,)  he  was  again  a  candidate  and  re- 
elected. At  this  session^  he  distinguished  him- 
self by  the  inl  roduction  of  resolutions  denounc- 
ing nullification,  which,  after  an  able  but 
stormy  debate,  in  which  he  participated,  passed 
the  House  by  a  large  majority.  After  this  term 
in  the  Legislature  he  seems  to  have  withdrawn 
from  politics  and  devoted  himself  to  his  profes- 
sion,as  wefind  him  bus}'  at  the  courts  in  his  cir- 
cuit, and  surrounded  by  clients.  This  atten- 
tion to  his  profession  brought  such  success  and 
pecuniary  ease,  as  that  he  was  again  induced 
by  his  friends,  to  become  a  candidate  for  the 
Legislature  in  1840,  on  the  Harrison  ticket, 
and  was  elected  to  the  Senate  by  an  over- 
whelming majority. 

At  the  session  of  1840,  the  leading  legisla- 
tive measure  was  the  putting  in  operation  of 
a  system  of  Public  Schools.  He  was  made 
Chairman  of  the  Joint  Committee  on  Educa- 
tion and,  as  such,  drew  up  and  reported  a  bill 
which  passed  both  Houses,  all  the  prominent 
provisions  of  which  remained  unchanged  until 
the  sj-stem  of  Public  Schools  was  broken  up 
by  the  civil  Avar. 

He  was  always  an  admirer  of  Henry  Clay; 
and,  in  1841,he  opposed    the  Hon.  A.  Rencher 


for  Congress,  Mr.  Worth  charging  that  certain 
political  acts  of  his  opponent  indicated,  on  his 
part,  a  meditated  defection  from  the  support 
of  Mr.  Clay.     Mr.  Worth  was  defeated. 

He  again  applied  himself  diligently  to  the 
practice  of  bis  profession,  with  success,  until 
in  1845,  when  a  convention  of  delegates  from 
the  Counties  composing  his  Congressional  dis- 
trict nominated  him  for  Congress.  He  accepted 
the  nomination  and  entered  the  field,  but  was 
defeated  hy  his  competitor.  Gen.  Alfred  Dock- 
ery. 

After  tliis  he  devoted  himself  assidiously  to 
to  the  practice  of  liis  profession  until  1858, 
when  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  from 
Randolph  and  Alamance  Counties.  In  the 
Session  of  1858-59,  he  introduced  resolutions 
raising  a  Joint  Select  Committee  to  investigate 
the  management  of-  the  N.  C.  Raih-oad,  of 
which  Committee  he  was  made  Chairman. 
His  report  upon  this  subject,  and  the  debates 
which  grew  out  of  it,  were,  by  far,  the  most 
important  topics  before  that  Legislature;  and 
a  controversy,  through  the  newspapers,  resulted 
between  Mr.  Worth  and  Mr.  C.  F.  Fisher,  the 
the  President  of  the  Road,  the  severity  of 
which  was  only  surpassed  by  tlie  ability  dis- 
pla3'ed.  It  is  believed  that  good  to  the  State 
was  the  result  of  "this  investigation  and  con- 
trovers}',  and  it  cannot  be  unjust  to  his  lament- 
ed competitor,  to  sa}'  that  Mr.  Worth,  through- 
out the  contest,  more  than  met  the  expect- 
ation of  his  friends. 

Mr.  Worth  was  re-elected  to  the  Senate  in 
1860-61.  This  period  is  made  memorable  by 
the  secession  of  the  Southern  States  from  the 
Union.  Having  always  disbelieved  in  the 
doctrine  of  secession,  Mr.  Worth  was  among 
the  foremost  and  the  most  active  in  resisting 
a  disruption  of  the  Union,  and  in  endeavoring 
to  prevent  his  own  State  from  throwing  her- 
self into  the  vortex  of  revolution.  In  the  Leg- 
islature, he  voted  against  submitting  the  ques- 


*H?T  COUNTY. 


379 


tion  of  calling  a  convention  to  the  peop'e,  and 
the  Legislature  deciding  against  him,  he  ad- 
dressed a  circular  letter  to  his  constituents  ad- 
vising them  to  vote  against  the  convention  as 
the  surest  way  to  defeat  secession.  His  advice 
was  heeded,  not  only  by  his  own  constituents, 
but  by  the  jieople  of  the  State.  Subsequently, 
however. a  convention  was  called  and  the  ord- 
inance of  secession  passed.  Mr.  Worth  declined 
to  be  a  candidate  for  this  convention.  With 
the  other  prominent  Union  men  of  the  South, 
after  secession  was  accomplished,  he  gave  his 
adhesion  to  the  dc  facto  government,  and  acted 
]n  good  faith  towards  it, 

In  1862-63,  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
House  of  the  Legislature,  and  at  the  session 
of  1862  was  elected  l-'ublic  Treasurer  of  the 
State,  over  Hon,  D.  W.  Courts,  the  popular  in- 
cumbent of  that  office.  He  was  re-elected 
without  opposition,  in  18G4,  and  held  the  pos- 
ition until  the  State  government  was  over- 
thrown by  the  Federal  forces  in  1865, 

In  the  same  3'ear  he  was  appointed  to  the 
same  position  under  the  provisional  government 
organized  by  President  Johnson  ;  but  resigned, 
in  a  short  time,  and  became  a  candidate  for 
Governor  against  Provisional  Governor  IIol- 
den. 

Mr.  Worth  was  elected  by  a  large  majority, 
and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  Executive 
duties  on  the  discontinuance  of  the  Provision- 
al government,  which  took  place  December 
28th, 1865. 

He  was  re-elected  Governor  in  1866,  by  an 
increased  majority,  defeating,  in  turn,  his  old 
competitor  for  Congress,  Gen.  Alfred  Dockery. 
He  continued  in  the  Executive  office  until 
Juljr,  1168,  when  the  then  government  was 
superseded  by  that  organized  under  the  Recon- 
struction Acts  of  Congress— surrendering  the 
position,  under  a  protest,  denying  the  consti- 
tutionality of  these  acts  of  Congress,  and  the 
legality  of  his  removal. 


The  following  eloquent  and  able  protest  of 
Governor  Worth  is  preserved  to  show  the 
high  handed  course  of  the  "  powers  that  be," 
at  this  time  and  the  supremacy  of  the  military 
over  the  civil  government: 

State  of  Xorth  Carolina, 

Executive  Department. 

R.VLEIGH,  July  1st,  18S8. 
Gov.  W.  W.  Holden. 

RAleigli,  N.  C. 

SiB;  Yesterday  morning  I  was  verbally  notified  by 
Cliief  Justice  Pearson,  tliat,  in  obedience  to  a  tele- 
gra?ii  troni  Gen.  Canbj-,  lie  would,  to-day,  at  10  A.  M., 
administer  to  you  tlie  oath  required  preliminary  to 
your  entering  upon  the  discharge  ot  the  duties  of 
Vicil  Governor  oi  the  States  and  that,  tliereupon,  you 
would  demand  possession  of  my  office. 

I  intimated  to  the  Judge  my  opinion  that  sueli  pro- 
ceedingwas  prematiue,  even  under  tlie reconstruction 
legislation  of  Congress,  and  that  I  sliould  probably 
decline  to  surrender  tlie  office  to  you. 

At  sundown,  yesterday  evening,  I  received  from 
Col  \Villiam~,  Commandant  of  this  military  post,  an 
extract  from  the  General  Order,  Xo.  130,  of  General 
Cauby,  as  follows: 

"  Headquarters  3ud  Military  District. 
Ch.^ulestox,  S.  C,  Juue30th,  1868. 
General  Order,  ) 
No.  13a         S 

(EXTKACT,) 

"To  fa'cilitate  the  organization  of  the  new  State 
governiuents,  the  following  appointments  are  made: 
To  be  Governor  of  Nortli^  Carolina,  W.  W.  Holden, 
elect,  c/ce  Jonathan  Wortli  removed;  to  beLieutenaut 
Governor  of  North  Carolina,  Tod  R.  Caldwell,  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  elect,  to  (ill  an  original  vacancy — to 
take  effect  July  1st,  18ii8,  on  the  meeting  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  North  Carolina". 

I  do  not  recognize  tlie  validity  of  the  late  election 
nuder  which  you,  and  those  co-operatini;  with  you, 
chiiin  to  be  invested  «-itli  the  civil  government  of  tlie 
Sta'e.  You  have  no  evidence  of  your  election,  save  a 
certificate  of  a  Major-Geueral  of  tlie  United  States 
Auuy. 

I  regard  all  of  you  as,  in  effect,  appointees  of  the 
military  power  of  the  United  States,  and  not  as  "  de- 
riving your  powers  from  the  consent  of  those  you 
claim  to  govern."  Knowing,  liowcver,  that  3'ou  are 
backed  by  military  force  here,  which  1  could  not  re- 
sist if  I  would,  I  do  not  (ieeni  it  necessary  to  offer  a 
fut'Ie  opposition,  but  vacate  the  office,  without  the 
(Ceremony  of  actual  eviction,  ottering  no  further  oi)po- 
sitioii  than  this  my  protest. 

I  would  submit  to  actual  expulsion,  in  order  to 
bring  before  the  Supreme  Coint  of  the  United  States 
the  question  as  to  tlie  constitutionality  of  the  legisla- 
tion under  which  you  claim  to  be  tlu'  righlful  Govern- 
or of  the  State,  if  the  past  action  of  that  tribunal  fur- 
nished any  hope  of  a  speedy  trial.  I  surrender  the 
office  to  you  under  what  I  consider  military  duress, 
witlioiit  stopping,  as  the  occasion  would  well  justify, 
to  comment  upon  the  singular  coincidence,  that  the 
present  State  Government  is  surrendered  as  without  le- 
galitij,  to  him,  whose  own  official  sanction,  but  three 
years  ago,  declared  it  valid 

I  am,  very  respectfully, 

JONATHAN  WORTH, 

Governor  of  North  Carolina. 


3  80 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISC'ENCES. 


He  continued  to  reside  at  tlie  city  of  Raleigh 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  September  5th, 
1869,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age. 

In  the  space  allotted  to  the  distinguished 
sons  of  the  Old  North  State  in  this  volurue,  it 
is  impossible  to  do  justice  to  so  long,  eventful 
and  well-spent  a  life. 

Gov.  Worth  was  a  good  lawyer,  a  faithful 
legislator,  an  expert  financial  officer,  and  an 
able  governor.  In  nothing  that  he  ever  did 
was  there  any  attempt  at  display,  and  he  made 
no  speeches  "for  Buncombe."  Indeed,  he  was 
thoroughly  practical,  and  most  remarkable  for 
the  accuracy  of  his  judgment  and  the  sound- 
ness of  his  conclusions;  which, alter  all,  is  the 
nearest  approach  to- the  perfection  of  human 
wisdom.  Tlie  State  may  have  produced  more 
brilliant  sons,  but  none  of  sounder  judgment 
or  who,  from  their  stand-point,  labored  with 
an  eye  more  single  to  her  best  interests.  It 
was  his  fortune  to  administer  the  affaij's  of  the 
State  amid  a  period  of  delicacy,  danger  and 
excitement.  But  such  were  the  purity  of  his 
motives  and  the  fidelity  of  his  conduct  that 
during  his  "  administration  as  Governor  not  a 
single  instance  occurred  in  the  State  when  a 
Sheriff  had  to  summon  either  civil  or  military 
aid  to  execute  the  process  of  the  law."  Be- 
ginning life  without  fortune,  but  industrious, 
practical,  pi'udent,  honest,  receiving  from  his 
native  State  the  noblest  reward  she  had  to  be- 
stow, his  success  and  example  may  well  be 
pointed  to  the  young  men  of  the  State  for  en- 
couragement and  imitation. 

The  characteristics  which  marked  his  public 
conduct,  governed  him  in  his  private  relations. 
To  these  may  be  added  intense  affection  for 
his  family  and  friends,  to  whom  he  was  kind 
and  indulgent,  and  for  whom  he  could  not  do 
enough.  He  married  (1824)  Martita  Daniel, 
a  niece  of  Judge  Murphey,  whom  he  left  a  wid- 
ow with  six  children,  one  son  and  five  daugh- 
ters.    He  lived  to  see  all  of  his  children   mar- 


ried. One  of  his  daughters  married  .Vlaj.  Wil- 
liam II.  Bagley,  Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  his  only  son,  David  G.  Worth,  is  now  the 
most  prominent  commission  merchant  in  the 
city  of  Wilmington, 

Col.  Andrew  Balfour  was  a  resident  of  this 
County.  He  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and 
came  to  this  countiy  in  1772,  and  settled,  first 
at  New  Port,  E.  I  Among  those  whose  lives 
were  sacrificed  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  says 
Caruthers,  in  his  admirable  little  work;*  and 
whose  patriotic  services  deserve  to  be  remem- 
bered, was  Andrew  Balfour.  The  first  notice 
we  have  of  him,  in  North  Carolina,  is  a  letter 
to  his  wife,  dated  Salisbury,  July,  1774;  that 
he  had  bought  a  plantation  in  Randolph  coun- 
ty, at  the  headwaters  of  the  Uharee.  When 
the  Revolutionary  war  came,  he  determined 
to  join  the  defenders  of  his  adopted  Country, 
and  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  County,  and 
became  active  and  prominent.  He  was  elected 

a  member  of  the  Legislature  ( the  first  after 
Randolph  County  was  created),  in  1780.  In 
the  fall  of  that  3'ear  he  and  Jacob  Shepherd, 
who  was  a  prominent  Whig,  were  captured  by 
a  party  of  Tories  from  the  Peedee,  but  were 
rescued  by  Captain  Childs,  from  Montgomery. 
One  of  the  victims,  Shepherd,  left  the  neigji- 
borhood,  but  Balfour  remained  only,  to  meet 
an  untimely  fate.  A  narrative  of  Judge  Mur- 
phey furnished  fortheUni.  Mag.,by  Gov.Swaim 
gives  an  account  of  this  most  bloody  aftair: 
"  In  one  of  his  predatory  excursions,  he  (Fan- 
ning) wont  on  Sunday,  the  9th  of  March,  178:^, 
to  the  house  of  Andrew  Halfoui-,  which  he  liad 
plundered  three  years  before.  One  of  Bal- 
four's neighbors  (Cole),  rode  at  full-speed    to 


*Revolutionary  lucidents,  &c.,  by  Rev.  E.  W.  Car 
utliers,  Phila.,  1854,  p.  397. 


RANDOLPH    COUNTY. 


381 


Balfour's  house,  and  warned  him  of  the  danger. 
Balfour  had  hardly  got  out  of  hishouse,  before 
he  saw  Fanning  galloping  up.  He  ran,  but  one 
of  Fanning's  party  (named  Autiirey)  fired  at 
him  and  broke  his  arm.  He  returned  to  his 
house  and  entered  it;  his  daughter  and  sister 
clung  to  him  in  despair.  Fanning  and  his 
troop  immediately  entered,  tore  the  women 
away  with  violence,  and  threw  them  on  the 
floor,  and  held  them  under  their  feet  I  ill  they 
had  shot  Balfour.  As  he  fell  Fanning  shot 
him  through  the  head,  and  he  died  instantly. 
An  indictment  was  found  against  Fanning, 
at  the  Superior  Court  at  Hillsboro',  for  this 
murder,  but  he  was  never  apprehended." 

A  sketch  of  this  desperado  (Fanning)  is  re- 
corded on  page  112. 

His  sister  and  her  aunt  Margaret  went  to  Sal- 
isbury to  reside;  .Mrs.  Balfour,  who  had  not 
come  from  Rhode  Island  as  yet  to  join  her 
husband,  with  her  two  little  children,  now 
came  to  this  State  and  joined  them;  their  mis- 
fortunes met  with  cordial  sympathy  from  the 
kind  people  of  that  place.  In  a  few  years  an 
arrangement  was  made,  by  the  influence  of 
Gen.  Steele,  to  appoint  her  post-mistress,  the 
profits  of  which  yielded  a  comfortable  support. 
The  duties  of  this  position  she  discharged 
with  fidelity  and  sitisfaction  for  many  years 
His  daughter,  Tibby,  married  John  Tro^',  and 
had  John  Balfour  Troy  (in  Legislature  Irom 
Randolph  in  1827),  and  Rachel,  who  married 
Lewis  Beard,  now  of  Mississippi. 

Col.  Balfour's  son,  Andrew,  married  Mar^-, 
daughter  of  John  Henly,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  had  nine  children 
— all  of  whom  removed  west,  except  Eliza, 
wife  of  Col.  Drake,  of  Asheboro', 

The  third  and  only  remaining  child  of  Col. 
Balfour,  Margaret,  married  Hudson  Hughs,  of 
Salisbury,  one  of  whase  daughters  married 
Samuel  Reeves. 


Herman  Husbands,  who  resided  for  a  long 
time  on  Sandy  Creek,  in  this  County  was  con- 
spicuous in  the  Regulation  troubles.  (See  page 
L) 

He  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  is  said 
to  have  been  a  relati\e  of  Benjamin  Franklin. 
He  was  a  man  of  indomitable  firnmess,  great 
shrewdness,  and  of  strong  native  intellect. 
He  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  people,  who 
often  elected  him  to  the  Legislature  before 
the  Revolution.  But  his  independent  course 
rendered  him  obnoxious  to  the  friends  of 
Royalty. 

I  extract  from  the  .Journals  of  the  House  of 
Assembly  at  New  Berne:  "  20  Dec,  1770.  On 
motion  the  House  resolved  itself  into  a  Com- 
mittee of  the  Whole,  to  take  into  considera- 
tion the  conduct  of  Herman  Husbands,  a  mem- 
ber of  this  H^use." 

After  some  time  spent  therein  the  Chairman 
reported: 

"1.  That  Herman  Husbands  is  one  of  the 
Regulators  and  principal  mover  in  the  late  se- 
ditions— and  is  unworthy  of  a  seat  in  this 
House,  and  that  he  he  immediately  expelled. 
This  resolution  was  agreed  to  by  the  House 
and  whereupon  Husbands  appeared  at  the  bar 
of  the  House,  and  the  Speaker  pronounced  the 
said  sentence." — CV)louial  Doc. 174. 

The  same  day  the  following  resclution  was 
passed :  "Thomas  Pearson  is  charged  by  Mr.  Mc- 
Knight  as  guilt}' of  extortion  and  usury,  and 
unworthy  of  a  seat  in  this  House.  Maurice 
Moore  and  Mr.  Locke,  and  others  appointed  a 
committee  to  enquire  into  the  facts." 

" — 25  Jan,  Resolved  that  Richard  Hender- 
son, who  appeared  as  prosecutor  of  several 
charges  against  Thomas  Pearson,  pay  all  costs" 

— "  31  Jan.  Husbands  arrested  by  order  of 
Gov.  Tr\-on  for  a  liljel  and  put  in  the  New 
Berne  jail.--/6.  175, 

After  the  battle  of  Alamance  (16  May  1771) 


382 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCEjS^CES. 


he  retreated  to  Maryland,  and  thence  to  Penn- 

sjlvania. 

In  a  letter  111  the   Rolls   ofSee,   in    London, 

from  President  Hassell.  dated  9th    of  Aui>;ust, 

1771,  is  this  extract. 

"In  a  letter  I  received  by  express  from  Governor 
Eden,  ot  Maryland,  dated  9th  ult  ,  lie  had  received  in- 
formation tliat  Herman  Hnsbands,  with  eisht  or  ten 
of  liis  associates  were  there,  and  lie  could  not  arrest 
him,  aslie  could  not  identity  him.  I  answered  l>y  the 
same  express,  and  sent  a  young  man  who  could  swear 
to  the  i(lentity  of  Husbands;  I  sent  also  a  copy  of  a 
proclamation  otfering  large  rewards  for  takiiij;  them. 
1  wrote  also  to  President  Nelson,  of  Virginia,  and 
President  Hamilton,  of  Pennsylvania,  requesting 
them  to  aid  in  Husbands'  apprehension."  Col.  Doc.  178. 

A  reward  Avas  c  tiered  for  him  by  Gov.  Tryon. 
He  was  the  read^^  and  determined  opponent 
of  illegal  oppression.  He  was  concerned  with 
Gallatin  and  Breckenridgein  the  whisky'  insur- 
rections in  1794,  apprehended  and  taken  to 
Philadelphia.  By  the  influence  of  Dr.  David 
Caldwell,  who  liappened  to  he  iu  Philadelphia 


at  the  time,  Dr.  Rush  and  others,  he  was  re- 
leased, and  died  on  his  return  home. 

Hon.  John  Long  wasl)orn  in  Loudon  Coimty 
Va.,  but  long  a  resident  of  Randolph  County. 
He  was  a  man  of  unblemislied  reputation,  of 
strong  native  intellect,  and  of  much  public 
spirit.  He  was  Senator  from  Randolph  in  the 
Legislature  in  1814-15;  and  elected  a  member 
of  17th  Congress,  (1821-23,)  and  re-elected 
to  19th  and  20th  (1825)  Congresses.  His  death 
was  the  result  of  a  singular  accident.  He  was  in 
feeble  health  for  some  time,  and  on  the daj' pre- 
vious to  his  death,  he  walked  out  on  his  farm? 
.whilst  attempting  to  climb  a  fence, he  fell,  the 
top  rail  falling  upon  him.  He  was  enabled  by 
great  exertion  to  walk  back  to  his  house,  but 
died  on  the  next  day.  He  Left  several  cliild- 
ren. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


RICHMOND  AND  ROCKINGHAM  COUNTIES 


Alfred  Dockery,born  December  11, 1797,  died 
Decem.ber  8, 1873,  m  Richmond  County; he  was 
Born  within  a  mile  of  the  residence  at  which  he 
lived  and  died.  His  father,  Thos.  Dockery, 
was  a  poor  man.  He  reared  a  large  family'  of 
children,  hut  one  of  whom  is  now  living.  Dr. 
Henry  Dockery,  ot  Hernando,  Mississippi.' 
Thos.  Dockery  was  unable  to  give  his  children, 
even  at  that  early  day,  the  simplest  elements 
of  an  education.  Alfred  was  the  eldest  of  the 
children,  and  the  heavj'  burden  of  providing 
the  means  of  subsistence  for   his  ^'ounger  bro- 


thers and  sisters  devolved  on  him.  Hence,  his 
education  in  early  life  was  entirely  neglected, 
and  he  was  often  heard  to  say  that  he  had  never 
attended  school  for  three  months  consecutively 
in  his  life.  Li  1823  he  married  Sallie  Turner, 
of  Anson  County,  with  whom  he  lived  in  un- 
interrupted felicity  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred December  3d,  1873,  leaving  seven  child- 
ren surviving  him.  General  Dockery,  as  he 
was  familiarly  called,  began  life  on  a  small 
scale  as  a  farmer,  and  by  industry  and  energy 
amassed  quite  a  handsome  estate.  Lie  lost  much 


RICHMOND  COUNTY. 


38g 


of  this  by  the  late  war,  but  by  unconquerable 
energy  he  retrieved  his  fortunes,  and  died  pos- 
sessed of  a  fine  property. 

General  Dockery  made  his  first   appearance 
in  public  life  as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons from  the  Couity  of  Richmond,  in  1822. 
He  was   then  twenty-five  years  of  age.     Hav- 
ing devoted  some  thirteen  years  to  laying  the 
foundations  of  his  fortune,  during  which  time 
he  had  made  much  progress  in  the  acquisition 
of  useful  knowledge,  he  consented  to  serve  the 
people  of  Richmond  in  the  Convention  of  1835, 
which  was  called  to  remodel  the  old  Constitu- 
tion   adopted  by  the  Congress  at  Halifax  in 
1776.     In  this  body,  of  which  he  was  an   in- 
dustrious and  faithful  member,  he  was  governed 
by  liberal  and   generous  views,  and  no  doubt 
gathered  rich  lessons  of  knowledge  and  exper- 
ience from  such  men.  his  associates,  as  Gaston 
Macon,  Toomer,  Seawell,  Meares,  Edwards  and 
others.     The  Whig  party,  which  was  formed  in 
1833,  carried  the  elections  in  North  Carolina 
in  1836.     A  strong  Whig  influence,  based  on 
a  demand  for  a  general  reform  in  federal  afl'airs 
and  for  a  system  of  internal  improvements  by 
the  State  govei'nment,  swept  the  old  Jackson 
Democratic  party  from  power,  and  Edward  B. 
Dudley,  of  New  Hanover,  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor.    General    Dockery  was  elected  to  the 
Senate  of  the  State  Legislature  from  Richmon  d, 
in  1836,  as  a  Whig,  and  he  continued  to  serve 
the  County  in  the  Senate  up  to  1844  inclusive, 
making  a   continuous  service   of  ten  years  in 
that  body.     In  1845   he   was  an   independent 
Whig  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Randolph 
District,   against  the  regular   nominee,  Hon. 
Jonathan  Worth,   and   was   elected   by  more 
than  nine  hundred  majority.     In  1847  he  de- 
clined a  re-election;  but,  in  1851,  impelled  by 
a  strong  love  for  the  Union,  which  he  believed 
to  be  m  peril,  he  boldly  bore  the  Whig  Union 
flag  against  the  organized  power   of  secession 
ted  by  Hon.  Green  W.  Caldwell,  of  Mecklen- 


burg, and  after  one  of  the  most  animated  can- 
vasses that  ever  occurred  in  the  State,  he  was 
elected  to  Congress  by  twelve  hundred  ma- 
jority. At  the  peril  of  his  life  in  this  canvass, 
(for  his  District  ran  along  the  South  Carolina 
line,)  he  boldly  proclaimed  everywhere  his  un- 
dying attachment  to  the  Union,  even  declar- 
ing that,  if  elected,  he  "would  vote  men  and 
money  to  whip  South  Carolina  back  into  the 
Union,if  she  attempted  to  secede."  The  excite- 
ment was  intense,  and  he  was  in  constant 
personal  danger,  yet  nothing  could  deter  him 
from  a  stern  and  fearless  performance  of  duty. 
In  1854  he  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  against  Governor  Bragg, 
and  was  defeated  by  only  about  2,000  majority. 
The  State,  which  had  gone  Whig  in  1836  by 
6,000  majority,  in  1840  13,000,  in  1842  by  5,000 
in  1844  by  3,000,  in  1846  by  8,000,  began  to 
pass  into  the  hands  of  the  Democrats  in  1848, 
the  Whig  majority  that  year  being  only  875, 
on  account  of  the  strength  with  the  people  of 
the  Free  Suffrage  issue  broached  by  Governor 
Reid.  In  1850  the  State  went  Democratic  by 
nearly  3,000  majority,  and  in  1852  by  nearly 
6,000.  It  was  under  these  circumstances,  with 
this  large  majority  against  him,  that  General 
Dockery  took  the  field  as  the  Whig  candidate. 
The  exhibition  of  mental  power  and  physical 
endurance  on  the  part  of  both  candidates, 
Bragg  and  Dockery,  mark  this  as  the  campaign 
of  campaigns  in  this  State. 

The  people  of  Western  North  Carolina  cher- 
ish his  memory  with  much  aflection.  They  owe 
no  small  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  man  who  did 
so  much  in  1854  to  coerce  the  reluctant  Democ- 
racy of  the  east  and  centre  into  a  more  active 
support  of  internal  improvements,  without 
which  the  Western  portion  of  the  State  are  shut 
in  from  the  world  and  deprived  of  the  means 
and  advantages  which  are  indispensible  to  their 
progress  and  prosperity. 


381 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


General  Dockery  was  always  a  Union  Whig. 
He  deplored  the  dissolution  of  that  grand  old 
party,  which  he  regarded  as  tlie  strongest  link 
in  the  chain  which  held  tlie  States  together. 
With  Washington,  Hamilton,  Webster  and 
Clay,  he  held  the  Union  to  he  indissoluble. 
He,  of  course,  profoundly  deprecated  secession, 
and  faithfully  and  earnestly  warned  the  people 
to  the  last  moment  of  the  awful,  far-reaching 
calamities  which  must  flow  from  it;  yet,  when 
the  issue  was  joined  in  battle  between  the  two 
sections,  his  sympathies  were  with  his  native 
South,  and  he  gave  without  a  murmur  six  sons 
to  the  army,  one  of  wliom,  -John  Morehead 
Dockery,  a  noble  youth,  fell  a  victim  to  camp 
disease.  After  the  war,  never  having  lost  his 
ingrained  conviction  of  the  necessity  of  one 
great  common  government  for  all  the  States 
he  earnestly  advised  reconciliation  and  har- 
mony, and  lived  to  see  the  Union  reconstruct- 
ed on  the  basis  of  the  equal  rights  of  all,  with 
no  star  on  its  ensign  "erased  or  polluted,"  and 
destined,  as  he  fondly  lioped,  to  endure  for  all 
time.  After  the  war  his  participation  in  pub- 
lic affairs  was  not  so  active  or  constant  as  it 
had  previously  been,  yet  such  was  the  confi- 
dence reposed  in  his  judgment  and  patriotism 
by  his  fellow-citizens  of  tlie  County  of  Rich- 
mond, that  in  1865  they  elected  him  unani- 
mously to  the  State  Convention  called  under 
the  Provisional  Government  then  m  operation. 
The  duties  of  this  position  he  discharged 
witli  his  accustomed  intelligence  and  honesty; 
and  in  1866,  much  against  his  wish,  he  was 
nominated  by  the  original  Union  men  of  the 
State  for  the  oflice  of  Governor.  There  was 
no  prospect  wliatever  of  his  election.  He  de- 
clined to  canvass  in  the  then  unsettled  condi- 
tion of  the  country,  as  he  could  not  perceive 
that  any  good  would  result  from  a  canvass. 
The  vote  he  received  would  have  been  doubled 
if  he  had  taken  the  field  and  addressed  the 
people  in  the  different  sections   of  the    State. 


He  evinced  on  this  occasion  his  usual  disregard 
of  self  when  a  high  public  duty  was  to  be  per- 
formed, first,  in  consenting  to  the  use  of  his 
name  when  his  defeat  was  known  to  be  inev- 
itable, and  secondly,  in  endorsing  the  so-called 
Howard  amendment,  under  which  he  was  him- 
self with  many  of  his  Union  friends,  debarred 
from  ofiice. 

Under  the  new  State  government  General 
Dockery  occupied  for  a  time  the  position  of 
President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
State  Penitentiary. 

Much  of  the  success  of  the  Board  in  its  man- 
agement of  the  affairs  of  the  Penitentiary,  is 
due  to  his  prudence,  lionesty,  firmness  and 
strong  common  sense. 

General  Dockery  was  a  zealous  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  was  deservedly  influ- 
ential in  its  Conventions  and  Associations,  and 
was  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  Wake  Eorest 
College.  His  benevolence  was  proverbial. 
The  poor  and  needy  of  all  races  always  found 
in  him  a  friend.  No  one  really  in  need  of 
help  was  ever  turned  away  empty  from  his 
door,  tlis  contributions  during  his  lifetime  to 
the  churches  and  to  difterent  institutions  of 
learning,  aggregate  a  large  sum. 

Oliver  H.  Dockery,  son  of  the  above,  was 
born  on  August  12th,  1830,  reared  and  re- 
sides in  Richmond  County.  He  has  been  care- 
fully educated;  graduated  at  the  University  in 
1848,  in  the  same  class  with  Victor  C.  Barrin- 
ger,  Seaton  Gales,  Strange,  anr"  others;  he  then 
read  law,  but  never  practiced  it.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  1858  and 
1859,  and  an  elector  on  the  Bell  and  Everett 
ticket  in  1860,  and  made  a  gallant  but  unsuc- 
cessful canvass;  under  the  force  of  circum- 
stances he  was  for  a  time  a  captain  in  the  Con- 
federate service,  but  soon  took  a  decided 
stand  for  the  re-establishment  of  the  national 
government,  and  the  re-construction  of  the 
State.     He  was  elected  to  fill   an   unexpired 


EICHMOND  COUNTY. 


385 


term  in  the  40tt  Congress,  (1867)  over  Thomas 
C.  Fuller,  and  re-elected  to  the  4l8t  Con- 
gress, 1869-71.  He  was  a  candidate  for  the 
next  Congress,  but  was  defeated  by  A.  M. 
Waddell. 

Col.  Dockerj  has  been  twice  married;  his 
present  wife  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Judge 
Settle,  and  sister  of  Judg«  Settle,  of  the  U.  S. 
District  Court  in  Florida, 

He  was  the  Repuhlican  candidate  for  Con- 
gress in  1882,  before  the  people  of  the  State  at 
large,  and  was  defeated  by  Judge  Risden  T. 
Bennett,  by  a  small  majority. 

Gov.  Joseph  Roswell  Hawley  is  a  native  of 
Richmond  County;  born  Oct.  31st,  1826.;  re- 
moved to  Connecticut  in  1837;  graduated  at 
Hamilton  College,  New  York  in  1847;  read  law 
and  was  editor  of  the  "  Hartford  Evening 
Press,"  in  1857;  entered  the  army  in  1861  as 
Captain  in  the  1st  Reg. Connecticut  Volunteers; 
attained  the  rank  of  Brigadier,  and  was  bre.v- 
etted  Major-General.  In  1866  was  elected 
Governor  of  Connecticut;  President  of  the  Na- 
tional Republican  Convention  in  1868,  and 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  42nd  Congress, 
(1873,)  and  re-elected  to  the  43rd  and  46th 
Congresses.  He  was  made  President  of  the 
Centennial  Commission  in  1876. 

Walter  Leak  Steele,  was  born  April  18th, 
1823,  at  Steele's  Mills  on  Little  River  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  Richmond  County.  His 
father  was  Thomas  Steele,  who  was  a  Member 
of  the  House  of  Commons,  and  his  mother  was 
Judith  Mosely  Leak.  His  paternal  grand- 
father came  to  this  country  from  England 
near  Carlisle,  in  the  army  of  Lord  Cornwallis 
and  surrendered  at  Yorktown.  He  settled 
first  in  Granville,  where  he  was  married  and 
thence  removed,  successively  to  Montgomery 
and  Richmond;  in  the  latter  County  he  died. 
His  maternal  grandfather  was  Walter  Leak, 
who  was  born  in  Buckingham  County,  Va.,but 


removed  with  his  father  to  Anson  County,  a 
few  years  prior  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
and  settled  on  the  Peedee  river,  lie  was  a 
rebel  soldier  in  that  war.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch,  after  attendmg  the  ordinary  country 
schools,  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  went 
to  the  Preparatory  Department,  at  Randolph 
Macon  College,  then  located  at  Boydton,  Ya. 
After  entering  college  and  remaining  but  part 
of  a  session,  he  left  and  matriculated  at  Wake 
Forest  College.  He  remained  there  but  one 
session,  and  in  January  1840,  entered  the 
Freshman  class  at  Chapel  Hill,  at  which  place 
he  graduated  in  June  1843,  with  the  second 
distinction;  but  for  what  he  thought  a  slight 
violation  of  college  law,  but  which  the  Faculty 
viewed,  no  doubt  properly,  in  a  dift'erent  light 
causing  his  exodus  from  the  Institution,  he 
would  have  graduated  in  1843.  Three  months 
after  leaving  college  he  was  married  to  Harriet 
A.  Crawford  the  youngest  daughter  of  Thomas 
Crawford  of  Paris,  Tennessee. 

In  1846,  after  a  bitter  personal  contest,  he  was 
elected  to  the  House  of  Commons  from  the 
County  of  Richmond,  re-elected  in  1848  and 
1850.  In  1852  he  was  Senator  from  Richmond 
and  Robeson.  In  1854,  was  again  a  member 
of  the  House.  In  1856,  having  determined  to 
support  Mr.  Buchanan  for  the  Presidency,  re- 
gardmg  the  contest  as  sotely  between  the 
Democrats  and  the  Republicans,  which  latter 
party  had  absorbed  the  Whig  Party,  at  the 
North.  He  was  a  candidate  for  the  Senate, 
and  defeated  by  Gen.  Alfred  Dockery.  In 
1858,  he  was  again  a  candidate,  and  elected. 
In  1861,  he  was  the  Principal  Secretary  of  the 
Convention  which  passed  the  ordinance  of  se- 
cession, or  separation,  as  it  is  called  in  the  jour- 
nals of  that  body.  He  was  for  a  short  time  in 
the  army,  as  a  private  in  the  8d  Regt.  of  State 
troops,  but  never  in  any  engagement.  He  of- 
fered to  raise  a  cavalry  company,  but  the  tender 
was  refused  by  Gen.  Holmes.     His  wife  bar- 


386 


WHEELER'S  REiMINISCENCES. 


ing  died,  leaving  a  family  of  small  children, he 
was  again  married  in  1864,  to  Mary  J.  Little 
of  Anson  County,  a  daughter  of  his  cousin, 
Thomas  S.  Little. 

In  1868,  he  ''took  the  stump,"  in  opposition 
to  ''the  Eeconstruction  Acts,"  deeming  them  a 
flagrant  violation  of  the  Constitution.  In  1872 
he  was  on  the  Greeley  electoral  ticket,  for  the 
6th  District,  canvassing  it  in  company  with 
Judge  Thos.  S.  Ashe,  who  was  then  the  Dem- 
ocratic candidate  for  Congress. 

In  1852,  while  a  member  of  the  Senate,  he 
was  elected  by  the  Legislature  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  University,  and  contiimed  as 
such  until  a  change  in  the  Constitution,  by 
Act  of  Congress,  when  he  was  displaced  by 
Gov.  Holden.  The  Constitution  having  been 
amended,  he  was  again  elected  in  1872,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  resuscitating  the  Insti- 
tution, and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Board. 

In  1876  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  the  U.  S.  for  the 
term  beginning  March  4th,  1877,and  re-elected 
in  1879,  without  opposition.  In  1878,  he  de- 
livered the  address  before  the  Alumni  Asso- 
ciation of  the  University,-  at  the  annual  Com- 
mencement. During  this  Congress  he  was  a 
member  of  the  committees  on  Agriculture  and 
Revolutionary  Pensions  and  on  Railway  and  Ca- 
nals. His  course  was  quiet  and  modest,  seldom 
participating  in  debates.  He  made  two  some- 
what elaborate  speeches,  one  on  "  silver  cur- 
rency "  and  the  other  upon  "taxation."  He  is  a 
free-trader,  so  far  as  it  is  practicable,  believing 
that"  Peter  ought  not  to  be  robbed  for  Paul's 
benefit."  He  is  a  strict  constructionist,  and  be- 
lieves that,  "that  is  the  best  Government  which 
governs  the  least."  He  regards  the  Consti- 
tution as  the  only  bond  of  union,  thinks  it  the 
Supreme  Law,  as  are  all  acts  passed  in  pursu. 
ance  of  it.  He  regards  the  Government  as  one 
of  limited  powers  and  all  those  powers  are  enu- 
merated in  the  Constitution  and  "expressiounhis, 


est  exdusio  alterim.''  Even  when  a  State  is 
inhibited  the  use  of  a  power,  the  United  States 
do  not  have  it,  unless  it  is  granted. 

Alfred  Moore  Scales  was  born  November  26, 
1827,  at  Ingleside,  the  old  homestead,  in   this 
county.     He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Robert  H.  Scales, 
who  married   Jane    W.   Bethell.     His  grand- 
father, Nathaniel  Scales,  was  for  several  years 
a  member   of  the   Legislature,   his  wife    was 
named    Annie    Allen.     The    maternal  grand- 
father was   General   William   Bethell,   also  a 
member   of    the     Legislature,    his   wife   was 
named    Mary    Watt.     Beyond   this   little    is 
known  of  his  ancestors.     There  is  a  tradition 
in  the  family  handed  down  from  father  to  son 
which  says  that  the  first    Scales   who  came    to 
this  country  was  quite  a  j^outh.  not  more  than 
twelve  years  of  age;  that  he  come  from   Eng- 
land, and  not    until   after  the   ship   had   lost 
sight  of  land  was  he  found  in  the  cabin.     The 
captain  of  the  vessel  was   much   enraged   and 
threatened  to  throw  him  overboard.     The   lit- 
tle fellow  was  not  intimidated,   but  entreated 
the  captain  not  to  molest  him  and   that   upon 
his  arrival  in  America  he  might  sell  him  to  pay 
his  passage  money,  and  he  would  stand  by  the 
contract.     To  this  the  captain  agreed,  and  so 
on  their  arrival  in  America  he   was  sold.     His 
master  proved  to  be  an  unfeeling,  hard-hearted 
man,  who  fed  him  badly,  clothed  him  slightly, 
and  worked  him  hard.  But  the  lad  was  active, 
industrious  and  faithft '.     He  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  a  humane  man  in  the  neighborhood, 
who  saw   the    sufferings   of    the   youth,   and 
kindly  furnished  him  with  warm  clothing,  for 
which  young  Scales  paid  him  when  he  became 
of  age,  as  he  had   promised.     He   fulfilled  his 
contract  to  serve  until  he  became  twenty-one, 
and  the  first  money  he  made  for  himself  was 
used  to  pay  for  the  clothing  so  kindly  furnished 
by  the  neighbor.     From    this   boy   the    Scales 
family  in  Rockingham  had  its   origin,  such  an 
ancestor  is  certainly  more  creditable  than  the 


EICHMOND  COUNTY, 


387 


proud,   aristocratic 

******       "blood, 
That  has  crept   through    scoundrels  ever   since  the 
flood." 

Dr.  Scales,  the  father  of  General  Scales,  had 
seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  Every  son 
was  in  the  civil  war,  except  one  who  was  dis- 
abled, three  sons  and  one  son-in-law  died  of 
wounds  and  diseases  incurred  and  contracted 
in  the  war. 

General  Scales  was  educated  at  the  Caldwell 
Institute  and  fitted  to  enter  the  junior  class  at 
college. 

Then  he  entered  at  Chapel  Hill  in  1846,  but 
only  remained  for  one  session,  lie  sought  em- 
ployment, and  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  free 
school  with  the  pay  of  $15  per  month,  and  be- 
fore the  first  month  ended  was  offered  double 
the  amount  to  continue  the  school  as  a  subscrip- 
tion school,  with  the  promise  of  an  increase  of 
salary'.  The  ofler  was  accepted  and  at  the  end 
of  the  year,  the  salary  was  again  increased. 
He  was  then  made  tutor  in  the  Caldwell  Insti- 
tute, but  resigned  after  one  year's  eervice  to 
begin  the  study  of  law  with  Judge  Settle,  af- 
terward with  Judge  Battle,  and  so  he  paid  his 
own  way  until  he  was  located  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession.  He  was  made  County  So- 
licitor in  1852  and  as  such  was  most  acceptable 
to  the  people  and  the  bar.  He  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Commons  for  1852-53,  and 
stood  as  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  District 
in  1854,  which  had  always  given  the  Whigs  a 
majority  of  at  least  one  thousand.  His  com- 
petitor, Col.  R.  C.  Puryear,  was  very  popular 
and  an  able  man.  He  had  already  served  one 
term  in  Cougress,  but  his  majority  was  very 
much  decreased  by  General  Scales.  In  1854 
General  Scales  was  again  sent  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, where  he  served  as  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Finance.  He  was  nominated  for 
Congress  by  acclamation  in  1857  against  his 
former  competitor  and  was  elected  to  the  35th 
Congress  by  a  majority  of  seven  hundred.    Af- 


ter two  3'ears  service  he  was  unanimously  re- 
nominated and  canvassed  the  District  against 
General  Jas.  M.  Leach.  The  contest  was  ex- 
citing— their  friends  were  well-satisfied  with 
the  champions  chosen.  The  District  was  Whig 
in  sentiment  and  General  Leach  received  a 
majority  of  the  suftVage. 

He  was  made  Clerk  and  Master  of  tlie  Court 
of  Equit}'  of  Rockingham  County  in  1858,  and 
this  he  held  until  the  civil  war  began. 

He  was  nominated  with  Governor  D.  S. 
Reid  on  the  ticket  in  favor  of  the  Convention 
of  1860,  opposed  by  Dr.  E.  T.  Brodnax  and 
Thomas  Settle.  The  discussion  was  made  by 
Settle  and  Scales,  as  Governor  Reid  was  in 
Washington  City,  serving  on  the  Peace  Con- 
ference. General  Scales  did  not  favor  immed- 
iate secession;  several  States  had  alread}"  sev- 
ered their  relations  with  the  General  Govern- 
ment, and  he  took  the  ground  that  a  conven- 
tion was  necessary  to  place  our  State  in  a  con- 
dition to  act  as  she  might  deem  best,  and  she 
could  only  be  heard  by  her  convention.  He 
wished  to  save  the  Union  of  the  States;  if 
this  failed,  then  we  should  not  hesitate  to  de- 
clare our  intentions  and  act  with  the  other 
Southern  States,  and  share  one  common  fate. 
The  opponents  made  the  contest  a  question  of 
union  or  dissolution,  and  when  the  contest  be- 
gan at  least  two-thirds  of  the  people  were 
against  any  convention.  They  had  only  one 
week  in  which  to  discuss  the  points,  and  Scales 
was  beaten  by  only  150  majority. 

In  1861  he  was  one  of  the  electors  of  the 
State  at  Large  on  the  Breckeuridge  and  Lane 
ticket.  In  this,  as  in  every  other  act  of  his 
political  career,  he  evinced  his  firm,  undeviat- 
ing  devotion  to  democratic  principles, — which 
can  be  said  of  very  few  in  these  times  of  pol- 
itical tergiversation.  Many,  it  is  true,  have 
since  joined  the  Democratic  ranks,  but  General 
Scales  is  one  of  the  original  panel,  not  a  tales- 
man or  time-server  in  any  sense. 


388 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Shortly  after  this  Mr.  Lincoln  issued  his  call 
for  troops.  A.  convention  was  called  and  Gen- 
eral Scales  was  put  forward  as  a  candidate  but 
he  declined,  saying:  "  That  every  man  who  was 
able  should  go  to  the  field  and  that  there  might 
be  perfect  unanimity  at  home,  he  advised  the 
election  of  Dr.  Brodnax  and  Governor  Reid, 
since  their  age  would  prevent  their  service  in 
the  field. 

Gen.  Scales  volunteered  at  the  beginning  of 
the  war  as  a  private,  but  was  at  once  elected 
Captain  of  his  company.  He  was  subsequently 
promoted  to  be  Colonel,  and  then  to  be  Brig- 
adier-General. He  was  in  the  battle  of  Will- 
iamsburg, those  around  Richmond,  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg  (in  which  Gen.  Pender  was 
wounded  and  Gen.  Scales,  as  senior  Colonel 
took  command  of  the  brigade.)  He  was  also 
in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  where  he  was 
severely  wounded,  and  for  his  gallantry  and 
coolness  on  that  field  received  a  high  tribute 
from  the  gallant  General  Pender.  He  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  and  was  again 
severly  wounded  and  again  received  the  en- 
comiums of  his  division  commander,  General 
Pender,  who  died  from  wounds  received  in 
that  battle.  In  the  same  ambulance  they 
were  borne  to  Staunton,  Va.  He  was  in  the 
battles  from  Orange  C.  H.  to  Petersburg,  and 
in  many  skirmishes.  He  returne  i  to  his  pro- 
fession when  the  civil  war  had  ended,  and  was 
a  candidate  for  the  convention  called  to  change 
our  State  Constitution,  and  was  elected,  but 
the  convention  was  not  ordered  by  a  majority 


of  the  people.  In  1872  he  was  prominently 
urged  to  make  the  canvass  for  the  Governor- 
ship, but  was  compelled  to  decline,  because  of 
his  disabilities.  He  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  44th,  45th,  46th,  and  47th  Congresses, 
(1874  to  1881.)  In  the  two  last  named  he  has 
served  as  chairman  on  Indian  Affairs. 

We  have  thus  given  a  faithful  detail  or  the 
services  of  General  Scales.  The  advice  of  the 
Roman  philosopher  to  the  historian,  is  that  it 
is  not  lawful  to  extol  too  much,  because  some 
future  act  may  mar  the  record,  but  we  sin- 
cerely say  that  a  more  sincere,  patriotic  and 
jDure  public  man  does  not  exist  in  this  or  any 
other  country.  No  one  doubts  where  to  find 
him;  he  is  in  the  foremost  van,  when  his  coun- 
try, or  her  interests,  or  honor  is  at  stake.  Cau- 
tious and  courteous,  he  is  calm  and  considerate 
in  council,  and  when  resolved  is  as  firm  and 
devoted  in  action.  No  one  has  a  firmer  seat 
in  the  affections  of  his  constituents,  or  could 
command  greater  respect  of  his  colleagues  in 
Congress,  and  when  he  speaks  is  listened  to  with 
proper  respect.  His  reports  on  various  im- 
portant questions  are  valuable  state-papers, 
showing  eminent  ability,  research  and  the 
early  training  of  a  judicial  mind 

[He  was  re-elected  to  the  48th  Congress, 
receiving  12,532  votes  to  9,932  votes  for  Win- 
ston, liberal. 

At  the  election  held  November  4th,  1884, 
General  Scales  was  elected  Governor  of  the 
State,  receiving  143,249  votes  against  Dr.  Tyre 
Yorke's  123,010,  a  majoity  of  20,2S9.]—Ed. 


-^^^^^^^^f^^^ 


ROCKINGHAM   COUNTY. 


389 


ROCKINGHAM  COUNTY. 


Hon.  Thomas  Settle,  sen'r.  born  1791;  died 
1857;  was  born  in  this  County.  He  was  distin- 
guished for  his  ability  as  a  statesman  and  as  a 
judge,  and  esteemed  for  his  virtues,  learning, 
and  deportment.  He  entered  public  life  as  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Commons  from 
Rockingham  in  1816  and  in  1817  succeeded 
Bartlett  Yancey  as  Representative  in  the  15th 
Congress,  and  was  re-elected  to  the  16th  Con- 
gres  (1819-21,)  when  he  declined  re-election. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Romulus  M.  Saunders. 
In  1826  he  was  again  returned  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  re-elected  in  1827-28.  During  the 
latter  years  he  was  Speaker  of  the  House. 
His  course  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  was 
marked  by  patriotism,  consistency,  and  dignity. 
When  the  fiery  crusade  of  party  was  directed 
against  the  banker's  institutions  of  the  State, 
led  by  the  unscrupulous  energy  of  Robert  Pot- 
ter, the  bill  was  carried  by  one  vote  to  prose- 
cute and  crush  the  banks,  as  Speaker,  Judge 
Settle  voted  with  the  minority  and  prevented 
its  passage. 

In  1832  he  was  elected  one  of  the  Judges 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  which  elevated 
position  he  held  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury with  great  satisfaction  to  the  country 
and  credit  to  himself.  Increasing  j^ears  caus- 
ed his  resignation.  His  health,  from  the  labor 
of  a  long  life,  failed,  and,  universally  lamented, 
he  died  in  August,  1857. 

He  married  Henrietta,  the  daughter  of  Az- 
ariah,  and  the  sister  of  Hon.  Calvin  Graves. 

We  give  a  correct  genealogy  of  this  family 
from  reliable  and  authentic  sources.  It  is  sel- 
dom that  a  family  less  numerous  can  show 
more  distinguished    members.     In    this   table 


there  are  the  names  of  two  Senators  in  U.  S- 
Congress,  and  four  members  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  three  judges,  a  governor,  and 
a  formidable  aspirant  for  the  Presidency,  be- 
sides others  distinguished  for  their  ability  in- 
tegrity and  virtues. 

(For  the  genealogy  of  the  Settle  family,  see 
after  sketch  of  Gov.  Reid,page  391.) 

Thomas  Settle  jr.,  son  of  the  above,  whose 
sketch  has  just  been  presented,  was  born  Jan. 
23rd,  1831. 

He  was  liberally  educated,  and  graduated  at 
the  University  in  1850,  in  the  same  class  with 
John  Manning,  W.  C.  Kerr,  and  others.  He 
read  law  with  Judge  Pearson,  and  was  licensed 
to  practice  in  1854.  During  the  administration 
of  Gov.  Reid,  who  had  married  his  sister,  he 
was  for  a  time  the  private  secretary  of  the 
Governor. 

This  was  his  first  entrance  on  the  stormy 
sea  of  political  life,  which  was  germane  to  his 
tastes,  and  in  which  he  has  had  a  prosperous 
voyage.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Legislature,  from  1854  to  1859;  the  latter  year 
he  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House.  He  was 
one  of  the  Electors  in  1856,  and  cast  with 
others  the  vote  of  the  State  for  Mr.  Buchanan. 

In  1860  he  advocated  the  claims  of  Stepihen 
A.  Douglas,  for  the  Presidency.  How  far 
personal  preferences  influenced  his  judgment 
(for  they  were  closely  connected  by  marriage), 
is  not  known,  but  doubtless  the  matchless 
genius  and  brilliant  eloquence  of  this  distin- 
guished statesman  greatly  moved  his  support- 
ers. 

In  February  1861,  he  was  the  candidate  of 
the  Union  party  for  a  seat  in  the   Convention, 


390 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


and  he  was  triumphantly  elected  over  an  active 
and  able  opposition.  But  the  Convention,  de-- 
feated  by  the  popular  vote,  never  met.  Al- 
though a  Union  man,  and  opposed  to  the  doc- 
trine of  secession,  yet  when  the  war  actually 
commenced,  he  joined  his  fortunes  with  those  of 
his  State  and  entered  the  army  as  Captain  of  a 
company  in  the  3rd  Reg.  of  Volunteers  to 
serve  for  twelve  months.  Upon  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  enlistment,  Mr.  Settle  returned 
from  the  army,  and  was  elected  Solicicor  of 
the  4th  Judicial  Circuit  and  won  much  praise 
by  the  vigorous  and  faithful  performance  of  his 
duty.  He  was  elected  in  1866  a  member  of  the 
(Holden)  convention,  held  at  Raleigh, October 
12th,  1865,  and  in  the  same  year  to  be  a  Sen- 
ator in  the  Legislature,  of  which  body  he  was 
chosen  Speaker.  A  rare  instance  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  State,  where  the  same  person  so 
young  was  honored  with  the  Speakership  of 
each  House.  He  took  an  active  and  promin- 
ent part  in  the  convention  in  devising  manner 
to  reconstruct  the  broken  down  walls  of  our 
political  Zion.  Li  April,  1868,  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State.  This  elevated  position  he  held  until 
1871,  when  on  February  18th,  of  that  year,  he 
was  commissioned  Envoy  Extraordinaiy  and 
Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  Peiu.  lie  was  also 
President  of  the  National  Convention  that 
nominated  Grant.  After  a  short  residence 
abroad,  he  returned  home,  and  in  1872  he  was 
nominated  as  a  candidate  for  Congress,  in  the 
ITifth  Congressional  District,  opposing  General 
James  M.  Leach.  This  was  a  contest  involving 
fierce  and  frequent  contests,  but  General  Leach 
was  elected  by  268  majority.  Leach  received 
10,735,  Settle  10,487. 

He  was  re-appoiuted  one  of  the  Associate 
Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State, 
whicli  he  held  until  he  was  noniinated  as  the 
Republican  candidate  for  Governor  in  1876, 
and  was  defeated  by  Governer  Vance,  by  more 


than  13,000  votes;  Vance  receiving  123,307 
votes,  and  Settle  110,178.  This  closed  Judge 
Settle's  career  for  the  present  in  our  State,  as 
he  was  appointed  Judge  of  the  United  States 
District  Court  for  the  northern  district  of  Flori- 
da, Jan.  30th,  1877,  and  now  resides  at  Jack- 
sonville, in  that  State.  Judge  Settle  married 
(as  the  genealogical  diagram  shows)  Mary, 
daughter  of  Tyre  Glenn,  and  has  many  chil- 
dren to  inherit  his  genial  disposition  and  many 
kind  qualities. 

David  Settle  Reid  is  a  native  of  this  County 
the  son  of  Reuben  Reid;  born  April  13th,  1813. 
He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  County 
and  studied  law.  But  he  was  more  distin- 
guished as  a  faithful  and  frank  statesman  than 
as  a  lawj-er.  Bold  and  intrepid,  he  often  led 
where  the  timid  doubt,  and  when  success  had 
followed  his  efibrts  all  conceded  the  sagacity 
and  justice  of  his  plans.  His  first  appearance 
in  public  life  was  in  1835,  as  Senator  from 
Rockingham  County.  Such  was  the  wisdom 
of  his  course,  that  he  was  continuously  re-elec- 
ted by  the  people  until  1840.  He  was  then 
elected  a  member  of  the  28th  Congress  (1843- 
45),  and  re-elected  to  the  29th  Congress  (1845- 
47).  In  1848  he  was  nominated  for  Governor 
by  the  Democratic  State  Convention,  without 
his  knowledge  or  consent.  The  opposition  had 
triumphed  and  was  jubilant  over  victory  won 
in  a  hundred  fields,  and  defeat  seemed  to  be 
the  certain  prospect  of  the  Democrats.  The 
opposition  was  well-organized  and  their  leader 
Charles  Manly,  able,  genial  and  popular. 

But  Mr.  Reid  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  at- 
tempt what  his  friends  felt  certain  he  could 
accomplish.  He  did  make  a  gallant  canvass, 
and  so  reduced  the  majority,  that  their 
leaders  felt  and  knew,  as  the  English  at  Guil- 
ford, that  "  such  another  victory  would  ruin 
them."  At  the  next  convention,  although  he 
had  written  a  decided  letter  that  under  no 
circumstances  could  he  be  again  a  candidate,  he 


ROCKINGHAM  COUNTY. 


391 


was  nominated  and  elected   Governor   of  the 
State. 

In  1853  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  and  served  continuous!}'  until 
1859. 

The  great  lever  which  moved  the  incubus  of 
the  Whig  party,  used  by  Governor  Keid,  was 
the  question  of  free  suffrage.  It  may  be  tliat 
Governor  Reid  and  his  many  friends  may  see, 
and  that  too  not  in  the  far  future,  that  they 
committed  a  blunder! 

Governor  Reid  was  keenly  alive  to  the  great 
troubles  then  approaching.  He  had  been  long 
in  Congress,  and  most  observant  of  the  aifairs 
of  the  nation.  He  felt  that  the  ship  of  state, 
built  by  our  fathers,  and  which  was  fi'cighted 
with  all  our  hopes  and  happiness, was  drifting  on 
a  lee-shore,  and  in  peril  He  would  have  had 
tliis  bitter  cup  to  have  passed  from  him,  and 
with  tills  hope,  he  was  a  delegate  with  the 
sage  and  tlie  wise  of  our  country  to  the  "Peace 
Congress,"  at  Washington  in  the  year  of  1861. 
But  futile  were  its  etforts.  The  storm  had 
arisen, and  no  human  [lower  could  avert  its  fury 
Yet  Governor  Reid  viewed  wi  ,h  calm  phil- 
osophy anil  resignation  these  sad  occurrences 
and  though  priviledged  by  age  from  going  to 
tlie  tield,  still  he  contributed  by  his  counsels  in 
the  Confederate  Congress,  to  urge  such  meas- 
ures as  would  enure  to  the  benelit  of  his  coun- 
try. 

Since  the  war  he  has  renjained  at  his  home 
attending  to  his  family,  his  farm  and  his  prac- 
tice. / 

There  are  few  men  in  tiie  State  who  enjoy 
moieof  the  respect,  regard,  and  the  ati'ection 
of  tlie  people  than  Governor  Reid,  for  unatfec- 
tiid  simplicity  of  character,  stern  integritj', 
and  unsullied  purity  of  life.  The  most  promi- 
nent trait  in  the  character  of  Governor  Reid 
is  the  consistency  and  uniformity  of  his  politi- 
cal career.  Cautious  and  circumspect  in  form- 
ing iiis  opinions,  and   when  once   formed,  his 


firmness  and  ability  in  maintaining  them.  No 
one  who  knows  him,  or  who  has  observed  his 
long,  successful  and  brilliant  career,  can  ever 
doubt  where  to  iind  him — the  unwavering  sup- 
porter of  popular  rights  and  democratic  prin- 
ciples. 

He  married,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  genealog- 
ical diagram,  Henrietta,  daughter  of  Judge 
Thomas  Settle,  sen'r. 

Josiah  and  John  Settle,  two  brothers,  came 
from  England.  John  Settle  located  in  Vir- 
ginia. Josiah  Settle  located  in  wliat  is  now- 
called  Rockingham  conntj*.  North  Carolina. 
He  was  the  father  of  David  Settle,  who  mar- 
ried Khoda  MuUins,  and  had  issue:  I  Thomas, 
born  1789.  He  entered  public  life  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Couunons  in  181G;  was 
elected  in  1817  and  1819  a  member  of  Con- 
gress, when  he  declined  re-election.  Appeared 
again  in  public  life  in  1826  as  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  was  I'e-elected  in 
1827-28.  The  last  year  he  was  Speaker  of  the 
House.  In  1832  elected  Judge  of  the  Super- 
ior Court.  Married  Henrietta  Graves;  died 
1857.  To  whom  were  born:  1.  Thomas,  born 
1831.  Elected  to  Legislature  in  1854-55-56, 
during  the  last  two  years  was  Speaker  of  the 
House.  Elected  to  the  Senate  and  made 
President  of  the  Senate  in  1865-66.  Elected 
Solicitor  of  the  Fourth  Judicial  Circuit  in  1859, 
held  this  position  for  nine  years  with  the  e.v- 
cejition  of  one  year,  when  he  was  in  the  Con- 
federate army.  Elected  .fudge;  Associate 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  <  ourt  of  N.  < '.  in  1868. 
Appointed  Envoy  Kxtra(irdinai-y  and  .Minister 
Plenipotentiary  to  Peru  1871;  I'esigned  m 
the  spring  of  1872.  Was  appointed  Associate 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  (ourt  of  N.  C.  in  the 
fall  of  1872  by  Gov.  Caldwell. 

Resigned  in  1876  to  accept  the  Republican 
nomination  for  Governor;  was  appointed  His- 
trict  Judge  of  Federal  Court  for  northern  dis- 
trict of  Florida  in  1877,  by   President    Grant. 


592 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Married  Mary  Glenn;  had  (a)  Nettie,  (b) 
Mary,  (c)  Thomas,  (d)  Douglas,  (e)  Elizabeth, 
(f)  Caroline,  (g)  David,  (h)  Florida,  (i) 
Julia. 

2.  David,  born  1841;  elected  to  Legislature 
1870-72.  3.  Henrietta,  married  David  Settle 
Reid,  and  had  Thomas  Settle  Reid  and  Reuben 
David  Reid.  4.  Caroline,  married  Hugh  K. 
Reid.  5.  Fannj',  married  let  to  John  W. 
Covington,  and  had  Fanny  and  Nettie,  2nd  to 
0.  H.  Dockerj-,  and  had  Oliver  and  Carrie 
May.^ 

II  Josiah,  III  Benjamin,  Legislature  1881- 
-34;  IV  Elizabeth,  married  Reuben  Reid  and 
had  David  Settle  Reid,  born  1813;  in  the  Leg- 
islature 1835-40;  Congress  1843-47;  Governor 
1850-64;  before  his  second  term  as  Governor 
expired  was  elected  U.  S.  Senator  1854-59. 

V  Mary  married  Robert  Martin  and  had 
Martha  Drenen  Martin,  who  married  Stephen 
A.  Douglas,  born  1814  in  Vermont,  Judge  in 
Illinois  1841;  Congress  1843;  Senator  1847; 
died  1861.  They  had  Robert  and  Stephen  A; 
VI  Lucinda,  married  John  W.  Ellington;  VII 
Matilda,  married  James  Patrick;  VIII  Frances, 
married  John  Dilworth,  had  Andrew  Dilworth 
at  one  time  comptroller  of  the  State  of  Missis- 
sippi. 

John  Henry  Dillard,  one  of  the  Associate 
Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  is  a  native  of 
Rockingham  count}',  and  not  having  the  pleas- 
ure of  an  intimate  acquaintance,  we  adopt  a 
well-written  sketch  giving  the  dates  of  his  life 
and  services,  from  the  Raleigh  Oh  salver,  which  \& 
perhaps  more  acceptable  than  any  sketch  we 
could  prepare. 

He  was  born  near  Leaksville  in  Rockingham 
county  in  1825.  He  was  a  student  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  JNorth  Carolina,  and  after  complet- 
ing his  sophomore  year  went  to  William  and 
Mary  College,  Virginia,  where  he  graduated 
with  high  distinction.  He  was  admitted  to 
practice  law  in  North  Carolina  at  the  age  of  21 ; 


moved  to  Patrick  county,  Virginia,  and  was 
elected  Commonwealth's  Attorney,  which 
office  he  filled  with  high  credit  to  himself  for 
several  years.  He  married  Anna  J.,  daughter 
of  the  late  Col.  Martin,  of  Henry  county,  Vir- 
ginia^ After  a  few  years  he  returned  to  the 
county  of  Rockingham,  North  Carolina,  and 
devoted  himself  to  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion with  great  diligence  and  success.  He  was 
elected  County  Attorney  of  Rockingham,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  for  several  years,  and 
was  always  noted  for  the  accuracy  with  which 
his  bills  of  indictments  were  framed,  so  much 
80  that  his  "forms,"  passing  into  the  hands  of 
other  prosecuting  attorneys,  have  been  used 
with  unvarying  success  by  them,  Having  been 
appointed  Clerk  and  Master  in  Equity,  he  be- 
came, at  an  early  age,  enamored  of  and  de- 
voted to  Equity  Jurisprudence,  in  which,  in 
the  after  years  of  his  practice  he  has  become 
pre-eminently  distinguished. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  late  war,  he 
was  elected  Captain  of  a  company  of  volunteers 
from  his  native  county,  and  served  the  Con- 
federacy with  fidelity  in  the  45th  Regiment  of 
N.  C.  Troops.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  his  profession  with  the 
greatest  zeal  and  diligence,  and  with  renewed 
success  and  ability,  that  he  attained  such  emi- 
nence, both  at  the  Bar  of  the  Circuit  and  Su- 
preme Court,  as  to  merit  from  the  late  Chief 
Justice  Pearson  the  compliment  of  being  the 
ablest  equity  lawyer  in  North  Carolina. 

He  removed  from  Rockingham  county  to 
Greensboro  in  1868  and  associated  himself  in 
the  practice  of  law  with  Col.  Thomas  Ruffin, 
of  Orange,  then  a  resident  of  Greensboro,  and 
Col.  John  A.  Gilmer,  of  Greensboro  the  style 
of  the  firm  being  Dillard,  Ruffin  &  Gilmer. 

Since  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Pearson,  in 
connection  with  .Judge  Dick,  he  has  established 
and  conducted  with  success  a  law  school  in  the 
city  of  Greensboro,  at  the  same  time  maintain- 


ROCKINGHAM   COUNTY. 


S93 


ing  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  in  the  several 
counties  in  the  7th  and  8th  Judicial  Districts. 

Mr.  Dillard  is  a  man  of  imposing  personal 
appearance,  great  simplicity  and  geniality  of 
manner,  and  remarkably  courteous,  especially 
to  the  younger  members  of  the  legal  profes- 
sion, who  always  receive  from  him  the  hearti- 
est sympathy  and  encouragement  and  enter- 
tain for  him  a  respect  and  admiration  amount- 
ing often  to  the  warmest  affection.  He  has 
always  been  decidedin  his  political  views,  and 
a  laithful  member  of  the  Democratic  party, 
though  never  a  partisan  nor  an  aspirant  for 
political  preferment. 

Mr.  Dillard  is  an  elder  in  the  Pre-sbyterian 
Church  at  Greensboro,  and  a  gentleman  of  un- 
impeachable character  and  incorruptable  integ- 
rity, devoted  to  the  institutions  of  the  State, 
and  ardently  attached  to  every  enterprise  that 
tends  to  the  moral  and  material  growth  and 
prosperity  of  North  Carolina. 

Hamilton  Henderson  Chalmers;  at  present 
Associate  Justice  (1878)  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Mississippi,  was  born  in  Rockingham  County, 
N.  C,  Oct.  16th,  1835.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph 
W.  Chalmers,  and  Fanny  Henderson  his  wife, 
a  niece  of  Chief  Justice  Leonard  Henderson. 
Joseph  W.  Chalmers  resided  in  Halifax  County, 
Va.,  but  Hamilton  was  born  at  the  residence 
of  his  maternal  grandfather  in  North  Carolina. 
Shortly  after  his  birth,  the  father  removed 
with  his  family  from  Virginia,  first  to  Tenn- 
essee, and  subsequently  to  Holly  Springs,  Miss., 
where  Hamilton  grew  to  manhood.  Joseph 
W.  Chalmers,  soon  became  one  of  the  fore- 
most lawyers  of  his  adopted  State,  and  was 
successively  Chancellor  and  elected  State  Sen- 
ator, being  the  successor  m  the  Senate  of  Hon, 
Robt.  J.  Walker,  upon  the  accession  of  the  lat- 
ter to  the  Secretary-ship  of  the  Treasury.  Sen- 
ator Chalmers  died  at  the  early  age  of  forty- 
six  years,  and  was  cut  off  in  a  career  which 
bade  fair  to   make  his  name    illustrious  in  the 


annals  of  Mississippi.  Hamilton,  his  second  son 
was  graduated  at  the  University  oi  Miss- 
issippi 1853,  read  law  at  Jackson  in  the  law 
office  of  his  relative,  Hon.  ().  C  Glenn, 
then  Attorney  General,  and  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  orators  in  the  State.  He  resided  for 
a  short  time  in  New  Orleans,  and  there  stud- 
ied the  civil  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
On  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war  he  returned 
to  Miss.,  and  during  the  war  served  upon  the 
staff  of  his  brother.  Gen.  J.  R.  Chalmers,  and 
of  Gen.  P.  B.  Starke  Settling  in  Hernando, 
Miss.,  at  the  close  of  hostilities,  he  devoted 
himself  witli  great  vigor  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession  and  rose  rapidly  to  its  front  I'ank. 
He  was  an  ardent  and  active  participant  in  the 
politics  of  tlie  period,  and  though  seeking  no 
office  became  a  prominent  leader  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party  of  the  State.  Upon  the  accession 
of  the  Democracy  to  the  control  of  the  State 
in  1875-,  in  obedience  to  the  almost  unanimous 
wish  of  the  bar  of  his  section,  he  was  appointed 
to  his  present  seat  upon  the  Supreme  bench  at 
the  early  age  of  forty,  being,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Judge  Starkey,  the  youngest  man  who 
ever  occupied  the  position  in  Miss.  Judge 
Chalmers  married  Emily  H.  Erwin,  daughter 
of  Sidney  Erwin  and  Caroline  Carson,  bis  wife, 
of  Burke  County,  North  Carolina,  and  is  thus 
by  mari'iage  connected  with  two  of  the  most 
prominent  and  extensive  families  of  West- 
ern North  Carolina.  His  older  brother,  Jj^s. 
R.  Chalmers  was  a  general  officer  of  great  dis- 
tinction in  the  Confederate  army  and  is  now 
(1878)  a  prominent  and  influential  member 
of  Congress  from  Mississippi, 

[On  Jan.  4th,  1885,  Judge  Chalmers  died,  at 
Jackson,  Miss. — Ed.] 

James  R.  Dodge  died  at  the  residence  of  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Chalmers  Glenn,  in  Rocking- 
ham County,  on  the  night  of  February  24th, 
1880.  He  was  bright  and  cheerful  to  the  last, 
and  though  in  good  health  and  spirits,  for  the 


394 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


ast  few  years  he  had  always  expressed  himself 
as  only  waiting  for  his  Master's  call.  His  quiet, 
peaceful  death  was  certainly  in  accord  with  the 
proverb  that  had  been  his  guide  through  life. 
"Keep  innocency,  and  cleave  to  the  thing  that 
is  right,  and  that  will  give  a  man  peace  at 
last." 

The  following  sketch  of  his  life  is  in  a  great 
measure  gleaned  from  a  manuscript  written 
by  himself  only  three  iiionths  before  his  death, 
and  given  to  his  wife  to  keep  for  the  benefit  of 
his  children  and  grand-children.  It  was,  of 
course,  never  intended  for  publication,  but 
a  part  of  it  is  copied  by  permission,  feeling  it 
would  be  of  great  interest  and  that,  as  he  says 
it  '-may  aid  the  young  bj^  showing  that  energy 
and  strict  integrity  will  after  many  vicissi- 
tudes, lead  to  a  peaceful  old  age,  and  if  joined  to 
christian  faith,  may  lead  to  something  better." 
"I  fear,"  says  he,  "I  have  not  profited  much  bj^ 
his  advice,  (all  that  mj- excellent  father,  after 
his  misfortunes,  had  to  give,)  except  in  one 
thing:  'be  strictly  homst,'  and  in  this  respect,  I 
am  now,  in  my  old  age,  willing  to  face  the  loorld.^' 

Mr.  Dodge  was  born  October  27th,  1795,  in 
Johnstown,  a  village  on  the  Mohawk,  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  famous  as  the  residence 
of  Sir  William  Johnson,  the  former  Governor 
of  all  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  North.  Full  of 
life  and  vivacity,  and  fond  of  all  field  sports, 
he  received  a  good  Academic  education,  and 
although  his  father  wished  him  to  finish  at 
Union  College,  his  great  desire  was  to  see  un- 
discovered lands,  and  to  join  Western  expedi- 
tions. When  he  was  seventeen  years  old  the 
war  of  1812  began,  and  as  his  father  was  a 
Brigadier-General,  and  in  command  at  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor,  he  was  with  him  as  an  aid.  Full 
of  glee  and  perfectly  happy,  he  there  saw  com- 
pany and  sights  that  he  enjoyed;  Commodore 
Chauncey  and  Captain  Woolsej'  of  the  Navy, 
and  Col.  McComb,  afterwards  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  army,  were  guests  at  his  father's 


table.  This  life  suited  him  so  well  that  after 
their  discharge  and  the  return  of  his  father  to 
Albany,  where  he  then  lived, he  joined  as  a  vol- 
unteer in  a  company  called  "the  Albany  In- 
dependent Volunteers,"  Capt.  Judson,  and  they 
marched  to  Brooklyn  Heights,  to  meet  Gen. 
Packenham,  and  remained  there  until  Gen. 
Packenham  changed  his  course  for  New  Orleans, 
where  he  met  Gen.  Jackson  and  defeat. 

After  peace  he  became  a  clerk  in  his  uncle's 
store,  in  New  York  city,  and  passed  some  years 
in  his  familj\  Enjoying  the  most  refined  so- 
ciety, with  a  promise  and  prospect  of  getting- 
into  business  through  his  uncle's  aid,  he  yet  be- 
lieved he  could  achieve  a  more  splendid  success 
in  the  South,  and  embarked  in  the  brig  John,  in 
October  1817, for  Charleston,  S.  C.,recomended 
in  the  best  letters  from  New  York  that  the- 
city  could  afford.  When  off  the  coast  of  Vir- 
ginia they  encountered  a  most  terrifSc  storm 
which  kept  all  hands  and  the  passengers  at  ih& 
pumps  for  thirtj'-six  hours,  and  they  finally  put 
in  at  Norfolk,  Va.  Here  he  met  an  old  friend,. 
Hiram  Paulding,  afterwards  au  Admiral,  then 
a  midshipman  on  the  Macedonian,  which  was 
dismantled  and  partially  wrecked  in  the  same 
storm.  "While"  (I  quote  his  own  words,)  "in 
Norfolk  during  the  repairing  of  the  brig,  I 
made  an  excursion  to  Petersburg,  Va.,  to  see- 
something  of  Southern  life.  But  my  fate  was 
sealed,  for  better  or  worse;  the  brig  John  was 
condemned,  my  Charleston  trip  and  hopes 
destroyed,  and  I  made  a  speculation,  the  cause 
of  all  my  future  misery  and  happiness.  After 
struggling  for  two  j-ears,  ruin  came,  and  in  the 
3'ear  1820,  still  full  of  hope  and  armed  with 
the  kindest  letters  from  all  who  had  known, 
me  in  Petersburg,  and  also  with  a  license  to 
practice  law  in  Virginia,  given  me,  I  fear,  more 
of  favor  than  desert,  like  Christian  in  the  Pil- 
grim's Progress  did  his  sins,  I  strapped  on  my 
back  my  new  debt  of  many  thousands,  jumped 
into  the  stage,  then  our  onl^'  conveyance,  and 


reocki:n"giiam  county 


395 


landed  in  the  streets  of  Raleigh,  not  knowing 
one  human  being  in  North  Carolina,  and  not 
having  fifty  dollars.  But  Ruffin  and  others  to 
whom  my  letters  were  directed,  gathered 
around  me.  That  noble  court,  Taylor,  Hend- 
erson and  Hall,  repeated  my  license.  Badger, 
Archibald  Henderson  and  Gaston  honored  me 
with  a  friendship  that  lasted  during  their  lives. 
They  are  now  no  more,  and  with  Manly  and 
Guion,  and  a  number  more  known  afterwards, 
now,although  of  different  denominations,  all  fill 
christian  graves.  Soon  collections  that  had  been 
given  me  in  Petersburg,  brought  me  to  old 
Stokes,  and  at  the  County  court  at  German  ton,  I 
found  the  same  reception  from  John  Morehead, 
Thos.  Settle,  Augustine  H.  Shepperd,  Nicholas 
L.  Williams,  and  others,  now  all  gone  except 
the  last  He  was  my  fate ;  through  him  I  be- 
came acquainted  with  his  niece,  then  a  small 
giii,  but  of  a  family  famous  for  excellent  wives. 
Her  uncle  Lewis  Williams  was  in  Congress 
with  my  uncle  William  I'rviug,  of  New  York, 
and  in  process  of  time  she  became  my  wife." 
Mr.  Dodge  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  and  as  a  delegate  to  the  Episcopal 
Convention  that  elected  him,  voted  for  Bishop 
Ravenscroft.     During  his  life  he  filled  many 


places  of  honor  and  trust,  as  Solicitor  of  the 
Superior  Court  for  the  Lincolnton  district;  for 
twelve  or  fourteen  years  Clerk  of  the  Legis- 
lature; and  also  for  many  3-ears  Clerk  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  Morganton.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Susan  AVilliams  on  Maj'  24th, 
182fi,and  resided  in  Wilkesboro'  for  eight  years. 
After  he  was  elected  Solicitor  he  removed  to 
Lincolnton.  where  he  resided  four  years.  He- 
was  succeeded  bj-  his  old  friend  Hamilton  C 
Jones,  as  Solicitor;  and  "then,  upon  consulta- 
tion with  my  sympathizing  and  truly  pious 
wife,  we  retired  to  the  banks  of  the  Yadkin, 
our  cottage  and  farm.  She  managed  at  home, 
and  I  labored  night  and  day  at  Court,  at  Ra- 
leigh and  at  Morganton.  At  home  we  were  al- 
ways happy;  care  or  trouble  never  entered  our 
door,  and  these  yeais  were  far  the  happiest  of 
my  life.  After  many  ^-ears  of  toil  had  passed,  I 
well  remember  the  look  of  my  old  friend  Ruffin, 
then  Chief  Justice,  when  I  handed  to  my  old 
friend  Jacob  Ranisour  |700.00,  which  was  the 
last  debt  I  owed  on  earth.  He  was  paid,  and 
it  is  still  the  last." 

"The  moral  of  this  sketch  is,  persevere  and 
do  not  look  back,  and  our  apparent  misfortunes 
may  be  blessings  in  disguise." 


-^^-^b^^-ts^^ 


ROWAN  COUNTY. 


In  a  dispatch  from  the  Royal  Governor,  Ar- 
thur Dobbs,  now  on  file  in  the  Rolls  Office,  Lon- 
don, dated  1754,  the  population  of  Rowan 
County  is  stated  to  be  1,416  whites  and  54 
blacks.     He  states: 

"  Salisbury,  then  just  laid  out,  had  seven  or 
eight  log  houses.  We  have  fixed  on  a  place  for 
a  fort,  (called  Fort  Dobbs,)  on  Third  Creek 
where  it  falls  into  the  Y^adkin."  Col.  Docs.  125 


Judge    Murphey,   (Uni.  Mag.   293,)  states: 
"  The  first  settlers  of  Rowan,  near  Salisbury, 
before  1751,  were  Paul  Bifile  and  John  White- 
sides,  on    Grant's   Creek  to   the    north;  John 
Dunn,  John  Gardiner,  Alexander  Douglas,  oi 
Crane  Creek  to  the  south ;Matt hew  Locke,Frai 
cis  Locke,  John  Brandon,  Alexander  Cathey 
and  James  Graham  on  the  west.     James  Car 
ter  and  Hugh   Foster  owned   the    land  upon 


S96 


W HEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


wliieh  the  town  was  built.      Elias  Brock  and 
John  Wliitesides  built  the  first  court-house." 

This  commences  the  record  of  this  venerable 
County,'-  (lb  urbe  condita.'"  From  that  time  and 
through  all  the  trials  of  the  revolution  to  the 
present  da}'  the  people  of  Rowan  have  been 
distinguished  for  their  patriotism  and  devotion 
to  liberty.  They  were  decided  in  opposition  to 
the  illegal  exactions  of  the  crown  otlicers,  which 
produced  on  the  Regulation  troubles;  the  jour- 
nal of  their  Committee  of  Safe  y  (  ■■  'in  1774  to 
1776,)  proves  their  sturdj^  resistance  to  wrong 
and  their  ardent  support  of  justice.  Tliis  journal 
has  been  preserved  and  printed.  (  Wheeler  II, 
360.) 

Prominent  among  the  names  of  this  commit- 
tee is  the  name  of  Hugh  Montgomery';  he  was 
a  native  of  Ireland.  At  an  early  age  he  fell  in 
love  with  a  Miss  Moore,  who  was  of  noble  birth. 
This  was  strongly  opposed  by  her  friends,but  the 
attachment  was  reciprocated — and  she  was  con- 
veyed secretly  on  board  of  a  ship,  where  she  met 
her  lover  and  was  married;  the  youthful  pai 
escaped  in  safety  to  America.  He  was  himself  of 
a  goodly  stock,  a  near  relative  of  General  Rich- 
ard Montgomery,  who  fell  in  the  battle  of  Que- 
bec, (Dec.  1775).  He  settled  first  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  afterward  removed  to  Salisbury, 
North  Carolina.  He  was  constant  and  active 
in  promoting  the  cause  of  independence  and 
was  one  of  the  most  fixed  and  forward  of  the 
daring  spirits  of  that  day.  Among  whom  were 
Griffith  Rutherford,  John  Brevard,  Matthew 
Locke,  John  Louis  Beard,  William  Sharp,  .Max 
well  Chambers,  Wm.  Kennon,  Geo.  Henry  Bar- 
ringer,  John  Nesbit  and  Charles  McDowell.* 

By  his  enterprise  and  industiy  he  amassed 
a  handsome  fortune.  He  died  at  Salisbury 
Dec. 23d,  1779,  leaving  one  son  and  seven 
daughters.     His   eon,    Hugh    ^,  ontgomery  jj-. 

Mr.  M  WiiB  a  prominent  member  of  tlie  Provincial 
Congress  from  liovvan,  iiuu  met  at  liillsbo.o'  August 
3l8t,  1775. 


married  Miss  Parnell  of  Virginia,  and  by  her 
he  had  several  children;  one  of  whom  Lemuel 
P.  -Montgomery  was  Col.  of  the  39th  Regiment 
U.  S.  Infantry.  He  fell  in  the  battle  of  the 
Horse-Shoe  March  27th,  1814,  in  the  2.5th  year 
of  his  age,  the  first  to  mount  the  breast-works 
and  was  pierced  by  a  ball  through  the  head. 

The  eldest  daughter  married  Dr_  Anthony 
Newman,  who  settled  in  Nashville,  and  whose, 
son,  Lemuel  Daniel  Newman,  was  born  in  North  1%, 
Carolina,  then  moved  to  Georgia;  was  a  Lieu- 
tenant in  the  4th  Regiment  U.  S.  army  and  com- 
manded the  Georgia  volunteers  in  the  action 
with  the  Florida  Indians,  distinguished  himself 
in  an  atack  on  the  Creek  Indians  in  Autossee 
Towns  in  Dec.  1813,  and  was  severely  wounded 
at  Camp  Defiance  Jan.,  1814.  He  was  a  member 
of  Congress  from  Georgia,  from  1831  to  1833. 
lie  died  in  Walker  County,  Georgia, in  1851. 

The  second  daughter  married  Mr.  Stewart, 
who  settled  in  Gi'eensboro',  Tennessee,  where 
his  family  now  reside. 

The  third  daughter  married  Mr.  Blake, 
whose  grandson,  James  Blake,  distinguished 
himself  in  the  war  with  Mexico  under  General 
Taylor. 

The  fourth  daughter  married  Captain  Edwin 
Ingram,  of  Richmond  County,  who  entered  the 
army  of  the  Revolution  as  a  private  and  rose  to 
the  rank  of  captain.  He  was  "the  Marion"  of 
the  State,  daring  and  active  in  the  cause.  lie 
was  tendered  on  account  of  his  services  and 
losses,  five  hundred  pounds  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  North  Carolina  which  he  declined 
to  accept.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  .\laj.  San- 
ders M.  Ingram,  of  Richmond,  who  behaved  so 
gallantly  under  Taylor  and  Scott  in  Mexico. 

The  fifth  daughter,  married  Colonel  David 
Campbell,  distinguished  at  the  battle  of  King's 
Mountain;  he  moved  to  Tennessee  and  estab- 
lished Campbell  Station.  Several  of  his  sons 
were  distinguished  in  the  Indian  wars,  under 
Jackson  and  Harrison;   especially   William  B. 


ROWAN  COUNTY. 


397 


Campbell,  who  \Fas  born  in  Tennessee,  lie 
was  Attorney  General  of  the  State,  served  in 
the  Cherokee  and  Creek  wars;  elected  to  Con- 
gress from  Tennessee,  from  1837  to  1843.  He 
was  Colonel  of  the  1st  Regt.  of  Tennessee  Vol- 
unteers in  the  Mexican  war,  and  distinguished 
himself  at  the  battles  of  Monterey,  National 
Bridge  and  Cerro  Gordo.  From  1850  to  '53> 
he  was  elected  Governor  of  the  State  of  Tenn- 
essee, and  in  1857  was  chosen  by  a  unanimous 
vote  of  the  Legislature,  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court.  In  1862  he  was  appointed  by  Lincoln 
a  Brigadier-General  in  the  Union  array,  which 
his  health  caused  him  to  decline.  At  the  close 
the  war  he  was  again  elected  a  member  of 
39th  Congress,  (1865-'67,)  and  died  at  Leb- 
anon, Tennessee,  Aug.  19th,  1867. 

The  sixth  daughter  married  General  James 
Wellborn,  of  Wilkes  County,  whose  eldest 
daughter  married  Newton  Cannon,  Governor 
of  Tennessee  (for  sketch  of  whom  see  page  189.) 
The  seventh  daughter  married  Montford 
Stokes,  who  was  Governor  of  North  Carolina, 
(for  sketch  of  whom  see  Wilkes  County.) 

Connected  with  Rowan  and  her  disting- 
uished personages  is  the  name  of  Elizabeth 
Steele.  It  was  at  her  house  in  Salisbury  on 
'he  evening  of  February  1st,  1781,  that  "the 
?abiu8  of  Anierica,"General  Nathaniel  Greene 
^rrived,  after  a  hard  day's  ride  through  the 
rain,  alone,  fatigued,  hungry,  penniless  and 
down-hearted;  as  he  expressed  himself  to  Dr. 
Read  who  had  charge  of  the  sick  and  wounded 
prisoners  at  this  place.  Mrs.  Steele  heard  this, 
ind  the  fire  of  patriotism  was  augmented  by 
the  deep  sympathy',  which  is  ever  the  promi  ■ 
lent  feeling  in  a  true  v.'oman's  heart.  Hardly 
had  the  Genei-al  seated  himself  at  a  well-spread 
table,  before  a  eheerful  fire,  when  Mrs.  Steele 
entered,  and  reminded  her  distinguished  guest 
that  she  liad  overheai'd  his  desponding  remarks, 
she  drew  from  under  her  apron  two  small  bags 


of  specie,  her  earnings  for  years.  "Take  them" 
she  said  "for  you  will  want  them,  and  I  can  do 
without  them."  "Never"  says  his  biographer, 
"did  relief  come  at  a  more  needed  moment." 
The  hero  resumed  that  night  his  dangerous 
journey,  fir  the  British  army  under  Lord 
Cornwallis,  had  that  day  crossed  the  Catawba 
and  was  advancing  on  Salisbury.  This  scene 
has  been  made  the  subjec-t  of  both  paintingand 
sculpture.  On  the  wall  hung  a  picture  of 
George  the  3d,which  had  been  sent  as  a  present 
from  England  to  Mrs.  Steele,  by  some  friends 
at  Court  Filled  with  the  painful  memories 
of  the  sufferings  of  his  country,  and  of  the 
blood  that  even  that  day  had  been  spilled  in 
its  defence  by  the  myrmidons  of  power,  Gen- 
eral Gi'eene  took  the  picture  from  the  wall  and 
wrote  on  its  back  "Oh  George,  hide  thy  face 
and  mourn,"  and  replaced  it  with  its  face  to 
the  wall. 

Mrs.  Steele  died  in  1790.  She  was  twice 
married.  By  her  first  husband  she  had  a  daugh- 
ter, who  married  liev.  Samuel  McCorkle;  by 
her  second  husband, (  William  Steele, )slie  had 
General  John  Steele  (born  Nov.  1st,  1764,  died 
Aug.  14th,  1812,)\vho  was  born  in  Salisbury. 
Pie  was  educated  as  a  merchant,  but  as  soon 
as  he  arrived  at  manhood  he  devoted  himself 
to  agriculture  and  politics. 

In  1787  and  1788,  he  was  elected  a  momber 
of  the  Legislature  from  the  borough  of  Salis- 
burj'.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Convention  at  Hill8boro,(July  2lst, 
1788,)  to  consider  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  and  with  Davie,  Iredell,  John- 
ston and  others  made  active  but  fruitless  etfbrts 
for  its  ach)ption.  His  course  on  this  occasion 
did  not  affect  his  popularity,  for  the  next  year 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  first  Congress 
of  the  United  States  (1789-91)  and  was  re- 
elected to  the  next  Congress,  (1791—93.)  In 
1794  he  was  again  elected  a  member  of  the 
Legislature, and  re-elected  in  1795.  On  July  1st 


398 


WHEELER'S    EEMINISCEls^CES. 


1796,  he  was  nppointeil  by  General  Washing- 
ton first  (Comptroller  of  the  Treasury,  which 
he  held  throughout  the  remainder  of  Washing- 
ton's administration,  all  of  Adams',  and  I'e- 
signed  in  1802,  in  opposition  to  the  wishes  of 
Mr.  Jefferson.  In  1806,  he  was  again  in  the 
Legislature,  and  that  j-ear  succeeded  Gen. 
Davie  as  Commissioner  to  adjust  the  bound- 
aries between  North  and  South  Carolina.  This 
•delicate,  protracted  and  dithcult  negotiation 
was  managed  by  him  with  singular  address 
and  ability.  In  1811-12  and  13, he  was  again 
■elected  to  the  °Le2;islature  and  in  1811  was 
Speaker  of  the  House.  On  Aug.  14th,  1812, 
he  was  again  elected,  and  on  that  day  he  died. 

From  the  varied  and  important  positions 
held  by  General  Steele  from  his  early  man- 
hood, to  the  day  of  his  death  is  seen  the  warm 
attachment  and  confidence  of  his  countrymen 
for  him,  and  their  high  appreciation  of  his  ser- 
vices and  abilit}'.  9'  ^--v'-^'  '''■  '' ' 

He  married  in  1783,  Alary  Nesfreid,  who 
survived  liim  manyj'ears,  by  whom  he  had  (I) 
Ant),  who  married  Jesse  A.  Pearson;  (II)  Mar- 
garet who  married  Dr.  Stephen  L.  Farrand; 
'  -  (IH)  Eliza,  who  married  Col.  Robert  Mac- 
L'amara. 

A  daughter  of  Dr.  Fei-rand,  married  to  A. 
Henderson,  recently  died.    Their  son,  John  S. 
Henderson  has  entered   the  theatre  of  public 
]if-j,etiji)ying  the  confidence  and  hopes  of  a  large 
cii'cle  of  admiring  friends,     lie  is  quite  young; 
I     being  born  June  6th,  1846.  He  has  been  liber- 
V,     ali^'  educated,  at  Dr.   Wilson's  Academy  and 
^^      the   University.     At    the    aj^je  ot    eii^hteen  he 
.^        entered  the  army  as  a  private  in  company  B, 
loth  North  Carolina  Regiment  and  served  as 
a  pi'ivate  to  the  close.     He  was  elected  as  the 
c  'iiservative   candidate  to  the  I'onstitutional 
Convention    of   1871,  though  the    ■  onvention 
was  not  held.     He  was  elected  to  the  Conven- 
tion of  1875,  and  took  a  leading  position.    He 


was  elected  to  the  House  m  November  1876,  by 
1006  majority. 

[At  the  election  held  November  4th,  1884, 
he  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives from  the  seventh  Congressional  District, 
receiving  14,262  votes,  against  10,851  for  Mr. 
Ramsay. — Ed.'l 

William  Kennon  appears  among  the  leading 
patriots  of  the  County.  We  regret  that  the 
records  of  the  Count}'  give  so  little  informa- 
tion as  to  his  life  and  services. 

The  proceedings  of  the  Committee  of  Safety 
for  Rowan  County,  of  which  he  was  often  chair- 
man prove  his  vigilance  and  activity  in  the 
cause  of  independence.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Provincial  Congress,  which,  in  opposition  to 
the  Royal  Government,  met  at  New  Berne  in 
August  1774,  and  also  in  the  same  place  in  1775. 
He  was  one  of  the  Convention  or  Committee, 
that  met  at  Charlotte  on  May  20,  1775.  The 
memorial  of  John  Dunn  shows  that  he,  (with 
Adlai  Osborne,Sanuiel  Spencer,  and  Mr.  Willis, 
Kennon'sbrt)ther-in-la\v,)were  active  in  appre- 
hending said  Dunn  and  expatriating  him.  He 
resided    in    Salishur^'    and   was   an    attorney. 

Dunn,  as  shown  by  his  memorial  was  a  man 
of  ability,  and  of  character,  but  of  mistaken 
views.  Murphey  tells  us  "  that  he  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  and  in  consequence  of  some  private 
feud,  suddenly  left  his  native  land,  and  came 
to  America,  wheie  he  settled  on  Reid's  Creek, 
and  married  .Mary  Reid.  He  followed,  for  a 
livelihood,  teaching  and  shoe-making.  He  stud- 
ied kw  and  removed  to  Salisbury  where  he 
practiced  with  much  success.  He  was  the  Col- 
onel of  the  Rowan  Militia,  and  in  1771  march- 
ed to  Hillsboro'  to  protect  the  Court  against  th« 
intimidations  of  the  Regulators.* 

Afterthe  war  was  over,  Dunn  returned  to  Sal- 
isbury where  he  ended  his  days,  and  lies  buried 


•.S,e  Ui)i.  Mag.  I.    204. 


ROWAN  COUNTY. 


399 


within  three  miles  of  that  place.  He  left  two 
daughters,  one  of  whom  married  a  son  of  John 
Louis  Beard,  of  whom  John  Beard  of  Florida 
is  a  son.  The  other  daughter  married  Mr.  Fisher 
who  was  the  mother  of  the  Hon.  Charles  Fisher, 
of  whom  we  shall  soon  hear. 

John  H.  Steele,  (born  1792,  died  1865),  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  a  relative  of  General 
Steele.  He  was  Governor  of  the  State  of 
New  Hampshire  in  1844  to  1846,  and  died  at 
Petersboro',  New  Hampshire,  July  2,  1865.  We 
know  but  little  beyond  this,  and  the  fact  that 
while  our  State  has  given  Senators  and  Gover- 
nors to  the  south  and  southwest,  she  has  also 
given  Governors  to  two  of  the  Yankee  States  — 
Joseph  R.  Hawley,  of  Connecticut  and  John  H. 
Steele,  of  New  Hampshire. 

Griffith  Rutherford  was  long  a  resident  of 
Rowan,  lived  in  the  Locke  settlement  and  was 
distinguished  in  the  Indian  and  Revolutionary 
wars  for  his  valor  and  enterprise. 

He  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  first  appears 
in  North  Carolina  history  as  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  Rowan  in  1775,  at  New  Berne. 
He  served  as  Senator,  and  was  re-elected,  with 
some  intermissions,  till  1786.  His  iirst  essay 
in  arms  was  in  1776,  when  he  commanded  an 
army  of  2400  men,  raised  to  subdue  "  the 
Overhill  Cherokee  Indians;"  this  he  did  most 
completely  and  with  great  slaughtei\  He  was 
an  active  member  of  the  Committee  of  Safety 
and  on  April  22,  1776,  was  appointed  one  of 
fhe  six  Brigadier-Generals  by  the  Provincial 
Congress  at  Halifax.  He  commanded  his  bri- 
gade at  the  ill-fated  battle  of  Camden,  (Aug. 
1780,)  where  he  was  taken  prisoner.  He  was 
SBnt  to  Charleston,  and  from  thence  to  Augus- 
tine with  Col.  Elijah  Isaacs,  taken  also  at  Cam- 
den; Lieut.  Col.  Stephen  Moore  and  Col.  Hen- 
derson; on  June  22, 1781,  they  were  exchanged. 
He  again  took  the  field,  and  took  command  at 
Wilmington,  when   that  place  was  evacuated 


b}'  the  British.  After  the  war  was  over  he  re- 
moved to  Tennessee  and  served  in  the  Councils 
of  that  State. 

His  name  is  preserved  both  m  North  Caro- 
lina and  Tennessee,  by  calling  counties  after 
him,  and  we  regret  that  so  little  is  known  of  his 
services  and  character.* 

Blanche,  daughter  of  General  Rutherford, 
married  a  son  of  General  Matthew  Locke 

The  Locke  family  was  once  a  large,  influen- 
tial and  patriotic  family  in  Rowan.  The  first 
of  this  race  came  from  Ireland  to  America  in 
the  17th  century,  and  settled  in  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania.  From  thence,  three  brothers: 
Matthew,  Francis  and  George,  came  to  North 
Carolina.  Matthew  and  Francis  settled  in  Row- 
an and    George   in  Iredell  County. 

General  Matthew  Locke,  (born  in  1730.  died 
1801,)  was  by  nature  energetic,  public  spirited 
and  popular.  The  determined  foe  to  every  form 
of  oppresion,  fraud  or  peculation.  In  the  excite- 
ment as  to  illegal  fees  exacted  by  the  Crown  offi- 
cers and  wrung  from  an  oppressed  people,  he  was 
their  friend  and  adviser.  He  was  in  1771 
with  Herman  Husbands  appointed  by  the  peo- 
ple to  receive  the  fees  due  the  sheriff  and 
Clerk  of  the  Court.  He  was  elected  in  1776 
a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  at  Hali- 
fax, and  to  the  same  body  in  Nov.  1776,  which 
formed  our  first  State  Constitution.  He  was 
continued  a  member  of  the  Legislature  under 
the  Constitution  in  1777  to  1792.  He  was 
elected  a  Brigadier-General  of  State  troops. 
In  1798  he  was  elected  a  member  of  3rd,  4th 
and  5th  Congresses,  1795  to  1799,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Archibald  Henderson.  He  died  Sep- 
tember 7,  1801.  He  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  Richard  Brandon,  a  name  distinguished  in 
the  annals  of  those  troubled  times,  for  devotion 
to  popular  rights  and  the  cause  of  freedom,  and 
left  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  eight  sons 

*  A  list  of  the  prisoners  sent  to  St.  Aujriistine  is  found 
in  Johnson's  TraiUdous  of  tlie  Revolution,  318. 


400 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENSES. 


and  five  dauglaters.  Four  of  his  eons  were  at 
one  time  in  the  Revolutionar}-  army;  among 
them  was: 

George  Locke,  who  contended  bravely  and 
fell  in  the  cause  of  his  country.  He  was  active 
in  harrassing  the  advance  of  the  British  army, 
under  Cornwallis,  in  1780. 

While  the  British  were  encamped  at  Char- 
lotte, Col.  Wm.  R.  Davie  ordered  Capt.  John 
Brandon,  and  Lieut.  Joseph  Graham,  with 
twenty-live  men  to  reconnoitre  their  camp; 
when  they  marched  within  fifty  yards  of  their 
lines,  Brandon  proposed  to  advance  and  de- 
liver a  voile}',  which  they  did.  Tarleton's  troop 
gave  chase  and  pursued  the  Americans;  when 
Graham,  Locke  and  others  had  seen  that  their 
capture  was  imminent  they  turned  ofl'  from  the 
main  road;  Graham  was  sabred,  and  left  for 
dead;  Locke  was  killed  and  Brandon  owed  his 
life  to  the  fleetness  of  his  horse,  and  was  chased 
at  full  speed  to  Davie's  camp.  This  statement 
of  this  melancholy  affair  is  from  a  son  of  Col. 
Brandon,  (A.  W.,)  whose  father  had  narrated 
the  facts  to  him. 

Another  son  of  Gen.  Matthew  Locke,  John, 
married  Blanche,  the  daughter  of  Gen.  Grif- 
fith Rutherford;  another  son  married  Marga- 
ret, daughter  of  Caleb  Phifer;  and  a  daughter 
of  Gen.  Locke  married  Martin  Phifer.  Another 
daughter,  Ann,  married  Andrew  Beard,  of 
Burke  County,  and  another,  Jane,  married 
Gen.  Robt.  Weakly,  of  Tennessee. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  inscription  of 

the  head-stone  over  his  grave  in  the  graveyard 

of  Thyatira  church : 

"111  Momory 
of 
Matthew  Locke,  Esq., 
Died  7tli  Sept.,  1801;  aK<d  71. 
A  promoter  of  civilization,  a  Legislator  and  a  patri- 
otic iiieud  of  his  country;  in  his  private  characler  a 
a  tender  husband,  an   affect  ion  ate  parent,  and  an  in- 
dulgent waster,  ever  a  friend  to  the  poor;  and  attentive 
to  his  happiness  in  that  state,  where  we  coHteniplate 
his  existence,  leaving  memory  to  retain  him  here." 

Col.  Francis  Locke,  a  brother  of  Gen.  Mat- 
thew Locke,  though  not  a  statesman    as  was 


his  distinguished  brother,  was  a  true  and  tried 
soldier  in  the  perilous  period  of  our  revolution- 
ary struggles.  He  commanded  a  detachment  of 
men  in  the  revolution,  and  on  the  22d  of  June 
1780,  attacked  at  Rarasour's  Mill,  near  the 
present  town  of  Lincolnton,  a  superior-force  of 
Tories  under  the  command  of  Cols.  Bryan  and 
Moore,  and  routed  them  with  great  slaughter. 
A  full  account  of  this  battle  from  the  pen  of 
General  Graham  may  be  found  in  the  history 
of  North  Carolina.   [Wheeler  II,  227.] 

He  married  (the  sister  of  Gen.  Matthew 
Locke's  wife,)  the  daughter  of  Richard  Bran- 
don, and  left  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Among  them  were,  (I)  John,  who  was  a  Major 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  died  April  1833, 
aged  eighty -two  years.  (II.)  Francis,  born  in 
Rowan  County  1766,  appointed  Judge  Dec. 
1803;  resigned  1813;  elected  Senator  in  Con- 
gress, 1816,  and  resigned  without  taking  his 
seat  as  Senator;  Presidential  Elector  1809, 
Died,  (unmarried,)  in  1823. 

Hon.  Spruce  McCay,  was  born,  lived  and 
died  in  Rowan  County.  He  was  educated  by 
the  Rev.  David  Caldwell;  studied  law,  and 
arose  to  eminence  and  usefulness.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Judge  of  the  Superior  Courts  in  1790, 
and  died  in  1808. 

He  married  i^'anny,  daughter  of  Richard  Hen- 
derson. William  S.  McCay  was  the  only  soo 
of  this  union. 

James  Martin,  was  the  son  of  Col.  James 
Martin  and  resided  for  many  years  in  Salis- 
bury. He  graduated  at  the  University  in  1806, 
in  the  same  class  with  Judge  John  A.  Cameron,. 
Durant  Hatch  and  others.  He-  read  law  and 
soon  attained  such  rank  in  the  profession  that 
in  1826  he  was  elected  one  of  the  Judges  of 
the  Superior  Courts.  He  resigned  in  1835.  He 
married  Miss  Alexander,  and  removed  to  Mo- 
bile, Alabama,  where  he  died. 

George  Mumford  represented  this  County  in 


ROWAN  COUNTY. 


■401 


1810  and  in  1811,  and  this  district  in  Coniji-ess 
in  1817.  lie  attended  a  ball  at  Washington 
City  in  the  dead  of  winter;  the  exposure 
brought  on  diptheria,  and  December  31,  1815, 
it  terminated  his  hfe.  lie  was  succeeded  by 
Hon.  Charles  Fisher. 

The  progenitor  of  the  Pearson  family  was 
liichmond  Pearson,  Ijorn  1770,  died  1819,  who 
was  a  native  of  Dinwiddie  County,  Virginia, 
and  came,  when  only  nineteen  years  old,  to 
North  Carolina  and  settled  in  the  forl'CS  of  the 
Yadkin, 

When  the  Revolutionary  war  came  on,  he 
joined  the  army  and  was  appointed  a  Lieu- 
tenant in  Captain  Bryan's  Company;  the 
first  muster  that  occurred  after  the  Declaration 
of  Independence.  Pearson  requested  some  of 
his  men  to  load  their  guns.  Bryan  came  on 
the  ground  and  ordered  those  men  into  ranks. 
Pearson  declined,  and  tendered  his  resignation 
to  Bryan,  who  immediately  ordered  his  arrest, 
which  was  resisted.  They  then  came  to  a  par- 
ley, and  as  Bryan  advocated  the  cause  of  the 
Loyalists,  and  Pearson  the  rights  of  the  people, 
it  was  finally  agreed  by  all  parties,  that  on  a 
day  fixed,  the  question  between  the  opinions 
should  be  settled  by  a  fair  fist  fight,  and  which- 
ever whipped,  the  company  should  be  com- 
manded by  the  victor.  They  met,  they  fought, 
the  lieutenant  was  conquered;  so  the  "Fork  ' 
■company  was  for  liberty,  and  Bryan's  party  on 
Dutchman's  Creek,  was  for  the  King.  This 
circumstance  was  narrated  to  me  by  Chief- 
Justice  Pearson,  and  shows  by  what  slight 
circumstances,  events  of  magnitude  are  often 
influenced.  Captain  Pearson  and  hiB  company 
did  good  service  in  harrassing  the  advance  of 
Cornwallis'  columns,  and  was  at  the  passage  of 
the  Catawaba  on  July  1,  1781,  when  General 
Davidson  was  killed.  He  was  a  successful  plan- 
ter and  an  enterprising  merchant.  He  died  in 
1819,  leaving  one  daughter,  Betsy,  who  mar- 
ired  Judge  John  Stokes,  a  Colonel  in  the  Rev- 


olutionary war;  severely  wounded  at  Buford's 
defeat,  where  he  lost  an  arm.  He  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  District  Judge  in  North 
Carolina  by  General  Washington.  He  vasthe 
brother  of  Governor  Montford  Stokes.  Stoke 
County  was  called  in  honor  of  him.  He  died 
in  Fayetteville,  October,  1790. 

Jesse  A.  Pearson,  the  son  of  Richmond,  rep- 
resented this  County  in  the  House  of  Commons 
in  1808,  '9,-'l-4  and  '15.  He  commanded  a  regi- 
ment in  181-4,  in  General  Graham's  brigade,  and 
moved  against  the  Cherokee  nation,  to  repress 
their  hostilities;  afterwards  he  was  electedMaj- 
or-General  of  the  militia  of  the  State.  He  was  a 
soldier,"sudden  and  quick  in  quarrel;"he  fought 
a  duel  with  General  Montford  Stokes,  near 
Salisbury,  in  which  Gen.  Stokes  was  wounded. 

He  married  first  a  daughter  of  General  Steele, 
and  second  Mrs.  Wilson,  whose  daughter,  by  a 
former  husband,  married  Archibald  G  Carter, 
of  Davie  County.  He  died  in  1823  and  left  no 
issue. 

Joseph  Pearson,  also  a  son  of  Richmond,  was 
a  native  of  Rowan  County.  He  was  a  lawyer 
by  profession  and  a  politician.  He  represented 
the  borough  of  Salisbury  in  1804  and  '5  and 
this  District  in  the  11th,  12th  and  13th  Cong- 
resses,1809-'15.  Like  his  brothers  he  was  ready 
to  make  good  his  words  by  his  acts.  About 
1811,  whilst  in  Congress,  he  fought  a  duel  on 
political  grounds,  with  Hon.  John  J.  Jackson, 
of  Virginia.  He  died  in  Salisbury  on  Oct.  27th, 
1834.  He  was  thrice  married,  first  to  Miss 
McLinn ;  second  Miss  Ellen  Brent;  and  third 
Miss  Worthington  of  Georgetown, D.  C. 

Richmond  Pearson,  son  of  Richmond,  and 
brother  to  the  above  was  active  and  enterpris- 
ing, but  never  in  public  life.  He  was  devoted  to 
agriculture  and  the  internal  improvements  of 
the  State.  He,  with  George  Fisher,  in  a  boat, 
passed  the  falls  of  the  Yadkin. 

By  his  second  marriage  he  left: 

L     Sarahj  who  married  Isaac  Croom. 


402 


WHEELER'S  REMmiSCENCES. 


II.  Eliza,  Avho  married  W.  G.  Bentley  of 
Bladen; 

III.  Eichmond  M.  'See  sketch  below.) 

IV.  Giles,  who  died  1847. 

V.  John  Stokes  Pearson,  who  married  Miss 
Beattie  of  Bladen  County  in  1848. 

RichniondM.  Pearson, (born  June  1805,  died 
1878,)  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  State,  was  a  son  of  the  last  named  and  the 
grandson  of  the  progenitor  of  the  family;  he 
bore  the  patronimic  of  both.  Ilis  early  educa- 
tion was  conducted  by  John  Mushat  of  States- 
ville  and  at  Washington  city  under  the  care  of 
his  uncle  Joseph  Pearson.  He  graduated  at  the 
diiversity  m  1823,  in  the  same  class  with  Dan- 
iel W".  CourtSjRobert  B.  Gilliam,  Isaac  Hall  and 
others.  He  studied  law  with  Judge  Hender- 
son, and  was  licensed  to  practice  in  1826.  He 
entered  public  life  as  a  member  from  Rowan 
in  the  House  of  Commons  m  1829,  and  con- 
tinued until  1832;  with  David  F.  Caldwell, 
Thos.  G.  Polk  and  Charles  Fisher,  as  colleagues. 
We  pause  to  admire  the  distinguished  delega- 
tion then  representaing  this  County  and  Bor- 
ough, rarely  equalled  and  never  excelled,  i're- 
senting  Speakers  to  both  houses,(in  1830,)Cald- 
well  in  the  Senate,  and  Fisher  in  the  House. 

In  1835,  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress. 
His  opponents  were  Abram  Rencher  and  Burton 
Craige.  Mr.  Rencher  was  a  State-rights  Demo- 
crat, Mr.  Craige  a  nullifying  southern  states- 
man and  Mr.  Pearson  an  old  line  Whig,  or 
Federalist.  The  address  of  Mr.  Pearson,  to  the 
freemen  of  the  9th  Congressional  district,  was 
a  powerful  document,  an  early  demonstration 
of  his  acute  reasoning  powers  for  which  he  be- 
came so  distinguished.  He  was  opposed  to  nulli- 
fication as  a  doctrine  dangerous  to  the  exist- 
ence of  the  government.  Mr.  Rencher  was  elect- 
ed ;Mr.  Pearson  accepted  his  defeat  with  that 
calmness  which  was  characteristic  of  his  nature. 

In  1836  Mr.  Pearson  was  elected  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts,  Thomas  1'.  Dev- 


ereux  being  his  cor/ipetitor,  in  1848  be  was  ele- 
vated to  the  Supreme  Court  Bench,  (to  till 
the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Judge 
Daniel,)  Robert  Strange  and  Wm.  H.  Battle 
were  his  o}3ponents. 

In  1858  on  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Nash  he 
was  appointed  his  successor.  In  1865  he  was  a 
candidate  for  the  Constitutional  Convention 
held  that  year,and  was  defeated  by  Mr.  Haynes, 
but  the  same  year  was  (under  the  new  Consti- 
tution,) again  elected  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  ;  and  by  his  associates,  (Justices  Battle 
and  Reade,)  again  appointed  Chief  Justice. 
In  1868  upon  a  reorganization  of  this  Court, 
he  was  by  the  people  elected  Chief-Justice, 
being  nominated  on  both  tickets,  and  this 
elevated  and  responsible  position  he  held  until 
his  death  January  5th,  1878;  his  life  ended  in 
paralysis  of  the  brain,  at  Winston,  as  he  was 
going  to  Raleigh  to  attend  the  January  term 
of  the  Supreme  Court. 

He  married  first  Miss  Williams,  daughter  of 
Col.  John  Williams,  by  whom  he  left  several 
children,  and  second  Mrs.  Bynum,  relici  of 
Gen.  John  Gray  Bynum,  rjee  McDowell,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Charles  McDowell  of  Buriie  boun- 
ty. We  have  sketched  in  an  accurate  manner 
the  public  servicesof  Judge  Pearson  in  chrono- 
logical order.  As  a  Judge  he  was  unquestionably 
one  of  the  ablest  of  his  day.  Judge  McKoy 
who  presided  at  a  meeting  of  the  Bar  in  Ra- 
leigh, on  the  occasion  of  Judge  Pearson's  death, 
stated :  "As  perhaps  the  great  common-law  law- 
yer of  his  age  and  tirae,I  would  say  in  my  opin- 
ion no  greater  has  ever  lived. His  loss  will  be  felt 
and  deepily  deplored  by  those  long  accustomed 
to  look  for  the  productions  of  his  brain  and  pen 
to  illumine  their  journey  through  the  mazes  and 
labyrinths  heretofore  marked  by  no  guide  save 
principle,  and  no  beacon  save  the  lights  of  legal- 
lore. 

■'He  taught  the  young  to  reason,  and  when 
once  a  conclusion    was   arrived   at  by  the  stu 


ROWAN  COUNTY. 


403 


(lent,  it  was  such  a  conclusion  as  satisfied  the 
investisrating  mind  in  its  search  of  truth;  and 
did  h  nor  to  the  teacher  who  planned  and  led 
the  young  mind  along  the  channel  of  patient 
thought  and  thorough  investigation.  Although 
it  was  not  my  fortune,  said  Joseph  McKoy,  to 
have  availed  myself  of  his  admirable  training, 
yet  as  often  as  I  met  in  argument  those  mental 
athletes,  trained  by  his  master  hand,  I  have  re- 
gretted that  fate  wliich  denied  to  me  similar 
advantages." 

For  many  years  Judge  Pearson  held  at  his 
home,  at  Richmond  Hill,  a  law-school,  where 
hundreds  of  young  men  have  been  trained, 
who  now  adorn  the  profession. 

Illustrious  as  is  his  fame  as  a  Judge,  yet  it 
is  due  to  the  integrity  of  history  to  say,  that 
his  course,  to  the  minds  of  many,  in  the  excit- 
ing and  troubled  scenes  of  1871,  shows  more  of 
the  partizan  than  the  patriot,  and  it  was  not 
passed  unnoticed  by  the  representatives  of  the 
people.  Ilis  course  in  virtually  denying  the 
great  writ  of  right,  the  hab-as  corpus,  in  the 
cases  of  Moore  and  Kerr,  was  the  subject  of 
much  complaint,  and  tarnished  the  judicial  er- 
mine, that  should  always  be  worn  pure,  un- 
stained a,"-id  without  reproach.* 

Charles  Fisher,  (born  1789,  and  died  1849,) 
was  born  in  Rowan  County.  His  father  re- 
moved from  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  be- 
fore the  Revolution,  and  served  as  a  Captain 
in  that  war.  He  was  educated  b}^  Rev.  Dr. 
John  Robinson,  of  Poplar  Tent,  Cabarrus 
County,  and  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  McPheeters,  of 
Raleigh;  then  read  law,  but  never  practiced. 
He  entered  public  life  as  a  Senator,  in  the 
Legislature  of  1818.  The  next  year  he  was 
elected  over  Dr.  W.  Jones,  a  member  of  the 
1.5th  Congress,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned 
by  the  death  of  Hon.  Geo.  Mumford,  and  was 


*See  pages  110  and  367  as  to  opinion  of  Judge  Pearson, 
in  the  Kerr  case. 


re-elected  to  the  next,16th,  (1819-'21)  Congress 
over  Hon.  John  Long,  when  he  declined  a  re- 
election. He  was  succeeded  b^'  Henry  W.  Con- 
ner. He  determined  to  apply  himself  to  his 
private  business  and  the  care  of  his  young  and 
increasing  family,  but  the  people  elected  him 
in  1822,  to  the  House  of  Commons,  and  with 
few  interruptions,  he  was  re-elected  till  1836; 
in  1881  he  was  chosen  Speaker.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Convention  of  1835,  to  amend 
the  Constitution  of  the  State.  This,  as  has 
been  often  before  observed,was  the  ablest  body 
ever  assembled  in  the  State,  and  amid  the  ga- 
laxy of  talent  there  displayed,  Mr.  Fisher  shone 
conspicuous.  "Primus  inter  "j-ares."  His  efforts 
on  religious  toleration,  freedom  of  suffrage, 
popular  rights,  and  other  subjects  were  much 
approved  and  marked  him  as  an  astute  states- 
man. He  was  one  of  the  committee  who 
drafted  the  Constitution,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  useful  and  active  members  of  the  Conven- 
tion. In  1839,  he  was  again  brought  forward 
as  a  candidate  for  Congress;  his  party  was  in  a 
hopeless  minority,  the  opposition  was  active 
and  the  candidate  Dr.  Pleasant  Henderson  was 
exceedingly  popular.  Mr.  Fisher  was  elected 
by  183  votes.  After  serving  this  Congress, 
(the  26th,)  he  declined  being  a  candidate. 

In  1845,  while  absent  from  the  State,  he  was 
nominated  again  for  Congress.  At  first  he  re- 
fused to  be  a  candidate  on  account  of  his  pri- 
vate affairs,  as  the  district  was  then  repre- 
sented by  a  popular  man(  Hon.  D.  M.  Barringer,) 
and  the  Whig  party  predominated.  Mr.  Fisher 
against  his  wishes  and  interests,  was  neverthe- 
less persuaded  to  be  a  candidate.  He  entered 
into  this  canvass,  as  he  did  everything  else, 
with  determination,  zeal  and  activity.  Mr.  B. 
was  elected  by  27  votes.  This  was  the  only 
election  in  which  Mr.Fisher  was  ever  defeated 
before  the  people. 

He  was  the  choice  of  his  party  in  1846,  as 
Governor  of  the  State,  but  by  a  letter  to  the 


404 


WHEELER'S    REMINISCENCES. 


Convention,  (he  being  absent  from  the  State,) 
he  informed  them  that  he  was  forced  by  his 
his  private  affairs  to'dechne.  This  decUnation 
produced  great  confusion.  Green  W.Caldwell 
was  then  nominated,  but  he  declined,  and 
James  B.  Shepard  was  nominated  by  the  Cen- 
tral Committee,  and  defeated.  Mr.  Fisher's 
private  business  forced  him  to  frequent  visits 
to  the  West.  On  his  return  from  one  of  these 
trips  he  was  taken  ill  at  Hillsboro',Scott  County, 
Mississippi,  where  after  an  illness  of  ten  days 
he  died  on  May  7th,  1849. 

He  married  Christiana.the  daughter  of  Lewis 
Beard,  by  whom  he  had  several  children,  one 
of  them,  Charles  F.  ,  was  Senator  in  the  Legis- 
lature in  1854,  and  President  of  the  Central 
Railroad.  In  1861  he  was  appointed  Colonel 
of  the  6th  Regiment  North  Cai'olina  Troops  and 
marched  to  Virginia.  He  fell  July  21st,  1861, 
in  the  battle  of  Mannassas.  No  purer  offering 
was  made  in  the  cause  of  his  country ,thau  this 
excellent  and  gallant  man.  A  letter  from  Gen. 
Thos  L.  Clingman  to  Col.  S.  D.  Pool,  published 
in  "Our  Living  at:  d  Our  Dead,"  dated  at  Ashe- 
ville,  1873,  describes  his  heroic  death:  "Colonel 
Fisher  moved  his  regiment  by  the  flank,  into 
the  pines.  About  sixty  yards  from  the  woods 
Rickett's  battery  was  stationed;  Colonel  Fisher 
did  not  see  the  battery  until  he  had  passed  it. 
Captain  Isaac  Avery's  company  was  jnst  oppo- 
site the  battery.  Finding  themselves  in  this 
dangerous  proximity,  they  fired  into  the  bat- 
tery at  only  sixty  yards  distance,  this  fire  killed 
most  of  the  cannoneei's  and  their  horses.  The 
men  ran  down  on  them  and  finished  the  sur- 
vivors with  their  muskets  and  bowie  knives. 
Immediately  after  this.  Colonel  Fisher  having 
passed  the  battery,  received  a  ball  which  pene- 
trated his  Ijrain  and  he  fell  dead  alwnt  thirty 
yards  to  the  rear  of  the  battery  they  had  taken. 
Captain  Avery  stated  to  me  tliat  while  he  was 
for  a  moment,  on  one  of  the  captured  pieces,  he 
saw  Colonel  Fisher,  who  had  moved  forward 


to  reconnoitre,  waving  his  rifle  above  his  head 
triumphantly.  There  was  a  regiment,  they 
thought  from  Alabama,  about  two  hundred 
yards  to  their  rear,  which  continued  to  fire 
upon  them — it  was  this  fire  that  killed  young 
Mangum  and  several  others.  Many  think  it 
probable  that  Colonel  Fisher  was  thus  killed. 
His  regiment  had  advanced  so  far  to  the  front 
and  was  on  the  ground  so  lately  occupied  by 
the  enem^'  in  heav}'  force,  that  the  mistake 
was  natural. 

"The  services  of  Colonel  Fisher  and  his  regi- 
ment cannot  be  overestimated  on  this  occasion. 
Neither  then,  nor  at  any  time  since,  have  I 
doubted  that  this  movement  saved  the  day  to 
the  Confederac}'." 

Colonel  Fisher  was  of  indomitable  energy, 
of  enthusiastic  temperament,  brave  and  bold  as 
a  lion,  and  gentle  and  as  pure  as  a  woman.  A 
more  gallant  and  chivalric  knight  never 
couched  a  lance,  or  wore  a  sword.  His  pure 
and  unselfish  character,  his  irreproachable  life 
his  high  sense  of  honor,  his  devotion  to  his 
duty,  his  manly  courage  tempered  by  a  gentle- 
ness and  courtesy,  as  rare  as  it  was  winning, 
was  seen  and  felt  by  all  who  knew  hiin. 
He  fell  at  his  post  of  duty,  in  a  cause  in  which 
afterwards  many  thousands  offered  up  their 
lives;  but  never  was  there  a  nobler  or  purer 
spirit,  than  Charles  F.  Fisher.  He  died,  as  his 
brave  spirit  would  have  desired  had  he  had  the 
choice;  on  the  field  of  victory,  happy  in  the 
purity  and  brilliancy  of  his  life  and  iu  the  cir- 
cumstances of  his  death.  He  could  say  as 
Cicero  of  Agricola.  '-Tu  vero  felix  !  non  vits 
tantuni  claritate,  sed  etiam  opportunitate  mor- 
tis." 

History  informs  us,  in  the  early  part  of 
this  century  a  great  battle  was  fought  on  the 
banks  of  the  Danube.  A  determined  charge 
on  ihe  Auatrian  centre  gained  the  victory  for 
France.  The  courage  and  example  of  one  sol- 
dier, who  there  fell,  contributed  to  the  success 


ROWA^  COUNTY. 


405 


of  the  charge.  Ever  since  at  the  parades  of 
his  hattalion.  the  name  of  Latour  d'  Auvergne 
was  first  called;  when  the  oldest  Sergeant  step- 
ped to  the  front  and  presenting  arms,  answered 
"Died  on  the  field. of  honor."  When  in  Spirit- 
Land,  heyond  the  grave,  where  the  shades  of 
the  gallant  dead  assemble,  when  the  glorious 
2'oll-call  is  made,  and  the  name  of  Fisher  is 
reached,  it  will  be  for  the  majestic  spirit«of  a 
Jackson,  ora  Lee  to  advance  and  pronounce  the 
proudest  eulogy  of  our  race.  "Died  on  the 
field  of  duty."* 

Colonel  Fisher  married  a  daughter  of  Hon. 
David  F.  Caldwell,  by  whom  he  had  his  lovely 
and  accomplished  daughter,  Miss  Frances  C. 
Fisher,  author  of  many  interesting  works, 
among  them  "Valarie  Aylmer,"" Morton  House" 
and  others,  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  Chris- 
tian Reid.  Of  her  first  work,  which  has  placed 
her  high  among  the  writers  of  fiction  in  this 
country,  Mr.  Leon  of  the  Mobile  Register  says: 
"  Before  Cooper,  Simms,  Hawthorne  and  other 
pens  had  made  light  literature  respectable, pro- 
duction of  home  works  of  fiction  had  dwindled 
into  a  mere  farce.  Since  the  war,  novels  by 
American  authors  that  have  attracted  atten- 
tion can  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand. 
Three  of  these  are  of  Southern  birth.  One  of 
these  is  "Valarie  Aylmer."  No  work  has  called 
forth  more  general  and  more  honest  criticism 
and  the  result  has  been  highly  favorable.  The 
style  is  pure,  clear  and  free  from  affectation 
and  pedantry,  which  gives  promise  of  a  vigor 
that  can  but  grow  mto  a  brilliant  future. 

"This  work  is  one  of  graceful  and  pleasant 
description  not  without  rare  strength  in  char- 
acter outlining,  but  with  the  promise  of 
powerful  shading  in  society  picturing." 

The  New  York  Evening  Post,  reviews  that 
book:  "  Valarie  Aylmer  is  undeniably  quite 
charming  and  as  a  literary  work  is  worthy  of 
praise. 

*  Gen.  Richard  Taylor  on  Jackson. 


"  Christian  Reid,  the  pseudonymous  author, 
shows  on  every  paoe  a  wide  acquaintance 
with  literature,  not  that  encyclopedic  ped- 
antry which  is  so  manifested  by  certain  nov- 
elists, and  ranges  from  Talmud  to  Tenny- 
son, but  an  easy  familiarit}-  with  the  best  au- 
thors, and  a  love  for  all  they  have  in  them, 
pure  and  lovely  and  of  good  report.  No  reader 
of  "  Valarie  Aylmer  "  will  lay  down  the  book 
without  sharing  m  our  own  desire  to  hear  from 
Christian  Reid  again." 

John  W.  Ellis,  (born  1820;  died  1861,)  late 
Governor  of  North  Carolina,  son  of  Anderson 
Ellis,  was  a  native  of  Rowan  County,  of  that 
portion  now  known  as  Davidson  County.  His 
early  education  was  conducted  by  Robert  Alli- 
son, at  Seattle's  Ford;  continued  at  Randolph 
Macon,  and  finished  at  the  University,  where 
he  graduated  in  1841,  in  the  same  class  with 
Thos.  L.  Avery,  R.  R.  Bridgers,  Robert  Burton, 
Wm,  J.  Clark,  Wm.  F.  Daney,  John  F.  Hoke, 
V.  .Mc.  Bee,  Montford  McGehee,  Richmond 
N.  Pearson,  Charles  Phillip.?,  Saml.  F.  Phillips, 
Thos.  Ruftln,  Jas.  G.  Shepherd,  Robert  Strange 
jr.,  Jas.  F.  Taylor  and  others.  A  large  class 
and  distinguished  in  after  life  for  their  abil- 
ity and  usefulness.  He  read  law  under  Judge 
Pearson  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1842; 
when  he  opened  a  law  ofl&ce  in  Salisbury;  and 
there  he  practised  with  great  success. 

In  1844  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons  from  Rowan,  with  Hon. 
Nathaniel  Boyden,  and  Maj.  John  B.  Lord  as 
colleagues,  ( with  a  constituency  opposed  to  his 
political  views,  as  were  his  distinguished  asso- 
ciates.) This  proved  the  early  and  just  appre- 
ciation on  the  part  of  the  people  of  his  worth 
and  of  their  confidence  in  his  character  as  a 
statesman;  he  was  re-elected  in  1846;  and  in 
1848.  His  course  in  the  Legislature  was  mark- 
ed by  candor,  liberality  and  philanthropy.  To 
his  political  opponents  he  was  tolerant  and  can- 
did, and    his  liberal  support  of  the    internal 


40f! 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


improvemeutB  of  tlie  State,  in  supporting  the 
Central  and  other  rail  roads  in  the  country; 
and  his  support  of  the  bill  which  he  ottered  for 
the  erection  of  an  Asylum  for  the  Insane  ( on 
the  memorial  of  that  "White  Winged  Messen- 
ger of  Mercy,"  Miss  Dix,)  will  perpetuate  his 
philanthropy  ''to the  last  syllable  of  recorded 
time"  So  highly  were  his  services  appreciated 
that  at  this  session  ( 1848  )he  was  elected  one  of 
the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  the  State. 
Amongthe  youngest  men  (being  only  28,)ever 
elected  in  the  State,  to  so  high  a  position.  His 
career  as  Judge  received  the  approbation  of  the 
bar  and  the  press,  and  the  country  justified  the 
wisdom  of  this  selection. 

As  a  Judge  he  was  quick  to  perceive,  prompt 
to  decide  and  tirm  to  act.  Patient  and  polite, 
genial  in  private  intercourse  and  easy  of  access 
without  hauteur  or  levity,  he  bore  his  high 
honors  to  the  satisfaction  ot  the  whole  people 
of  the  State,  and  was  so  universally  esteemed 
that  in  1858,  he  was  elected  the  Governor  of 
the  State,  by  the  people  by  more  than  16,000 
votes  over   the   eloquent  and  gifted,   McRae. 

lie  was  re-elected  Governor,  by  a  large  ma- 
jority over  Hon.  .John  Pool.  His  administra- 
tion fell  upon  troubled  times.  The  civil  war 
was  inaugurated,and  he,as  Governor ,was  called 
upon  by  the  President  to  furnish  troops  to 
carry  it  on.     This  he  promptly  refused. 

On  15th  of  April,  1861,  the  President  issued 
his  proclamation  for  seventy  five  thousand  men 
"inorderto  suppress  combinations  opposed  to 
thego\-erninent  and  to  cause  the  law  to  be  dvAy 
executed,to  supiiress  wrongs  already  committed 
to  repossess  the  forts,  places  and  property  which 
have  been  seized  from  the  Union;  orders  more 
particularly  to  be  sent  through  the  WarDept." 

To  this  Go\-ernor  Ellis,  replied  on  the  same 
date:  "Your  despatch  is  received  and  if  gen  nine, 
which  its  extraordinary  character  leads  me  to 
d()ul)t,  I  liave  to  say  in  reply  that  I  regard' 
the  levy  of  troops  made  by  the  administration 


a  usurpation  of  power.  I  can  be  no  party  to 
this  wicked  violation  of  the  laws  of  the  coun- 
try, and  to  this  war  upon  tlie  liberties  of  a 
free  people.  You  can  get  no  troops  from  North 
Carolina. 

"I  will  reply  more  in  detail  when  your  call 
is  received  by  mail." 

T1t€  health  of  Governor  Ellis,  never  robust, 
under  the  pressure  of  these  fearful  events  so 
rapidly  accumulating,  completely  gave  way, 
and  he  died  July  1861,  at  the  White  Sulphur 
Springs,  amid  the  regret  of  his  friends  and  to 
the  great  loss  of  the  State. 

Gov.  Ellis  had  been  twice  married,  first  to  a 
daughter  of  Col.  Philo  White,  in  1843;  and 
second  to  Miss  Daves  of  New  Berne. 

Nathaniel  Boyden  (born  1795,  died  1873,)was 
long  a  resident  and  a  representative  of  Rowan. 
He  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  educated  at 
the  Williams  College  and  graduated  in  1821, 
and  at  Union  College,  Schenectady ,New  York. 
He  came  the  next  j'ear  to  North  Carolina,  and 
took  up  his  abode  in  Guilford  County.  He  had 
studied  law  before  he  came  south,  and  ob- 
tained his  license  in  this  State  to  practice  in 
1823  and  removed  to  Stokes  County  near  Ger- 
mantown  where  he  resided  till  1832,  teachi)ig 
school,  when  he  removed  to  Surry  County, 
which  he  represented  in  18.38  and  1840.  In 
1842  he  removed  to  Salisbury  where  he  resided 
until  his  death.  He  represented  Rowan  in  the 
Senate  1844,  and  in  1847  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  tlie  30th  Congress.  In  1865  he  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Convention.  In  18G8  he 
was  elected  to  the  40th  Congress,  and  in  1871 
one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State,  this  elevated  position  he 
held  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Salis- 
bury on  Nov.  5th,  1873. 

Judge  Boyden  was  possessed  of  a  st  ong  and 
well  balanced  mind,  highly  cultivated  and  of 
an  extraordinary  memory.  His  professional  ca- 


ROWAN  COUNTY. 


40 


reer  was  marked  by  nntiring  industry,  recti- 
tude of  deportment  and  scrupulous  fidelity  to 
his  clients,  with  strong  moral  courage  that  was 
ready  for  the  discharge  of  any  dut^'  devolv- 
ing upon  him,  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
his  profession.  These  t-ssential  elements  crowned 
his  life  with  success.  During  his  residence  in 
Stokes  he  married  Ruth,  daughter  of  Hugh 
Martin  Esq.,  by  whom  he  had  sevei'al  child- 
ren, and  in  Dec.  1845  he  married  Jane,  relict 
of  Dr  Mitchell,  and  the  daughter  of  the  late 
Archibald  Henderson  of  Salisbury,  whose  char- 
acter and  life  has  been  already  sketched.  (See 
page  181.) 

Burton  Craige  (born  1811,  died  1875,)  was 
a  native  of  Rowan  County,  the  son  of  David 
Craige.  He  was  educated  by  Rev.  .Jonathan 
Otis  Freeman,  and  at  the  University,  where 
he  graduated  in  1829.  He  studied  law,  and 
in  1832  entered  the  Legislature  as  a  member 
tromthe  Borough  of  Salisbury,  and  also  in  1834, 
he  was  elected  to  the  33th,  34th,  35th. and 
36th  Congresses  (1853  to  '60.)  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Convention  of  the  20th  of 
May  1861,  and  introduced  the  ordinance  of  Se- 
cession, which  passed  unanimously.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Confederate  Congress,  and  a 
hearty   sympathizer  in    the  Southern     cause. 

Members  of  Confederate  Congress: 

1861.  George  Davis,  William  T.  Dortch, (Sen- 
ate.)Wm.N.H.Smith,ThoraasRuffin  of  Wayne, 
T.  D.  McDowell,  A.  "W.  Venable,  John  M. 
Morehead,  R.  C  Puryear,  Burton  Craige,  A. 
T.  Davidson. 

1864.  Wm.  A.  Graham,  Wra.  T.  Dortch,  (Sen- 
ate.) Wm.  N.  H.  Smith;  R.  Rs-.Bridgers,Thos. 
C.  Fuller,  James  M_Leach, '  J.  TL  Leach,  of 
Johnston,  Josiali_TurnM',  John^.  Gilmer'^  Jas. 
G.  Ramsey\,  jjurgess  S.  Gaither  and  Geo.  W. 
Logan. 

Mr.  Craige  was  a  man  of  warm  feelings,  and 
generous  impulses,  of  high  sense  of  honor,  and 


at  times  rash,  impulsive  and  impetuous.  He 
died  at  Concord,  Cabarrus  County,  on  Dec. 
30th,  1875. 

Mr.  Craige  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Col.  James  Erwin  of  Burke  Gountj^by  whom 
he  had  several  children;  among  them  Kerr 
Craige,  who  represented  Rowan  in  1872,  and 
is  now  a  practicing  law^'er  in  Salisbury. 

Hamilton  C.  Jones,  (born  1798,)  resided  for 
man}-  years  and  died  in  this  County.  He  was  a 
native  of  Greenville,  Va.;  liberally  educated. 
He  graduated  at  the  University  of  North  Car- 
olina in  the  same  class  in  1818,  with  Bishop 
Green,  Robert  Donaldson,  Robert  H.  Morri- 
son, Wm.  D.  Mosely,  James  K.  Polk,  Hugh 
Waddell,  and  others.  He  read  law  with 
Judge  Gaston  at  New  Berne,  and  after  being 
admitted  to  the  bar,  settled  at  Salisbury,  where 
he  practiced  with  success.  He  entered  pub- 
lic life  as  a  member  from  Rowan  in  1827,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1828,  and  in  1838  atid  1840. 
In  the  latter  3'ear  he  was  elected  Solicitor  of 
this  Judicial  District,  and  re-elected  in  1844. 
He  was  a  faithful  and  active  officer.  From  his 
pen  originated  the  amusing  articles  on  Cousin 
Sally  Dillard,  and  other  productions.  He  was 
considered  a  genial  companion,  full  of  wit. 
All  his  eiForts  in  the  Legislature  were  enlight- 
ened by  his  exquisite  genius  and  humor. 

Francis  E.  Shober  resides  in  Salisbury,  but 
is  a  native  of  Salem,  where  he  was  born,  March 
15,  1831.  He  was  educated  at  a  Moravian 
settlement,  and  at  the  University  where  he 
graduated  in  1851,  in  the  same  class  with  Da- 
vid Miller  Carter,  Bartholomew  Fuller,  Benj. 
S.  Hedrick,  Rufus  L.  Patterson,  and  others. 
He  studied  law,  and  was  licensed  in  1853. 
"When  the  dark  days  of  1861  came,  Mr.  Shober 
opposed  secession,  and  in  1862  was  elected  t  j 
the  Legislature  as  a  Conservative  and  re- 
elected in  1864.     He  was  elected  a  member  of 


408 


WIIEELEirS  KEMTNISCENCES. 


Congress  (1863-71,)  and  re-elected  to  the 
next  Congress. 

At  the  opening  of  46th  Congress,  he  was 
elected  Acting  Secretary  of  Senate,  which  po- 
sition he  now  holds. 

Mr  Shober  married  May  Wheat,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Wheat,  who  is  as  distinguished  in 
hterary  and  religious  society,  for  his  learning 


and  his  piety,  as  his  lovely  daughter  is  for  her 
winning  manners  and  her  virtues. 

This  family  is  well  known  in  North  (^arolina, 
distinguished  for  talent,  industry  and  integrity. 
Gotleib,  (in  Legislature  1806,-'08,)  estab- 
lished at  Salem  the  tirst  paper  manufactory  in 
North  Carolina;  and  Enianuel,  who  often  repre- 
sented Stokes  Coantv  from  1819  to  1828. 


CHAPTER  XLVn. 
RUTHERFORD  COUNTY. 


John  Paxton.  resided  for  a  long  time  in  this 
Count3^  lie  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  re- 
moved to  this  State,  and  settled  at  Morganton. 
Here  he  became  a  merchant,  but  was  not  suc- 
cessful and  failed.  He  was  a  candidate  for 
Congress  in  1817,  and  defeated  by  Hon.  Felix 
Walker.  He  studied  law  late  in  life,  in  this 
he  was  more  fortunate;  and  in  1818  he  was 
elected  by  the  Legislature,  one  of  the  Judges 
of  the  Superior  Courts,  and  was  not  excelled 
for  integrity,  patience  and  ability.  He  died 
whilst  returning  from  the  Edenton  Circuit  in 
1826,  at  Judge  Hall's  house  in  Warren  County. 

Felix  Walker,  born  1753,  died  1828,  resided 
a  long  time  in  this  County,  and  was  its  repre- 
sentative in  the  Legislature  and  of  this  Dis- 
trict in  Congress.  He  was  a  native  or  Virginia, 
born  in  Hampshire  Caunty,  on  the  lOth  of 
July,  1753,  and  was  reared  to  mercantile  pur- 
suits. His  grandfather,  John  Walker,  emi- 
grated from  Derry,  Ireland,  in  1720,  and  set- 
tied  in  Delaware,  where  he  married  and  where 
his  son.  John,  was  b:)rn,  on  arriving  at  the  age 
of  manhood,  his  father  went  to  Virginia,  where 
he  married  and  resided  for  a  long  time.  He 
was  a  volunteer  in  the  Regiment,  commanded 
by  G-eorge  VV^ashington  and  was  pressnt  at  the 


ill-fated  battle  of  Monongehala,  (July  9,  .755.) 
lie  afterwai'd  removed  to  Lincoln, (then  Tryon 
County, )and  settled  on  Seipe's  Creek,about  ten 
miles  east  of  Lincoln.  About  thistime,the  Cher- 
okee Indians  committed  many  outrages.  He 
joined  the  army  under  Col.  Grant  and  marched 
against  the  Cherokees.  A  battle  was  fought 
in  the  fall  of  1762,  in  which  Grant  was  repulsed 
by  the  Indians.  On  his  return  he  settled  on 
Crowder  creek,  about  four  miles  from  King's 
Mountain.  He  was  a  decided  friend  of  Amer- 
ican independence,  and  became  a  member 
of  the  first  convention  at  Hillsboro,  in  July 
1775,  and  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress 
held  at  that  place,  Aug.  20th,  1775.  All  his 
grown  sons  were  active  in  the  war.  In  Aug- 
ust 1775,  he  was  the  fiist  to  sign  a  document, 
which  was  signed  by  every  freeholder  in  Tryon 
County,  agreeing  to  unite  in  defense  of  na- 
tional freedom.* 

He  died  in  1796.  He  had  eight  sons  and 
Tio  daughters.  The  eldest  of  these  sons  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch, ( who  was  born,  as  already 
stated  in  Hampshire  County,  Virginia,  on  July 


*riiis  (loeuiueut  was  found  amoug  the  papers  of 
Gfiii.  Williiuu  Grraliam  o£  Itiitherfoi'dton.  It  was  no- 
ticed ill  Joues'  defense,  and  copied.in  WheeU'v's  His- 
tory of  Nottii  Caroliu.i.  p.  II.  236, 


RUTHERFORD  COUNTY. 


409 


19th,  1753.)  He  was  bound  as  an  apprentice 
for  fonr  years,  to  a  merchant  in  Charleston, 
(George  Parker.)  After  being  release;!  fraai 
this  service,  he  was  placed  with  Dr.  Joseph 
Dobson,  where  he  received  all  the  education 
he  ever  possessed.  He  went  in  1755  with  Col- 
onel Ricbard  Henderson,  to  Kentucky,  (then 
called  Louisa.)  Colonel  Henders)n  had  made 
a  purchase  in  that  section,  from  the  Cherokee 
Indians,  at  Long  Island  on  the  Holston,  they 
united  their  forces  with  Daniel  Boone,  who 
Was  their  pilot  to  "the  promised  land."  The 
company  amounted  to  thirty  persons. 

Amongthese  were  Captain  William  Twitt}'; 
Samuel  Coburn,  James  Bridges,  Thomas  John- 
son, John  Hart,  Williani  Hicks,  James  Peck, 
and  Felix  Walker  were  of  this  company,  from 
Rutherford  County.  They  were  the  first  ex- 
plorers of  this  section,  and  were  charmed 
with  the  brilliant  prospects  before  them.  A 
sad  reverse  however  overtook  them  on  their 
way.  On  March '25th,  1775,  before  day,  they 
were  fired  upon  by  Indians.  Captain  Twitty 
was  killed,  Walker  was  severely  wounded,  and 
the  camp  dispersed.  Mr.  Walker's  life  was  for 
a  time  in  extreme  jeopardy.  By  the  unremit- 
ting attention  of  Colonel  Boone,  he  recovered, 
and  in  July  returned  to  his  farther's  home  in 
Rutherfordton.  After  remaining  home  some 
months  he  went  to  the  Watauga,  a  branch  of 
the  Holston,  which  heads  in  the  mountains, 
opposite  Ashe  County.  The  County  of  Wash- 
ington had  just  been  formed  and  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  people,  clerk  of  the  first  court 
ever  heard  of  in  this  section.  He  continued 
in  office  for  four  years.  The  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution then  raging,  his  patroitic  spirit  caused 
him  to  go  to  Meckkuburg  and  join  the  army. 
On  recommendation  of  Colonel  Thomas  Polk 
he  was  appointed  Lieutenant  in  Captain  Rich- 
ardson's Company,  in  Colonel  Isaac  Huger's 
Regiment.  He  marched  to  Charleston  in  May, 
1776,  and  was  stationed  on  James'  Island.     At 


this  time  the  Indians  in  Western  Carolina  be- 
came very  troublesome,  and  he  returned  home 
ns  Captain  of  a  Company  of  Light  Drag'-ions,to 
protect  the  frontier.  He  w.is  stationed  at  Xol- 
lachuckey.  The  Indians  were  subdued;  he  re- 
returaed  to  Watauga  and  resumed  his  duties 
as  Clerk  of  the  C  )urt.  When  Rutherford 
County  was  erected  from  Trj-on,  since  become 
Lincoln  (in  1779,)  he  was  appointed  Clerk  of 
the  Court.  He  resided  at  Cine  Creek  for 
many  years,  attended  to  his  farm  and  his  du- 
ties as  Clerk  of  the  Court,  which  daties  he  dis- 
charged to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  com- 
munity and  with  profit  to  himself.  £ 

In  1792  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons  from  Rutherford  County 
to  the  Legislature,  then  sitting  at  New  Berne, 
and  elected  again  in  1793  and  1800, 1801,1^02, 
1803  and  1804, 

In  1817  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
15th  Congress,  and  was  re-elected  to  the  16th 
and  17th  Congresses.  In  his  first  election  the 
Hon.  .lohu  Paxton  was  his  opponent.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.  Robert  B.  Vance.  His  course 
in  Congress  was  calm  and  sedate  rather  than 
showy.  A  devoted  friend  of  General  Jackson; 
he  defended  his  conduct  of  the  war  with  the 
Seminoles.  He  was  the  author  of  the  phrase  that 
has  become  historical  in  politics,  "Talking  for 
Buncombe." 

He  removed  soon  after  leaving  Congress,  to 
Clinton,  .Mississippi,  where  he  died  in  1828. 

General  Walker  was  twice  married;  first, 
Susan,  daughter  of  Colonel  Charles  Robinson, 
who  died  soon  after  her  marriage;  second. 
Isabella,  daughter  of  William  Henry,  of  York 
District,  South  Carolina,  by  whom  he  had  sev- 
eral children.  One  of  his  grandsons  (S.  R. 
Walker)  now  resides  in  New  Orleans,  and  with 
whose  aid,  and  the  autobiography  of  General 
Walker,  this  sketch  is  chiefly  compiled. 

Colonel  Wm.Graham,born  1742,diedl835,was 
long  a  resident  of  thissectiou  o?this  State.    He 


410 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


was  born  in  Aus^usta  Connt^'  ,Viri5inia,  in  17-1:2, 
and  came  to  North  Carolina  previous  to  the  Rev 
olution.  He  owned  lands  in  Tryon  County.  Ills 
patriotic  principles  were  well  k:nown,and  when 
the  Revolution  commenced,  as  Commanding - 
officer,  he  had  the  general  superintendency  of 
several  Forts  on  the  frontier  of  the  State. 

He  was  a  member  from  Lincoln  County,  of 
the  Provincial  Congress  which  met  at  Halifax, 
on  Nov.  12tli  1776,  which  formed  the  State 
Constitution.  He  was  in  command,  in  1776,  of 
the  Regiment  from  Lincoln  and  Rutherford 
Counties,  which  marched  under  General  Ruth- 
erford, against  the  Cherokee  Indians. 

In  the  expedition  of  1780,  tliat  marched 
from  Charlotte  for  the  relief  of  Charleston,  he 
commanded  a  Regiment  from  Lincoln  County. 
On  their  arrival  at  Charleston  they  found  the 
city  so  completel}^  invested,  that  they  could 
att'ord  no  relief.  The  Regiment  returned,  and 
united  with  General  Rutherford,  in  the  attack 
upon  the  Tories,  under  the  command  of  Col. 
Moore  at  Ramsour's  Mill,  but  too  late  to  ren- 
der aid,  as  the  Tories  had  two  hours  before 
been  defeated. 

In  Sept.  1780,  he  marched  with  his  Reg- 
iment to  join  Colonels  Campbell,  Sevier  and 
Shelby,  at  King's  Mountain,  but  on  account  of 
ill  health  did  not  participate  in  that  glorious 
victory. 

General  Graham  full  of  years  and  full  of 
honors,  died  in  April  1835.  He  married  Mrs. 
Susan  Twitty,  widow  of  Capt.  Twitty,  who 
had  been  killed  by  the   Indians,  when  with 


Daniel   Boone    in   Kentucky,   (see   sketch   of 
Felix  Walker  page  408.) 

John  Gray  Bynum,  represented  this  County 
in  the  Senate  of  the  State  Legislature  in  1840, 
18)0  and  1862,  but  was  a  native  of  Stokes 
County.  Graduated  at  the  University  in  1833, 
he  studied  law  with  -Judge  Gaston,  and  prac- 
ticed with  much  success.  He  was  bold,  iflcis- 
iveand  aggressive  in  his  character  as  a  politi- 
cian and  distinguished  for  his  enterprise  and 
ability.  He  removed  from  Rutherfordton  to 
Wilmington  where  he  died  October  17th, 
1857. 

He  left  a  son  and  a  widow,  n:e  McDowell, 
who  afterwards  married  Hon.  Richmond  M. 
Pearson.  His  brother,  William  Preston  Bynum, 
was  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  distinguished  for  his  integrity,  firmness, 
and  ability.  Judge  Bynum  resided  at  Char- 
lotte, and  married  Eliza,  the  daughter  of  the 
late  Bartlett  Shipp,  of  Lincoln  County. 

John  Baxter,  born  March  5,1819,  represented 
this  County  in  the  Legislature  of  North  Caroli- 
na 1842,and  of  the  County  of  Henderson  in  1852 
and  1856,  he  now  resides  in  Knoxville,  Tennee- 
see.  He  read  law  with  James  E.  Henry,  of 
Spartinburg  District,  South  Carolina,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1841.  In  1852  he 
was  elected  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons. He  removed  to  Tennessee  and  contin- 
ued to  practice  his  profession  there.  He  is 
at  present  Judge  of  the  D.  S.  District  Court, 
and  resided  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee. 


'I^ts^r 


SAMPSON  COUNTY. 


411 


SAMPSON  COUNTY. 


Gabriel  Holmes,  bom  1769,  died  1829,  was 
a  man  distinguished  in  the  service  of  the  State, 
a  native  of  this  County.  He  resided  at  Clinton. 
His  classical  education  was  conducted  by  Eev. 
Dr.  McCorkle,  of  Iredell  County,  and  finished 
at  Harvard  University,  he  then  read  law  with 
Chief-Justice  Taylor,  at  Raleigh.  He  was  a 
gentleman  of  polished  manners,  of  a  kindly  dis- 
position and  of  great  popularity  with  the  peo- 
ple. At  an  early  period  of  his  age  (1793)  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  and 
confined  by  successive  elections  until  1813. 

In  1821  he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature 
Governor  of  the  State;  and  in  1825  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  19th  and  re-elected  to 
the  20th  Congress  (1827-'29).  He  died  Sep- 
tember 26,  1829,  and  his  grave-stone  in  the 
Congressional  Cemetery,  at  Washington,  marks 
this  event. 

General  Theophilus  Hunter  Holmes  was 
born  in  Sampson  County  in  1804,  and  was 
the  son  of  Governor  Gabriel  Holmes,  and 
was  a  grandson  of  Theophilus  Hunter,  of  Wake. 
He  married  Miss  Laura  Wetmore,  a  niece  of 
Hon.  Geo.  E.  Badger,  and  sister  of  Mrs.  P.  A. 
Wiley,  Mrs.  Samuel  J.  Hinsdale,  Rev.  Dr.  Geo. 
B.  and  Wm.  R.  Wetmore.  He  was  a  brother  of 
Lucius  Holmes,  an  eminent  lawyer  of  Sampson 
County.  He  leaves  a  daughter  and  three  sons. 
He  graduated  at  West  Point  in  thg  same  class 
with  Jefferson  Davis  and  served  with  distinc- 
tion in  the  Seminole  war  in  Florida,  and  the 
MexiuiU   war,   .n   which   he  was  breveted  fo^' 


gallantry.  He  was  for  some  time  Commander 
of  Governor's  Island  in  New  York.  He  re- 
signed early  in  1861,  and  tendered  his  services 
to  his  native  State,  was  appointed  Brigadier- 
General  by  President  Davis  and  rose  to  the 
rank  of  Major-General  and  Lieutenant-General 
in  the  Confederate  army.  He  served  two 
3'ears  in  the  trans-Mississippi  department, 
where  he  directed  the  movement  of  forty 
thousand  soldiers.  He  was  one  of  the  few 
men  in  the  Confederacy-  who  declined  promo- 
tion. While  in  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  without 
any  solicitation.  President  Davis  tendered  him 
a  commission  as  Lieutenant-General.  He  de- 
clined the  promotion,  and  it  was  not  until 
President  Davis  again  pressed  it  on  him  that 
he  accepted.  He  died  in  June  1880,  after  a 
lingering  illness  at  his  home  in  Cumberland 
County. 

William  Rufus  King,  born  April  7, 1786,  died 
April  17,  1853;  an  illustrious  statesman,  was  a 
native  of  this  County.  His  ancestors  were  from 
the  north  of  Ireland,  and  among  the  earliest 
settlers  on  the  James  River  in  Virginia.  His 
father,  William  King,  was  an  intelligent  and 
successful  planter  and  a  popular  and  useful  citi- 
zen. He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Conven- 
tion of  Virginia,  which  adopted  the  Federal 
Constitution;  removed  to  North  Carolina  and 
became  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from 
Sampson  County.  His  mother  was  of  Hugue- 
not descent.  Mr.  King  was  sent  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina  when  on'y  twelve 


412 


WHEELER'S    EEMINISCENCES. 


years  old.  He  entered  the  law-office  of  Wm. 
Duffy,  of  Fayetteville,  and  came  to  the  bar  in 
1805.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  1806  and  re-elected  in  1808  and  1809, 
but  on  being,duringthe  latter  year,elected  Soli- 
citor of  this  Judicial  Circuit,he  resigned  his  seat 
in  the  Legislature.  In  August  of  the  next  year 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  12th  Congress 
when  only  twenty-four  years  old,  but  did  not 
take  his  seat  until  the  fall  of  that  year,  at  the 
1st  Session  of  the  12th  Congress,  (1811  and 
'13.) 

The  advent  of  jMr.  King  in  Congress  was  at 
a  period  of  unexample  i  excitement.  The  pow- 
ers of  England  and  France  seemed  to  rival  each 
other  by  orders  and  decrees  in  their  efforts  to 
destroy  American  commerce.  Every  attempt 
that  reason  could  suggest  to  have  them  repeal 
these  unlawful  acts  were  in  vain.  The  nation 
demanded  at  the  hands  of  Congress  decided  and 
vigorous  action,  even  to  the  hazard  of  war 
Mr.  King  unhesitatingly  arrayed  himself  on  the 
side  of  the  bold  and  patriotic  spirits  of  the 
House,  who  were  determined  to  repel  aggi-es- 
sion  by  force  and  maintain  the  rights  and  honor 
of  the  nation. 

The  Berlin,  Milan  and  Ramboul^t  decrees 
were  repealed  by  France,  and  indemnity 
subsequently  granted;  but  England  persisted 
in  carrj-ing  out  her  nefarious  "Orders  in  Coun- 
cil." No  alternative  was  left  but  an  appeal  to 
arms,  the  ultima  ratio  of  nations.  Li  June  1812, 
war  with  England  was  declared  bj^  the  United 
States,  Mr.  King  voting  and  advocating  this 
measure. 

He  was  re-elected  to  the  13th  Congress, 
(1813-15)  and  continued  to  support  with  all 
his  influence  every  measure  that  would  enable 
the  government  to  prosecute  the  war  to  a  suc- 
cessful termination.  The  war  being  closed  in 
1816,  Mr.  King  resigned  his  seat  in  Congress 
to  take  the  position  of  Secretary  of  Legation, 
to  Hon.  William  Finkney,  appointed  Minister 


to  K^aples  and  Russia.  Mr.  King  spent  two 
years  in  Europe  studying  the  institutions  of  the 
various  governments  and  the  condition  of  their 
people.  On  his  return  home  he  moved  (1818- 
'19)  to  Dallas,  in  the  then  Territory  of  Ala- 
bama, and  was  a  member  of  the  Convention 
which  formed  a  Constitution  for  the  State,  and 
from  that  State  (with  John  W.  Walker  as  a 
colleague)  he  was  elected  a  Senator  in  Con- 
gress. He  was  continued  in  this  exalted  posi- 
tion by  repeated  elections  till  1844,  when  he 
was  appointed  Minister  to  France;  where  he 
remained  until  the  summer  of  1846,  when  he 
returned.  In  1848,  on  the  resignation  of  Hon. 
Arthur  P.  Bagby  as  Senator,  who  was  appoint- 
ed Minister  to  Russia,  Mr.  King  was  appointed 
by  the  Governor  of  Alabama  his  successor  ia 
the  Senate,  and  in  the  next  year  he  was  elected 
for  the  full  term,  b}'  the  Legislature. 

In  1850,  on  the  death  of  General  Taylor,  Mr, 
Fillmore  succeeded  him  as  President.  By  a 
unanimous  vote  of  the  Senate,  Mr.  King  was 
elected  to  the  Presidency  of  that  illustrious 
body. 

In  1852  he  was  placed  by  the  Democratic  Con- 
vention on  their  ticket  as  Vice-President  with 
General  Pierce  as  President.  But  his  long  and 
successful  career  was  now  brought  to  a  close. 
His  failing  health  had  compelled  him  to  seek 
the  mild  climate  of  Cuba,  and  he  there  took 
the  oath  as  Vice-President  before  the  Ameri- 
can Consul.  He  returned  to  his  home  at  Ca- 
hawba,  Alabama,  where  he  died  on  April  17, 
1853. 

Mr.  King  never  married.  His  long  political 
career  was  marked  by  acts  of  noble  generosity 
and  patriotism;  no  stain  ever  effected  his  char- 
acter. He  was  a  fit  type  of  the  Chevaliers  of 
old,  who  were  "  without  fear  and  without  re- 
proach." 

James  Martin,  senior,  who  resided  in  this 
County,  was  a    native    of    New  Jersey,  and 


SAMPSON  COUNTY 


413 


moved  to  North  Carolina,May,  1774.  He  was 
brother  to  G"overnor  Alexander  Martin,  (al- 
ready mentioned  on  page  188.)  His  military 
career  is  best  recorded  in  his  own  statement  on 
oatli,  tiled  in  the  Pension  Bureau  of  the  Gov- 
ernment. 


55: 


State  of  North  Carolina, 
Stokes  County. 

On  the  17th  day  of  October,  A.D.  1832,  per- 
sonally appeared  in  open  Court  before  the 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Law  for  the 
County  of  Stokes  in  the  State  of  North  Caro- 
lina, now  sitting,  James  Martin,  senior,  aged 
ninety  years  in  May  last,  who  being  first  duly 
eworii  according  to  law,  doth,  on  his  oath  make 
the  following  declaration  in  order  to  obtain 
the  benefit  of  the  Act  of  Congress,  passed  Jan- 
uary 7th,  1832.  That  he  entered  into  the  ser- 
vice of  the  United  States  of  America  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  served  as  herein  sta- 
ted. 

In  May,  1774, 1  removed  from  the  State  of 
New  Jersey  to  Gailfoi'd  County  on  the    Dan 
River,  and  on  the  22d  day  of  April,  1774, 1  was 
appointed    Colonel-Commandant  of   the  Guil- 
foid  Regiment  of  Militia  by  Samuel  Johnson, 
President  in  Congress,  then  sitting,  and  after- 
wards made  Governor  of  this  State,  and  soon 
after  there  was  an  insurrection  of  the  Scotch 
Tories  in  the  year  1775,  in  and  about  Fayette- 
ville.     I  was  ordered  by  my  brother,  Alexan- 
der Martin,  who  was  appointed  Colonel  of  Sec- 
ond Regular  Regiment  to  raise  the    Guilford 
Militia  and  march  thcnito  B^iyette,  as  ordered 
by  Congress  in  order  to  suppress  them,  when  I 
accordingly    went,  and   marcdied   to    Fayette 
where    said    Colonel    Alexander    Martin    was 
placed,  having  been  made  Colonel  of  the  Sec- 
ond  Regiment  in   the   regular  service  of  the 
United  "States,    but    previous  to     my    having 
marched  there  the  Scotch  Tories  had  endwdied 
and  had  started  to  Wilmington,  but  were  met 
by  an  armed  force  of  Militia  commanded  b}' 
Colonel  Caswell,  and  a  battle  ensued  at  a  place 
called    Moore's   Bridge,  and  he    killed    their 
Commander   as  he   attempted    to   cross   said 
bridge,  and  the  rest  took  to  flight  ;and  said  Col- 
onerMartin  and  myself  took  most  of  their  head 
men  and  imprisoned  them,  and  then  I  was  or- 
dered home  with  mj'  Regiment.     The  time  I 
spent  in  raising  them,  until  I  returned  home, 
was  about  two  months  as  near  as  I  can  recol- 
lect, for  I  kept  no  written  journal. 


About  the  middle  of  June,  1776,  soon  after 
the  above  campaign,  I  was  called  upon  and 
commanded  by  General  Rutherford,  of  Rowan, 
to  raise  as  many  of  the  Guilford  Militia  as  I 
could  muster,  to  march  them  to  join  him  at  the 
Catawba  River,  and  to  march  thence  to  the 
Cherokee  towns  of  the  Indians  in  order  to  de- 
stroy them.  Accordingly  I  marched  with 
about  4000  Militiamen  and  joined  the  General 
as  he  ordered.  Lieutenant-Colonel  John  Pais- 
le}'  assisted  me  to  raise  the  men,  and  marched 
with  us,  and  thence  he  marched  to  the  Tur- 
key Cove  at  the  foot  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and 
thence  crossed  over  it  to  the  Swanano  to 
Pigeon  River,  thence  to  French  Broad  River, 
and  thence  to  Tennessee  River  where  we  came 
to  some  of  their  towns,  which  we  burnt,  and 
cut  down  their  corn;  moving  from  one  town  as 
we  destroyed  it  and  marched  to  another.  Our 
Commissary  had  about  3000  beeves  and  pack- 
horses  loaded  with  sacks  of  ftour,  and  where 
we  encamped  one  night  the  beeves  and  pack- 
horses  destroyed  the  whole  of  it  to  the  very 
stumps,  and  destroyed  the  grass  to  the  bare 
ground. 

General  Rutherford  took  the  pick  of  the 
better  half  of  the  army  and  went  to  the  "Over 
Hills,"  as  they  were  called,  and  left  me  with 
the  I'emainder  of  the  troops  to  guard  the  pro- 
visions until  he  came  back.  He  was  gone 
•  ab  )ut  two  or  three  weeks  before  he  returned, 
but  had  no  skirmishes  with  the  Indians,  and  I 
believe  saw  none,  and  destroj'cd  some  of  their 
towns  as  he  reported;  and  while  he  was  gone 
to  the  Southern  Arm}'  of  the  Militia  on  the 
same  intention,  we  had  marched  through  our 
camp  and  fell  into  an  ambuscade  the  Indians 
had  made  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  my 
camp  and  had  a  smart  skirmish  with  them.  I 
heard  their  guns  tiring  very  plain,  and  the 
Commander  sent  to  me  for  assistance,  and  in 
the  mean  time  I  sent  a  Colonel  Cleveland  with 
about  150  men  for  his  assistance,  but  before 
Cleveland  got  to  them  they  had  routed  the  In- 
dians and  killed  about  ten  or  twelve  of  them, 
and  they  lost  about  as  manj^  of  their  Militia 
men. 

I  had  sent  out  scouts  every  day  to  recon 
noitre  the  country  but  never  happened  to  fall 
into  their  anJjuscades;  and  after  having  de 
stroyed  all  their  towns  and  corn  we  marched 
for  home  by  orders  from  our  General.  A  few 
of  the  Indians  had  skulked  about  our  camp, 
and  a  few  of  our  men,  when  they  caught  them 
out  single,  they  killed,  but  had  no  battle  with 
them.     And  from  the  time  I  received  the  or- 


414 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENSES. 


ders  to  raise  the  Militia,  until  we  I'eturned 
home,  (the  orders  to  raise  the  Militia  came  to 
me  about  the  middle  of  June,  1776,  and  we  did 
not  return  until  about  the  last  of  October  or 
first  of  November,  1776,)  being  about  four 
months  in  service  in  all. 

After  our  return  he  had  some  little  relaxa- 
tion, until  an  express  was  sent  to  me  from  our 
Court  House,  that  Tories  in  the  south  end  of 
the  County,  now  called  Randolph  County,  were 
in  a  state  of  insurrection  with  one  William 
Fields,  their  head  Colonel,  and  wished  to  go  to 
the  British  at  Wilmington.  I  repaired  to  the 
Court  House  directly  and  ordered  out  Samuel 
Gilaspie,  our  Captain  of  Light  Horse  Company 
and  took  b^ields,  their  leader  and  brother,  and 
three  or  four  more  of  their  leadei's,  and  brought 
them  prisoners  to  the  Court  House,  and  our  jail 
not  being  sufficient  I  sent  them  to  Hillsboro' 
jail,  and  previously  I  had  ordered  all  their  guns 
taken  from  them  and  all  they  could  find  among 
the  disafi^ected  and  bring  them  to  the  Court 
House  and  give  them  to  the  honest  Wnig 
party  that  had  none,  and  the  time  I  spent  at 
the  Court  House  to  order  the  suppression  of 
the  Toi'ies  in  our  County  could  not  be  less 
than  six  weeks,  oft'  and  on,and  I  returned  home 
to  Dan  Kiver  where  I  then  lived;  this  is  from 
recollection,  as  I  said  before,  for  I  kept  no 
journal. 

In  1781,  about  the  Ist  of  January  or  the  last 
of  December,  1780, 1  was  ordered  and  com- 
manded by  General  Green  to  raise  and.  call 
upon  the  Guilford  Militia  en  masse,  and  to 
equip  themselves  as  the  law  d.rects,and  for  me 
to  come  and  join  in  his  camp  under  the  regular 
service  and  not  to  report  without  leave,  but 
guns  were  wanting  by  a  number  of  the  men, 
and  I  had  to  have  recourse  to  impress  and  bor- 
row as  many  as  I  could  get,  and  I  could  raise 
only  about  200  to  go  with  me  to  camp,  and 
they  hearing  that  the  British  were  marching 
towards  us  in  Guilford,  it  struck  such  a  terror 
on  them  that  some  of  that  number  deserted 
before  the  battle  at  Old  Martinsville;  however 
I  marched  and  joined  General  Green  with  what 
I  had,  and  we  retreated  before  the  British  un- 
til we  came  to  Roanoke  and  crossed  the  river 
at  Boyd's  Ferry  and  come  to  Halifax  Court- 
House  in  Virginia  and  encamped  two  or  three 
weeks.  The  British  had  followed  us  in  sight  of 
the  river,  and  sometimes  were  facing  our  rear, 
but  no  skirmishes  took  place  at  that  time  and 
they  returned  again  to  Guilford  County  where 
they  harrassed  and  plundered  the  inhabitants 
as  they  pleased;  ani  General  Green,  in  Hali- 


fax, had  encamped  more  than  three  weeks,  and 
re-crossed  the  Roanoke  River  and  marched 
back  in  Caswell  County  and  thence  to  part  of 
Guilford,  just  mancBuvering  about  until  be 
could  collect  all  the  Militia  of  tiie  different 
counties  of  the  State,  and  also  from  Virginia, 
to  meet  the  enemy  for  battle.  And  I  came 
and  marched  with  General  Greene  to  the  High 
Rock  Ford  on  the  Dan  River  and  camped 
there  on  the  east  side  of  it,  and  the  British 
manoeuvering  on  the  west  side  of  the  County, 
and  General  Greene  after  halting  there  about 
three  weeks  thought  he  had  collected  all  the 
forces  from  Virginia  and  lower  counties  of  the 
State  resolved  to  move  toward  the  British  to 
give  them  battle,  as  he  did. 

lie  came  to  Guilford's  old  Court-House 
where  he  made  a  halt,  and  hearing  that  the 
British  was  moving  towards  him  he  drew  up 
his  men  in  three  lines  about  100  yards  behind 
each  other  and  waited  the  advance  of  the 
British.  I  was  posted  in  the  front  line  with 
scarce  a  complete  Captain's  company,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Forbes,  a  brave,  undaunted 
fellow.  We  were  posted  behind  a  fence  and 
I  told  the  men  to  set  down  until  the  British, 
who  were  advancing,  came  near  enough  to 
shoot;  when  they  came  in  about  100  j^ards,  a 
British  officer  with  a  drawn  sword,  driving  up 
his  men.  I  asked  Captain  Forbes  if  he  could 
take  him  down;  he  said  he  could  for  he  had  a 
good  ritle,-  and  asked  me  if  he  should  shoot 
then;  I  told  him  to  let  him  come  in  50  yards 
and  then  take  him  down,  which  he  did.  It 
was  a  captain  of  the  British  army,  and  at  that 
instant  General  Greene  sent  his  aid-de-camp  for 
me  to  go  to  hira,  and  I  went  and  asked  him 
his  command.  He  told  me  as  he  had  begun 
battle,  and  I  had  not  a  complete  regiment,  he 
wished  me  to  go  with  Major  Hunter  to  the 
Court  House  in  case  of  a  defeat,  to  rally  the 
men,  which  we  did,  and  collected  about  500, 
and  was  marching  them  to  the  battle  ground 
when  I  met  General  Stephens,  of  the  Virginia 
Corps,  retreating.  I  asked  him  if  the  re- 
treat was  by  General  Greene's  orders.  He  said 
it  was.  I  then  retreated  with  him  and  or- 
dered the  men  to  repair  to  the  Troublesome 
Iron  Works  to  outfit  as  General  Greene  had  or- 
dered me,  which  we  obeyed  The  British  then 
took  possession  at  the  Court-House,  and  after 
a  few  days  they  moved  off  towards  Wilming- 
ton. General  Greene  hearing  of  their  move- 
ments, started  after  them,  but  our  Militia  of 
the  country  being  so  disheartened  I  could  not 
bring  any  to  join  him  again,  '^lis  was  in  1781; 


SAMPSON  COUNTY. 


415 


the  time  I  spent  then  from  the  time  I  re- 
ceived orders,  was  about  two  months. 

In  1778  or  1779,  I  forget  which,  a  party  of 
Tories  commanded  by  one  Bryan,  their  leader, 
on  the  Yadkin  River,  rose  in  a  body  in  Surry 
County,  and  started  to  join  the  British  at  Wil- 
mington, and  being  informed  of  it  by  express, 
I  ordered  out  Captain  Gilaspie  with  his  Light 
Horse  Compau}',  and  I  went  with  them;  I  got 
on  their  track,  pui'sued  as  far  as  Warry  Creek 
and  found  they  had  got  out  of  our  reach  and 
returned  back  again.  The  time  we  spent  then 
until  we  returned  home,  was  about  six  weeks, 
that  is  one  month  and  fifteen  days. 

We  had  then  some  relaxation  until  the  year 
1781,  of  better  than  two  mouths,  when  about 
the  1st  of  July  I  was  ordered  by  General  Ruth- 
erford, of  Rowan,  to  raise  part  of  my  Regi- 
ment, and  to  join  him  on  his  way  to  Wilming- 
ton to  try  to  dislodge  a  British  Major  Craig 
stationed  there.  I  raised  about  200  Militia 
men  and  marched  and  joined  him  at  the  Raft 
Swamp,  and  hearing  a  number  of  Tories  had 
taken  refuge  in  it.  General  Rutherford  took 
about  one-half  of  the  army  and  myself  the 
other;  he  entered  the  north  end  of  it.  and  I 
the  south  end.  We  made  our  way  with  much 
difficulty  througli  bogs  and  morasses,  and  some 
of  tlie  men  and  horsemen  mired,  (but  got  out 
again,)  but  found  no  Tories  nor  anybody  else, 
save  several  camps  which  we  supposed  had  been 
made  by  them.  Hence  we  proceeded  towards 
Wilmington,  but  battled  at  a  small  stockade, 
Fort  Roslea,  about  20  miles  from  Wilmington 
of  the  southeast  branch  of  the  Cape  Fear 
River,near  Fred'k  Jones,and  near  a  bridge  over 
it,  and  our  army  camped  on  the  north  side  of 
it.  While  we  contemplated  to  storm  the  said 
Fort  we  were  saved  the  trouble  and  danger 
without  lighting  by  their  vacating,  which 
we  supposed  was  ordered  by  Maj.  Craig,  posted 
at  Wilmington.  At  this  time  we  heard  of 
the  capture  of  the  British  General  Cornwallis, 
being  taking  by  General  Washington  at  York- 
town,  near  the  mouth  of  James  river.  We 
marched  then  to  the  town  of  Wilmington 
which  we  found  was  vacated  by  the  British 
Major  Craig,  and  supposed  it  was  by  the  order 
of  his  British  General — I  think  his  name    was 


Clinton,  to  leave  the  State  and  come  to  him, 
and  we  thought  it  very  lucky  by  their  vaca- 
ting the  town  we  were  released  from  the 
danger  of  lighting,  so  we  were  ordered  home 
again.  And  the  time  we  spent  on  this  cam- 
paign was  from  ahout  the  Ist  of  July  until  we 
got  home  agahi,  the  25th  Xovember,  the  same 
year,  1781,  was  about  four  months.  The  whole 
time  I  was  in  the  service  was  sixteen  months 
and  eleven  days;  this  from  my  best  recollec- 
tion of  memory,  for  I  kept  no  written  jour- 
nal. 

JAS.  MARTIK 

Sworn  and  subscribed  in  open  Court  the 
year  and  day  aforesaid,  this  17th  day  of  Octo- 
ber, 1832. 

THOS.  ARMSTRONG, 

Clerk 


This  terminated  his  military  career.  He  rep- 
resented Stokes  County  in  the  Legislature  in 
1791  and  1792.  He  left  an  interesting  family-, 
one  of  them  was  Judge  James  Martin,  already 
mentioned,  page  400,  v 

John  Martin,  a  native  of  Essex  Count}-,  Vir- 
ginia, moved  to  North  Carolina,  in  1768,  He 
was  active  in  Revolutionary  times,  subduing 
the  Tories,  and  making  forays  on  them.  In 
politics  as  in  war,  he  was  active,  spirited,  and 
successful.  He  represented  Stokes  County  in 
the  Legislatures  of  1798,  1799,  1811  and  1812, 
He,  like  Yorick,  was  "  a  fellow  of  infinite  jest, 
of  most  excellent  humor."  He  died  in  April, 
1822,  and  Jeft  many  children  to  inherit  his  gen- 
ial wit  and  humor.  The  mother  of  General 
John  Gray  Bynum  and  of  Judge  W.  Preston 
Bynum  was  his  daughter. 

[Sketch  of  Joseph  Winston  will  be  found 
on  page  168,  that  of  Benjamin  Forsythe  on 
page  167.  Both  illustrious  residents  of  this 
County.] 


^^^^ff^ 


416 


WHEELER'S    EEMINISCETnTCES. 


SURRY  COUNTY. 


In  1775  this  was  a  frontier  County  and  was 
considered  to  extend  with  the  territorial  limits 
of  North  Carohna  to  the  ^Mississippi.  Its  early 
inhabitants  were  the  devoted  friends  of  Amer- 
ican liberty.  In  that  year(l 775  )her  heroic  men 
formed  a  Committee  of  Safety;  its  jom-nal  has 
been  preserved,  as  also  are  names  worthy  of 
record.  Benjamin  Cleveland  was  the  Chair- 
man, William  Lenoir  its  Secretary,  Joseph 
Winston,  Jessie  Walton,  John  Hamlin,  Sam- 
uel Freeman,  Benjamin  Herudon,  Charles 
Lynch,  John  Armstrong,  James  Hampton, 
Richard  Goode,  George  Lash,  David  Martin, 
Charles  Waddfe  and  others,  were  its  members. 
Their  resolutions  breathe  a  determined  resis- 
tance to  oppression  and  formed  a  government 
simple  and  effective  for  the  protection  of  the 
citizen. 

Benjamin  Cleveland,  the  cliairman  of  this 
committee,  was  one  of  the  most  active  and 
resolute  heroes  of  the  Revolution  and  worth- 
ily is  his  name  preserved  in  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  counties  of  the  State.  He  devoted 
himself  to  the  cause  of  liberty.  He  was  in 
the  Provincial  Congress  which  met  at  Hillsboro', 
August  21,1775  and  he  was  appointed  an  Ensign 
in  the  2nd. Continental  Regiment,  raised  by  the 
State,  commanded  by  Robert  Howe.  His  name 
does  not  appear  in  the  rolls  of  this  regiment, 
which  service  was  long  and  active,but  we  have 
abundant  proof  that  Colonel  Cleveland  was  an 
active,  resolute  and  usefu'.  officer,  and  a  terror 
to  the  Tories.  On  one  occasion  two  men, 
(Jones  and  Coil),  abandoned  and  atrocious 
characters,  were  brought  before  him.  Cleve- 
land, after  consulting  some  of  the  leading  men 
of  the  community,  hanged  them.     For  this  act 


he  was  indicted  in  the  Superior  Court  of  the 
district  at  Salisbury  for  murder,  but  on  a  pe- 
tition to  the  Legislature  he  was  pardoned. 

Soon  after  .this  event  he  was  taken  prisoner 
by  some  Tories  at  the  Old  Fields,  on  JSTew  Riv- 
er, to  which  place  he  had  gone  alone  on  private 
business.  They  took  him  some  distance  into  a 
secluded  portion  of  the  country,  and  first  re- 
quired him  to  give  them  passes  to  protect  them 
from  the  Whigs.  He  knew  when  this  was  ac- 
compHshed  they  would  kill  him.  He  was  some 
time  in  writing  the  passes,  as  he  was  but  an 
ordinary  pensman,  and  he  was  in  no  particular 
hurry.  While  thus  engaged,  his  brother,  Cap- 
tain Robert  Cleveland,  with  a  party  of  men, 
knowing  the  peril  ot  his  brother,  pursued  and 
fired  upon  them.  They  incontinently  fled;  and 
so  Colonel  Cleveland's  life  was  saved.  Several 
months  after  this,  one  of  these  same  Tories, 
Riddle,  his  son  and  another  man,  were  captured 
and  brought  before  Cleveland.  He  hanged  all 
three  of  them  at  the  Mulberry  Field  iMeeting 
House,  where  the  town  of  Wilkesboro'  now 
stands.  Such  resolution  and  promptness  was 
called  for  by  the  daring  and  desperate  conduct 
of  the  Tories. 

He  was,  although  daring  and  rash,  a  most 
useful  officer.  He  commanded  the  left  wing 
of  the  Americans  at  the  battle  of  King's  Moun- 
tain, October  7,  1780,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
battle  of  Guilford  Court  House. 

When  Wilkes  County  was  taken  from  Surry 
(1777)  he  was  one  of  the  first  members  electee! 
to  the  Legislature;  and  in  1779  was  elected  to 
the  Senate.  He  had  an  impediment  in  his 
speech,  which  prevented  any  effort  at  oratory; 
but  he  was  as  brave  as  he  was  patriotic.     For 


STJRIIY  COUNTY. 


417 


sometime    he    was    tlie   surveyor    of    Wilkes 
County. 

It  is  related  of  Col.  Cleveland  that  he  owned 
a  copy  of  a  very  remarkable  book,  entitled, 
'i  The  Life  and  Adventures  of  Mr.  Cromwell, 
the  natural  son  of  Oliver  Cromwell,"  written 
by  a  man  who  was  the  son  of  a  great  beauty, 
named  Elizabeth  Cleveland,  a  daughter  of  an 
officer  of  the  palace  of  Hampton  Court,  who 
had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  King. 
Charles  I,  and  who,,  when  Oliver  Cromwell 
assumed  the  reigns  of  government,  won  his 
sympathies;  and  the  author  of  that  book  was 
their  oftspring.  The  mother  subsequently 
married  a  Mr.  Bridge  and  disappeared  from 
further  notoriety.  This  book  was  published 
after  the  author's  death  in  1731;  a  French 
translation  appeared  in  1741,  and  again  it  was 
printed  in  1760.  To  this  book  Col.  Benjamin 
Cleveland  attached  great  store,  asserting  that 
through  its  author  he  rightfully  claimed  de- 
scent from  Oliver  Cromwell. 

In  his  work  on  the  Cromwell  family.  Noble 
denounces  this  book  as  too  marvelous  to  be 
true,  and  whilst  Noble,  Guizot  and  other8,\vho 
have  written  of  Cromwell,  assert  that  he  most 
probably  had  natural  children,  yet  the  extra- 
ordinary adventures  recited  in  that  book  make 
it  appear  to  be  a  fictitious  narrative 

A  most  singular  vanity  and  quaint  conceit! 
We  know  that  the  Clevelaiuls  derive  their 
name  from  a  tract  in  the  North  Riding  of 
Yorkshire,  England,  yet  called  Cleveland. 
John  Cleveland  came  early  to  Virginia  and 
settled  in  Prince  William  County,  on  that  since 
celebrated  stream.  Bull  Run.  Here  Benjamin 
was  born.  May  26,  1738;  subsequently  he  re- 
moved to  Orange  County,  Va.,  and  there  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Graves  and  in  1769  removed, 
with  his  father-in-law  and  family  to  North 
Carolina,  settling  on  Roaring  creek,  in  that 
part  of  Rowan  afterwards  Surry,  and  later 
Wilkes'    County.     In    1775    (Sept.  1),  he  be- 


came  an  ensign  in  Col.  Robert  Howe's  regi- 
ment. He  was  in  the  Cross  Creek  expedition 
1775;  in  the  Cherokee  war  under  Gen.  Ruth- 
erford, 1776;  at  Brier  Creek  in  1778-79.  At 
Ramsour's  Mill,  and  chased  Bryan's  band  from 
the  State;  he  was  also  in  the  expedition  to 
New  River.  The  brightest  laurels  won  by 
Cleveland  were  gathered  on  King's  Mountain. 
Hayne  speaks  of  him  thus — 

Now  by  God's  grace,  we  have  them,"  cried  Cleveland, 

my  noble  colonel  he. 
Resting  to  pick  a  Tory  off,  quite  cooly,  on  his  knee; 
"  Now  by  God's  grace,  we  have  them,  the  snare  is  subtly 

set. 
The  game  is  bagged:  we  hold  them   safe  as  pheasants  in 

a  net." 

He  was  ever  a  source  of  terror  to  the  Tory; 
his  subsequent  career  was  a  terrible  ordeal  and 
his  adventures  were  most  thrilling. 

But  they  were  incidents  of  the  time.  "Cleve- 
land's Heroes"  or  "Cleveland's  Bull  Dogs," 
welcome  names  to  the  patriots,  became  "Cleve- 
lani's  Devils"  to  the  Tories.* 

William  Lenoir,  born  1751,  died  1839;  the 
Secretary  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  for  Suny 
County,  just  alluded  to;  was  born  in  Bruns- 
wick County.  Virginia,  on  April  20,  1 751,  the 
youngest  of  a  family  on  ten  children.  When 
he  was  only  eight  years  old,  his  father  moved 
to  Tai'boro' North  Carolina.  His  education  was 
limited,  and  was  obtained  by  his  own  personal 
exertions.  When  about  twenty  years  of  age  he 
married  Ann  Ballard,  of  Halifax,  and  in  March, 
1775,moved  to  the  County  of  SuiTy(since  erec- 
ted into  Wilkes  Count}')  and  settled  near  Wil- 
kesboro'.  He  was  early  an  active  and  decided 
agent  favoring  the  cause  of  independence.  In 
a  private  diary  of  his,  of  which  I  have  a  copy 
in  manuscript,  he  says:  "  I  was  a  member  of 
the  Committee  for  Surry  County,  and  clerk 
thereof  for  about  eighteen  months,  and  duly 
attended  its  resrular  meetings  at  a  distance  of 


"■Draper's  King's  Mountain. 


418 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENSES. 


iifty  miles  from  home,  without  reward  or  fee. 
I  was  appointed  Justice  by  the  Congresi  and 
was  one  of  the  first  appointed  by  the  General 
Assembly,  and  under  which  I  still  act." 

He  served  in  the  Indian  war  as  a  Lieutenant 
under  General  Rutherford,  in  Captain  Cleve- 
land's Company,  where  lie  suffered  great  hard- 
ships. After  this  campaign  was  over,  he  was 
constantly  engaged  in  subduing  the  Tories,  who 
were  daring  and  dangerous.  In  the  battle  of 
King's  Mountain  he  was  a  Captain  in  Colonel 
Cleveland's  Regiment,  and  in  this  desperate 
and  bloody  victory  was  wounded  in  the  arm 
and  side  He  was  also  at  the  defeat  of  Pyles, 
near  Haw  River,  and  in  the  engagement  his 
horse  was  killed  under  him.  He  raised  a  com- 
pany and  endeavored  to  unite  with  General 
Greene  at  the  battle  of  Guilford,  but  did  not 
succeed.  After  the  war  he  returned  home,  and 
was  an  active  and  useful  citizen.  He  was  the 
oldest  magistrate  in  the  County;  a  Trustee  of 
the  University;  member  of  the  Senate  from 
1781  to  1795,  and  for  years  Speaker  of  the  Sen- 
ate. He  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  that 
sat  at  Hillsboro'  to  consider  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  its  discussion. 

The  latter  part  of  his  life  was  devoted  to 
reading  and  retirement,  and  he  manifested 
much  anxiety  for  the  destiny  of  our  Republic, 
tliat  at  a  day,  in  the  near  future,  from  abuse 
and  corruption,  and  the  wild  theories  of  politi- 
■cians  it  would  follow  the  fate  of  the  republics 
■of  other  days,  and  so  utterly  fail. 

His  character  was  one  of  ffreat  moral  worth 
and  pure  patriotism  ;his  friendships  were  sincere 
and  ardent;  his  hospitality,  open  and  unbound- 
ed. Full  of  j-ears  and  full  of  honors  he  de- 
parted this  life  May  6,  1839,  at  his  home,  Fort 
Defiance,  Wilkes  County.  He  married,  as  al- 
ready stated,  Ann  Ballard,  of  Halifax  The 
C<iunty  of  Lenoir  worthily  preserves  his  name 
in  grateful  nsemory. 


The  Williams  family  is  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive as  well  as  most  talented  families  of  our 
State.  Its  branches  have  extended  to  the  West 
and  the  Southwest;  and  wherever  they  are  they 
have  marked  their  career  by  enterprise  and  in- 
tellect. 

The  annexed  diagram  will  explain  more  fully 
and  the  descriptive  statement  will  enable  us  to 
know  all  about  the  Williams  family. 

The  progenitor  of  this  family  was  Nathaniel 
Williams,  a  native  of  Hanover  County,  Vir- 
ginia. He  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter:  I, 
Robert;  H,  Betsy;  HI,  John;  IV",  JSTathaniel, 
and  V,  Joseph.  I,  Robert  settled  in  Pittsyl- 
vania County,  Virginia;  a  lawyer;  married 
Sarah  Lanier;  issue:  (a)  Nathaniel,  Judge  of 
Superior  Courts  in  Tennessee;  (b)  Polly,  wife 
of  Matthew  Clay,  member  of  Congress  1797- 
1813;  (c)  Lucy,  wife  of  Robert  Call;  (d)  Patsy, 
wife  of  John  Henr}';  (e)  Sarah,  wife  of  James 
Chalmers,  (they  lived  in  Halifax,  Virginia, the 
grand-parents  of  Gen'l  Jas.  R.  Chalmers,  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  Mississippi;)  (f)Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Rev.  John  Kerr,  member  of  Congress, 
father  of  John  Kerr,  also  a  member  of  Congress 
18.53-18.55,  and  of  Mary  Mary  G,  Kerr,  wife  of 
Nicholas  L.  White,  (see  V.  j.  below,)  and  of 
Martha,  wife  of  Dr.  Frank  Martin;  (g)  Frances, 
wife  of  Thomas  D.  Connally.  of  Tennessee;  to 
them  was  born  Rev.  John  Kerr  Connally,  (who 
married  Alice  C.,a  daughter  of  James  Thomas, 
of  Richmond,  Va.,)  Mary  E.,  wife  of  James 
Tamer  Morehead,  son  of  Governor  J.  M.  More- 
head,  and  Fannie,  married  to  C  W.  Guerrant, 
of  Rockingham,  N.  C. ;  (g)  Frances,  wife  of 
Gen.  Barcilia  Graves. 

II,  Betsy,  married  to  Hicks ;  III,  John  mar- 
ried Williamson,  settled  in  North  Carolina;  is- 
sue: (a)  Christopher  H.,  member  of  Congress 
from  Tennessee  1837-1843  and  1849-1858;  (b) 
Eliazbeth,  married  to  General  Azeriah  Graves, 
grand-parents  of  Judge  Thomas  Settle.  IV, 
Nathaniel,  married  and  had  issue:  (a)  Robert, 


SUKEY  COUNTY. 


419 


ajjjjointed  Governor  of  Mississippi  by  President 
Jefferson;  (b)  Nathp.niel,  and  (e)  Elizabeth, 
married  to  Baldwin,  of  Louisiana. 'y  Joseph,  the 
fourth  and  youagest  son  of  Nathaniel  Williams, 
of  Hanover,  Virginia,  when  he  came  to  North 
Carolina  was  employed  to  aid  his  cousin  Joseph 
in  TStfercantile  pursuits.  He  was  in  the  Revolu-- 
^.^^tionary  War,  and  attained  the  rank  of^ai^ttr  ; 
was  engaged  in  several  severe  skirmishes  with 
the  Tories,  who  were  desperate  and  daring  in 
this  section,  and  to  whom  Major  Williams  was 
especially  obnoxious.  He  made  many  narrow 
escapes.  He  raised  ten  children — eight  sons 
and  two  daughters.  He  was  elected  Clerk  of 
the  Court  in  Surry  County,  and  continued  in 
that  position  until  his  death  in  1828.  He  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Lanier,  of  Grranville.  Issue :  (a) 
Robert,  who,  Lanman  says,  was  born  in  Cas- 
well County ;  he  was  highly  endowed  by  na- 
ture and  of  a  cultivated  mind;  the  friend  of 
education  and  of  every  improvement  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  State.  He  was  the  indefatigable 
Treasurer  of  the  Universitj^,  and  for  years  one 
of  its  most  earnest  and  faithful  trustees;  dur- 
ing the  war  he  resided  in  Raleigh,  and  became 
the  Adjutant-General  of  the  State,  and  to  this 
day  the  records  of  that  office,  as  kept  by  him, 
are  models  of  accuracy  and  neatness ;  the  only 
perfect  copy  of  all  the  acts  of  the  General  As- 
sembly from  1776  were  collected  through  his 
labor  and  industry  ;  he  was  a  Representative  in 
Congress  from  1797  to  1803,  and  in  1805  was 
appointed  Commissioner  of  Land  Titles  in  Mis- 
sissippi Territory,  and  there  served  for  four 
years  ;  he  then  removed  to  Tennessee  and 
thence  to  Louisiana,  where  he  died  ;  he  was  a 
lawyer  by  profession  ;  married  Rebecca  Smith, 
of  Granville,  (b)  Joseph,  Clerk  of  Surry  Supe- 
rior Court ;  married  Susan  Taylor ;  issue :  (I) 
Susan,  wife  of  James  R.  Dodge,  (see  page  393,) 
to  them  were  born  (1st)  Richard  Irwin  Dodge, 
Col.  U.  S.  A.;  (2d)  Annie,  wife  of  Chalmers  L. 
Glenn,  of  Rockingham ;  (3d)  Mary  H.  Dodge, 
of  Winston,  ForsythTs.  County,  N.  C.  Col. 
Richard  Irwin  Dodge  has  one  son,  Frederick  P. 
Dodge,  of  New  York  City;  Mrs.  Chalmers  L. 
Glenn  has  three  children  :  James  D.,  of  Rock- 


ingham, in  Legislature  of  1881-83 ;  Robert  B., 
an  attorney  in  Stokes  County,  in  Legislature  of 
1881-83 ;  and  Edward  T.  B. ,  of  C.  F.  and  Y.  V. 
R.  R. 

To  Joseph  and  Susan  Taylor  Williams  were 
also  born  (II)  Rebecca,  wife  of  Frank  Dedrick, 
and  (III)  Midshipman  John  T.  Williams,  of 
Warrenton. 

(c)  John,  the  third  son  of  Joseph  Williams, 
moved  to  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  where  he  com- 
menced the  practice  of  the  law  aud  was  very 
successful.  During  the  Seminole  War  he 
raised  a  troop  of  volunteers,  composed  of  intel- 
ligent and  high-toned  gentlemen ;  among  them 
were  Hugh  L.  White,  Thomas  L.  Williams, 
and  others.  After  a  victorious  campaign  he 
returned  home,  where  he  found  a  commission 
appointing  him  colonel  of  tlie  39th  Regiment 
of  Infantry,  U.  S.  A.  He  was  ordered  to  the 
Creek  Nation,  and  in  the  engagement  of  Toho- 
peka,  or  the  Horse-Shoe,  his  regiment  bore  the 
brunt  of  the  battle.  The  report  of  General 
Jackson  on  thi^  sanguinary  conflict  did  not^  in 
tlie  opinion  of  Colonel  Williams,  do  justice  to 
his  regiment,  and  hence  the  long  enmity  be- 
tween them.  From  1815  to  1823  he  was  a 
Senator  in  Congress,  highly  respected  for  his 
integrity  and  ability.  In  1825  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Mr.  Adams,  Envoy  to  the  Central 
American  States.  He  married  Melinda,  daugh- 
ter of  General  James  White  and  sister  of  Judge 
Hugh  L.  White,  the  candidate  against  Martin 
Van  Buren  for  the  Presidency  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  the  father  of  Joseph  L.  Wil- 
liams, member  of  Congress  from  1839  to  1843; 
of  Colonel  John  Williams,  of  Knoxville,  and  of 
Margaret,  first  v/ife  of  Chief  Justice  Pearson,  of 
North  Carolina.  He  died  at  Knoxville,  Au- 
gust 7,  1837. 

(d)  William,  a  successful  merchant  and 
farmer,  lived  at  Strawberry  Plains,  East  Ten- 
nessee. He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Colo- 
nel King,  of  Virginia;  issue:  Sarah,  married 
to  Rev.  Thomas  Stringfield. 

(e)  Lewis,  who  lived  and  died  in  political 
strife.  He  was  born  about  1782,  educated  at 
the  University,  where  he  graduated  in    1808. 


420 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENOES. 


He  entered  political  life  as  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons  in  1813,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1814.  He  became  a  Representative  in  Con- 
gress in  1815,  and  continued  a  member  as  long 
as  he  lived.  Whilst  attending  Congress  he 
died  on  February  23,  1842.  Greatly  esteemed 
for  his  sterling  independence  and  his  integrity, 
his  abilities  were  such  that  by  common  consent 
he  was  styled  "the  Father  of  the  House." 
Mr.  Adams'  oration  on  the  occasion  of  bis  death 
was  a  beautiful  tribute  to  his  worth,  as  was  also 
the  brilliant  effort  of  Mr.  Rayner.  He  never 
married. 

(f)  The  twin-brother  of  Hon.  Lewis  Williams 
was  Thomas  L.  Williams,  long  the  Chancellor 
of  Tennessee;  he  married  Polly  McClung,  a 
niece  of  Judge  Hugh  L.  White.  The  following 
are  their  issue:  (1st)  Rebecca,  wife  of  tlie  son  of 
Grov.  Shelby,  of  Kentucky  ;  (2d)  Melinda,  wife 
of  Chief  Justice  Napton,  of  Missouri ;  (3d) 
Margaret,  wife  of  Hon.  John  G.  Miller,  Mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  Missouri,  and  afterward 
of  H.  W.  Douglas,  of  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
and  (4th)  of  Mrs.  Dr.  J.  Walker  Percy,  of 
Huntsville,  Alabama. 

(g)  Rebecca,  married  Colonel  John  H.  Wim- 
bish,  of  Virginia;  issue:  Rebecca,  wife  of  Dr. 
Pleasant  Henderson,  and  afterward  of  Hon. 
Roger  Q.  Mills,  Member  of  Congress  from 
Texas. 

(h)  Dr.  Alexander,  who  married  Catherine 
Dixon,  only  daughter  of  Colonel  William  Dix- 
on, first  Postmaster  (1782)  of  Greenville. 

(i)  Fannie,  married  Colonel  John  P.  Erwin, 
of  Nashville,  Tennessee. 

(j)  Nicholas  Lanier,  the  last  and  youngest 
son  of  Joseph  Williams,  is  now  in  his  TSth 
year ;  resides  at  Panther  Creek,  enjoying  a 
green  old  age,  and  preserving  the  respect  and 
regard  of  all  who  know  him.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Council  of  State  and  also  a  Trustee 
of  the  University.  He  married  Mary  G.  Kerr  ; 
issue:  (1st)  Bettie,  wife  of  John  A.  Lillington; 
(2d)  Joseph,  a  Trustee  of  University,  1875, 
married  M.  Lou,  daughter  of  Tyre  Glenn,  of 
Yadkin  County;  issue:  Glenn  and  Mary  ;  (3d) 
Lewis,  who  lives  in  the  old  homestead  in  Yad- 
kin; married  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Wm.  G.  Smith,  of  Anson  County  ;  issue:  Mary 
G.,  Eliza  Helms,  William  Smith,  Lena  Pearl, 
and  Lanier  Williams. 

Jesse  Franklin,  born  1760,  died  1824,  the 
son  of  Bernard  and  Mary  Franklin,  the  tliird  of 
seven  sons,  was  born  in  Orange  County,  Vir- 
ginia, March  24,  1760.  His  education  was  lim- 
ited.    His  father  removed  to  Surry  County  just 


previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  war. 
The  Tories  were  so  troublesome,  plundering  the 
Whig  families  of  everything  valuable,  that  a 
fort  was  built  near  Wilkesbo^ro',  in  which  tliey 
secured  themselves  and  families  v/h^n  actively  en- 
gaged away  from  home.  Troops  wcf^e  raised  to 
suppress  these  outrages,  when  Jesse  joiirgd  Colo- 
nel Cleveland,  his  maternal  uncle,  to  dis^^'erse 
them.  Of  Colonel  Cleveland  as  a  partisan 
leader  and  his  severity  toward  the  Tories  we 
have  already  written.  Franklin  was  in  the 
battle  of  King's  Mountain  as  Adjutant  of  Colo- 
nel Cleveland's  battalion,  and  displayed  great 
courage.  When  the  enemy  was  conquered,  the 
commanding  officer,  after  the  fall  of  Ferguson, 
delivered  the  sword  of  that  soldier  to  Franklin, 
saying,  "You  deserve  it,  sir!"  This  was  pre- 
served for  a  long  time  in  the  family  as  an  heir- 
loom. He  was  also  at  the  battle  of  Guilford 
Court  House.  He  performed  some  further  un- 
important military  services,  in  partisan  warfare 
against  the  Tories,  who  formed  a  large  part  of 
the  population  in  this  section.  After  the  war 
most  of  these  Tories  left  this  part  of  the  State. 

After  discharging  a  soldier's  duty  in  the 
field,  Mr.  Franklin  then  became  useful  as  a 
representative  of  the  people.  He  entSred  the 
House  of  Commons  as.  a  member  from  Surry  in 
1793,  re-elected  1794,  and  in  1795  he  became  a 
Member  of  the  4th  Congress.  In  1797  he  was 
again  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  in  1799  he 
was  elected  a  Senator  in  Congress,  and  served 
until  1805.  In  1804  he  was  chosen  President 
of  the  Senate.  It  is  worthy  here  to  remark 
that  at  this  date  the  President  of  the  Senate 
and  the  Speaker  of  tlie  House  (Nathaniel  Ma- 
con) were  both  of  the  delegation  from  North 
Carolina.     Proud  days  for  the  old  North  State! 

In  1805  and  1806  he  was  elected  Senator  of 
the  State  Legislature;  and  in  1807  he  was 
again  returned  to  tlie  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  and  there  served  until  March  4.  1813. 
Governor  James  Turner,  of  Warren,  was  his 
colleague  in  the  Senate.  His  course  in  this 
highest  legislative  bodj^  of  the  world  was 
marked  by  ]irofound  sagacity  and  elevated  pa- 
triotism. The  high  appreciation  of  his  abilities 
and  his  integrity  is  shown  by  his  election  as 
President  of  the  Senate  and  his  appointment  as 
leading  member  on  the  most  responsible  com- 
mittees. He  was  placed  on  the  committee  on 
the  celebrated  ordinance  of  1787  ;  also  on  the 
case  of  Smith,  of  Ohio,  implicated  in  the  trea- 
son of  Burr,  and  in  other  important  positions. 

He  was  a  warm  advocate  of  Mr.  Madison  and 
of  his  war  measures  ;  and  as  violently  opposed 


TYRRELL  COUNTY. 


421 


to  all  monopolies  and  banks.  At  the  close  of 
his  term  he  declined  a  re-election,  lioping  to 
spend  the  balance  of  his  days  in  repose  and  re- 
tirement ;  but  he  accepted  the  appointment,  at 
the  siJecial  reqnest  of  General  Jackson,  of  com- 
missioner to  treat  with  the  Chickasaw  Indians 
on  the  Bluff,  where  Memphis  now  stands. 

In  1820  he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  to 
succeed  Grovernor  John  Branch  ;  and,  after  this 
duty,  he  retired  from  the  toils  and  excitements 
of  public  life  ;  and  in  18"2<1  his  long,  eventful 
and  useful  career  was  terminated.  He  was  dig- 
nified and  commanding  in  person,  clear  and  de- 
cided in  his  opinions,  and  displayed  great  sa- 
gacity and  common  sense  in  all  his  actions. 

Meshach  Franklin,  the  brother  of  Governor 


Jesse  Franklin,  was  'distinguished  as  a  states- 
man and  politician  in  Surry  County.  He  en- 
tered public  life  as  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Commons  in  1800,  and  was  elected  a  Member  of 
the  10th  Congress  (1807)  and  served  till  1815  ; 
afterward  became  a  member  of  the  State  Senate 
in  1828-29.     He  died  in  December,  1841. 

Jesse  Franklin  Graves,  one  of  the  Judges  of 
the  Superior  Court,  a  native  of  Surry  County,  is 
the  grandson  of  Governor  Franklin,  whose 
sketcli  we  have  just  given.  He  was  born  Au- 
gust 31,  1829.  He  read  law  under  Judge  Pear- 
son, and  was  a  member  of  Governor  Ellis'  coun- 
cil. He  served  in  the  Legislature  in  1876-77, 
but  has  wisely  preferred  the  quiet  practice  of 
the  law  to  the  varying  fortunes  of  politics. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 


TYRRELL    COUNTY. 


Mention  has  been  made  of  Colonel  Edward 
Buncombe.  Joseph  Buncombe,  the  uncle  of  Col- 
onel Edward  Buncombe,  tlie  namesake  of  Bun- 
conibe  County,  came  from  the  Island  of  St. 
Kitts,  West  Indies,  (where  there  were  several 
of  the  same  name,  Jolin  among  the  number,) 
and  purchased  from  the  Moseleys  tlie  farm  now 
known  as  "Buncombe  Hall,"  in  that  part  of 
Tyrrell  which  is  now  Washington  County,  Nortli 
Carolina.  One  of  the  Moseleys  was  Seci-etaiy 
of  State  for  a  long  t-ime,  and  as  all  entries  of 
land  were  made  in  his  office,  he  was  aware  of  the 
h}cation  of  all  tlie  unentered  lands  in  the  State, 
and  was  tlius  enabled  to  make  large  entries  for 
himself.  At  what  date  Joseph  Buncombe  came 
over  to  this  country  cannot  be  gathered  from  the 
records  or  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitant. 
He  resided  for  several  years  at  Buncombe  Hall, 
and  tlie  cellar  of  his  liouse  is  still  visible  not  far 
from  the  ci'eek,  in  close  proximity  to  an  Indian 
lort,  on  the  margin  of  the  swamj)  ;  of  him,  at 
this  day,  little  seems  to  be  known.  He  returned 
to  the  West  Indies  on  a  visit,  where  he  died, 
and  devised  Buncombe  Hall  to  his  nephew.  Col- 
onel Edward  Buncombe. 

On  the  death  of  Joseph  Buncombe,  Dr.  Lenox 
and  Robert  West,  of  Bertie,  went  to  the  West 
Indies  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  speculation 
out  of  Colonel  Buncombe,  and  offered  to  pur- 


chase his  estate  in  Carolina.  His  wife,  Eliza, 
advised  against  a  sale,  and  remarked  that  the 
land  must  be  valuable,  or  those  gentlemen  would 
not  have  come  so  far  to  purchase,  and  prevailed 
upon  him  to  go  and  see.it  first  himself,  which  lie 
did  in  1765,  or  thereabouts.  On  viewing  the 
land,  he  was  pleased  with  it,  and  returned  to 
St.  Kitts  in  176G  for  the  purpose  of  moving  liis 
family  to  Carolina.  On  his  return  he  found  a 
new  accession  to  his  family  in  the  person  of 
Eliza  Taylor  Buncombe.  When  this  cliild  was 
twelvemonths  old  theColonel  i-emoved  liis  family 
to  Buncombe  Hall — he  then  being  twenty-four 
years  of  age.  Between  liis  first  and  second  visits, 
the  "old  Hall,"  with  fifty-five  rooms  in  it,  was 
built  for  him  by  Colonel  Lee.  He  brouglit  with 
him  a  chaplain,  a  physician,  two  or  three  ladies, 
friends  of  Mrs.  Buncombe,  a  shepherd  for  his 
sheep,  a  flock  of  two  himdred,  a  hind  for  his 
cattle,  and  upward  of  two  hundred  negroes, 
tliinking  to  cultivate  sugar.  The  maiden  name 
of  Mrs.  Buncombe  was  Eliza  Taylor.  At  the 
age  of  six  years  the  little  girl,  Eliza  Buncombe, 
was  sent  to  New  York  to  boarding  school,  and 
boarded  witli  the  family  of  Mr.  Abram  Lett,  at 
that  time  Treasurer  of  the  State,  and  a  consignee 
of  Colonel  Buncombe,  and  a  very  wealthy  man. 
With  this  family  she  remained  for  ten  years. 
The  other  children,  Hester  and  Thomas,  were 


422 


WHEELER'S  REMINISGENCZ«!. 


placed  under  the  tutelage  aud  protection  of  Cul- 
ien  Pollock,  Esq.,  of  Edenton,  I  presume,  after 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Buncombe  and  after  the  Col- 
onel went  into  the  army.  The  former  event 
seems  to  have  taken  place  not  many  years  after 
her  arrival  in  this  country.  On  attaining  wo- 
manhood, (sixteen  or  seventeen,)  Eliza  Buncomhe 
was  married  to  John  Goelet,  Esq. ,  of  New  York, 
and  was  regarded,  generally,  as  a  most  beautiful 
woman,  and,  from  various  accounts,  not  far  short 
of  Scott's  apostrophe — 

"  Ne'er  did  Grecian  cliisel  trace 
A  nj'mpli,  a  naiad,  or  a  grace. 
Of  lovelier  form  or  flner  face." 

When  the  colonists  were  in  open  rebellion 
against  the  mother  country,  on  account  of  the' 
oppressive  stamp  and  tea  acts,  the  revolution  in 
its  full  blaze,  and  the  British  forces  on  our 
shores,  Edward  Buncombe,  having  become  some- 
thing of  a  politician,  and  being  a  brave,  chival- 
ric  gentleman,  of  a  sanguine  temperament,  and 
burning  with  patriotic  ardor  to  bare  his  bosom 
to  the  battle's  rage  in  defense  of  his  adopted 
country's  rights  was  appointed  by  the  State  Pro- 
vincial Congress,  which  met  at  Halifax  April  4, 
1Y76,  colonel  of  the  Fifth  Regiment  of  North 
Carolina  troops — he  immediately  conceived  the 
idea  of  raising,  hj  enlistment,  a  regiment  of  sol- 
diery, principally  from  the  counties  of  Washing- 
ton and  Tyrrell,  and  sent  out  recruiting  officers 
to  others.  He  soon  succeeded  in  raising  a  regi- 
ment, at  Ms  own  expe^ise,  which  he  quartered 
and  drilled  at  Buncombe  Hall  for  about  one 
year,  preparatory  to  joining  the  army  under 
Washington.  By  a  simple  computation  it  may 
be  seen  that  the  raising  and  quartering  of  a 
regiment  which,  probably,  at  that  time  consisted 
of  from  500  to  700  men,  for  about  one  year,  by  a 
private  individual^  was  a  matter  of  no  small  ex- 
jiense  ;  hence  the  magnitude  and  justice  of  the 
unliquidated  claim  which  the  heirs  of  Colonel 
Buncombe  have,  from  time  to  tinie,  asserted  as 
due  them  by  the  Nation.  Full  of  ardor,  and 
enjoying,  to  an  unlimited  degree,  the  confidence 
of  his  troops,  with  liis  blushing  lionors  crowding 
upon  him  in  anticipation,  young  and  buoyant, 
he  sallied  forth  to  the  scene  of  war  and  joined 
General  Washington's  army,  but  at  what  point 
the  writer  has  not  been  enabled  to  discover. 
He  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War  to  tlie  date 
of  the  battle  at  Germantown,  (1777,)  at  which 
time  and  place  he  received  his  mortal  wound. 
As  a  wounded  officer,  he  was  put  on  his  parole, 
and  on  one  occasion,  being  at  the  house  of  one 
of  Washington's  generals,  he  remained  stand- 


ing. At  length,  bei-ng  asked  by  the  General 
who  he  was,  the  Colonel  made  a  response,  char- 
acteristic of  the  man,  "I  ura  Colonel  Edward 
Buncombe,  Fifth  Regiment' of  North  Carolin; 
troops,  of  Buncombe  Hall,  North  Carolina,  au' 
a  gentleman,  and  if  a  gentleman  should  comv 
to  my  house,  I  would  ask  him  to  take  a  seat  an>' 
a  glass  of  wine."  At  this  rebuke  the  Gencr;' 
smiled,  and  accordingly  invited  him  to  botl; 
The  Colonel,  being  somewhat  convalescent  ( 
his  wounds,  went  to  an  evening  party  at  a  friend  .j 
house  in  the  city,  and  while  descending  the 
stairway,  by  some  means  or  other  fell  over  the 
railing,  which  fall,  togetlier  with  his  wound.^\ 
resulted  in  his  death.  Ho  died  in  Philadelphia., 
at  the  age  of  thirty,  leaving  CuUen  Pollock  and 
Dr.  Lenox  executors  of  his  will.  His  wife,  Eliza, 
died  anterior  to  the  war,  and  her  remains  were 
deposited  in  the  middle  aisle  of  St.  Paul's 
Church,  Edenton.  The  Colonel's  sister,  Mrs. 
Ann  Caines,  and  Mrs.  Buncombe's  brother,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Oakes  Taylor,  have  frequently  writ- 
ten to  the  family  in  Carolina,  and  their  letters 
are  still  extant.  When  the  Colonel  left  for  the 
■war,  he  made  Cullen  Pollock  his  agent,  who 
leased  out  Buncombe  Hall  and  the  negroes  there- 
on to  one  Cook  for  $800  per  annum  for  four  years. 
This  Cook  was  cousin  to  the  Colonel,  but  pos- 
sessed a  name  of  not  very  "  genteel  memory," 
and  of  him,  in  connection  with  the  Buncombe 
family,  might  be  said  what  Coriolanus  said  of 
Rome : 

"Tliou  liast  lost  the  breed  of  noble  blood." 

Immediately  on  the  death  of  the  Colonel,  this 
Cook  broke  open  a  closet  almost  hermetically 
sealed  with  wax,  and  surreptitiously  abstracted 
therefrom  all  the  silverware  and  plate,  which 
was  afterward  seen  in  possession  of  liis  heirs, 
with  the  initials  E.  E.  B.  on  them.  He  cut 
down,  for  firewood,  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
beautiful  avenue  leading  from  the  gate  to  the 
house,  and  finally  paid  the  price  of  his  lease, 
$3,200,  by  a  certificate  of  discharge  in  bank- 
ruptcy at  Edenton.  This  agent,  Cullen  Pollock, 
was  so  negligent  that  he  permitted  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  Buncombe  Hall  tract  to  escheat  for 
the  non-payment  of  taxes.  Colonel  Buncombe's 
estate  was  sued  to  pay  for  Eliza  Buncombe's 
board  for  ten  years,  aud  several  negroes  were 
necessarily  sold. 

Colonel  Buncombe's  popularity  seems  to  have 
been  commensurate  with  his  hospitality ;  as 
proofs  conclusive  of  the  former  the  following  in- 
cidents may  suffice  :  His  repeated  elevations  to 
the  State  Legislature,  his  appointment  by  the 


TYRRELL  COUNTY. 


423 


Legislature  to  the  Colonebj,  taking  his  horses 
from  his  carriage  three  miles  from  the  Court 
House,  then  situated  near  the  mouth  of  Scup- 
pernong  River,  ai^  Mrs.  Bateman's,  and  the  pop- 
ulace hearing  aim  upon  their  shoulders  to  and 
from  the  Court  House.  When  his  friend,  Cullen 
^ollock,  for  siding  with  the  Loyalists,  was  tarred, 
:'\,thered,  and  shot  at  through  his  windows,  his 
ca;riage  thrown  over  the   dock,  etc.,  so  indig- 

,nt  was  Colonel  Buncombe  tliat  he  buckled  on 
r  s  arms,  took  his  body  servant  with  him,  manned 
a  boat  and  went  to  Edenton,  and  dared  the  man 
or  set  of  men  who  were  at  the  head  of  the  as- 
sault to  show  themselves.  The  instigator  was 
lint.  Allen,  who,  tliough  regarded  at  the  time  as 
a  Hotspur,  thinking  with  FalstafF  that  "  discre- 
tion was  tlie  better  part  of  valor,"  secreted  him- 
self in  his  house  until  the  Colonel  bad  left  town. 
Their  object  undoubtedly  was  to  drive  Mr.  Pol- 
lock away  and  confiscate  his  estate.  Buncombe 
County,  in  selecting  a  name  for  their  County, 
duly  appreciated  the  memory  and  eminent  mili- 
tary services  of  Colonel  Buncombe,  and  did  them- 
selves groat  credit. 

As  an  illustration  of  his  proverbial  hospitality, 
he  often  entertained  most  sumptuously  a  great 
many  friends  after  the  true  style  of  a  West  India 
gentleman,  his  table  being  spread  with  tire 
richest  viands,  which  palled  not  on  the  most 
fastidious  epicurean  taste  ;  liis  door-latcli  was 
alway  hanging  on  the  outside,  and  when  he  had 
gentlemen  at  his  house  whose  company  he  par- 
ticularly appreciated,  to  prevent  their  leaving 
he  had  the  bridge  taken  up  and  bid  in  the  swamp 
till  he  was  willing  they  should  leave.  On  his 
gatepost,  according  to  tradition,  and  the  fact  is 
mentioned  in  "Jones'  Defense  of.  North  Caro- 
lina," was  inscribed  this  distich  — 

"  Wplcome  .ill 
To  Buncombe  Hiill." 

Noble  generosity,  hospitality  unparalleled  ! 
His  jiarticular  associates  and  friends  were  Cul- 
len Pollock,  Dr.  Lenox,  Judge  Iredell,  Gov. 
Johnston,  Mr.  Ria,  of  Norfolk,  Mr.  Donaldson, 
of  Petersburg,  Va.,  and  others.  And  for  such 
a  voluntary  sacrifice  of  life  and  fortune  in  tlic 
cause  of  his  adopted  country  did  he,  during  bis 
life,  or  have  bis  Acirs  since  his  immolation  upon 
the  altar  of  that  country,  received  at  her  bands 
anything  like  fair  indemnification  or  even  ade- 
quate compensation.  All  history  tells  us  of  the 
"ingratitude  of  Republics."  It  has  become 
merged  intoa political  aphorism.  Whatashame- 
ful  commentary  ^/n's  upon  the  text  deduced  from 
the  preceding  notes.     Another  instance  of  his 


giving  succor  to  the  oppressed,  against  an  infu- 
riate majority,  may  be  found  in  the  case  of  poor 
Davidson,  a,  Torj',  who,  when  his  life  was  in 
jeopardy  from  the  Republicans,  found  a  refuge 
in  the  carriage  of  Colonel  Buncombe,  who  carried 
him  to  his  house  and  thus  protected  him  from 
lawless  violence.  His  reward  is  not  of  earth, 
but  of  heaven,  for  military  prowess  and  chiv- 
alric  valor  on  the  "  tented  field,"  and  for  gen- 
tlemanly deportment  and  urbanity  of  manner  in 
private  life  have  been  permitted  to  pass  awaj^, 
by  an  ungrateful  country,  without  its  suitableand 
merited  requital.     "  Sic  transit  gloria  viundi/' 

"  Oh  !  pity  if  thy  holy  tear 

Immortal  decks  the  win<j  of  time  ; 
'Tis  when  the  soldier's  honor'd  bier 

Demands  the  olitt'i'ing  drop  sublime. 
For  who  from  bus}'  life  removed 
Such  glorious,  dang'rous  toil  has  prov'd, 
As  be  who.  on  the  embattled  plain, 
Dies  bravely  figliting-,  or  nobly  slain  ?'' 

One  of  his  daughters  married  Dr.  Goelet,  of 
Washington  ;  another,  Mr.  Clark,  of  Bertie 
County. 

Colonel  Buncombe  was  distinguished  for  his 
undaunted  courage,  liis  martial  appearance,  and 
bis  open,  unstinted  hospitality  ;  worthy  is  bis 
name  preserved  in  one  of  the  most  lovely  Coun- 
ties of  our  State. 

The  Pettigrew  family  is  of  French  origin,  but 
at  an  early  period  branches  settled  inbotli  Scot- 
land and  Ireland.  James  Pettigrew,  of  the 
Irish  branch,  was  an  officer  in  King  James' army, 
at  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  (1090)  between  Will- 
iam and  James  II.  He  emigrated  to  America  in 
1740,*  and  rested  for  awhile  in  Pennsylvania  ; 
then  went  to  Virginia,  thence  to  North  Carolina, 
and  finally  settled  in  Abbeville,  South  Carolina, 
where  he  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  When  he  re- 
moved from  North  Carolina  he  left  his  third  son, 
Charles,  who  had  been  born  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1743.  This  gentleman's  early  education  was,  in 
part,  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Waddle,  (Wirt's 
famous  "  Blind  Preacher,")  and  in  1773  he  was 
made  Master  of  the  Public  School  at  Edenton 
by  Governor  Martin.  In  1775  he  went  to  Eng- 
land to  be  admitted  to  holy  orders,  and  was  or- 
dained by  the  Bishop  of  liondon.  He  returned 
to  North  Carolina  and  devoted  himself  to  his 
field  of  labor.  For  years  lie  was  Rector  of  the 
Cliurcli  at  Edenton.  He  married  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Col.  John  Blount,  and  thus  became  con- 


*For  many  facts  and  much  of  this  sketch,  see  Memorial 
of  J.  Johnston  Pettigrew,  Brigadier  General  in  Confeder- 
ate army,  by  W.  H.  Trescott,  Charleston,  1870. 


424 


WHEELER'iS  REMlNISCENCEf^. 


nected  with  an  influential  femily.  His  sym- 
pathies with  his  countrymen  were  not  confined 
to  his  priestly  relations,  for  in  1780  lie  accompa- 
nied the  troops  called  into  service  for  a  Soutliern 
campaign.  Soon  after  the  Eevolution  efforts 
were  made  to  build  up  more  efficiently  the  broken- 
down  walls  of  the  Church,  and  in  1794  lie  was 
unanimously  chosen,  by  the  Convention,  Bishop 
of  the  new  Diocese  ;  but  he  died  before  his  con- 
secration. 

Bishop  Pettigrew  letft  one  son,  Hon.  Ebenezer 
Pettigrew,  who  inherited  not  only  the  estate, 
but  the  genius,  energy  and  excellence  of  charac- 
ter of  his  father.  He  was  l)orn  near  Edenton 
March  10,  1783,  and  took  charge  of  the  estate, 
on  Lake  Phelps,  draining  and  improving  that 
noble  plantation  by  skill,  science  and  enterprise. 
For  years  he  devoted  himself  entirely  to  agi'icul- 
tnral  pursuits,  a%'oiding  politics  and  public  life. 
He  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  State  Leg- 
islature in  1809  and  1810,  and  was  nominated 
as  a  candidate  for  the  twenty-fourth  Congress, 
(1835-37,)  in  opposition  to  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Hall, 
one  of  the  most  popular  and  influential  men  of 
the  then  dominant  party,  (Jackson — Democrat,) 
and  was  triumphantly  elected.  As  an  evidence 
of  the  regard  and  confidence  of  his  neighbors, 
he  received  every  vote-  but  three  in  Tj'rrell 
County. 

Such  was  the  acceptability  of  his  public 
service  in  Congress  that  he  could  have  been 
re-elected  without  opposition,  but  he  peremp- 
torily refused  to  serve.  He  now  devoted  him- 
self exclusively  to  the  pursuits  of  agriculture. 
Under  his  example  and  advice  the  country  was 
vastly  improved.  He  taught  his  neighbors  how 
to  drain  and  cultivate  the  soil,  and  how  to  lay 
off  their  canals  and  ditches.  His  own  fixrni,  on 
the  margin  of  his  beautiful  lake,  was  the  sub- 
jectof  universal  admiration.  Strangersfro)n  adis- 
tance  visited  it  to  view  its  beautiesand  the  magni- 
tude of  the  work.  His  life  was  one  of  labor  and 
usefulness,  and  he  left  behind  him  the  impress 
of  his  energy  and  intellect.  He  certainly  did 
more  to  build  up  the  County,  to  iinjirove  and 
enrich  it,  than  any  man  of  his  age.  He  mar- 
ried. May  17,  1815,  Anne,  eldest  daughter  of 
William  Shepard,  Esq.,  of  New  Berne.  Mi-. 
Shepard  was  the  father  of  Hon.  William  B. 
Sliepard,  Hon.  Charles  B.  Shepard,  and  James 
B.  Shepard,  and  of  Mrs.  John  H.  Bryan.  Ho 
died  at  Magnolia,  in  Tyrrell  County,  July  8, 
1848, leaving  several  children,  among  them  (the 
third  son)  was — 

J.  Johnston  Pettigrew,  who  was  born  at  Lake 
Scappernong,  Tyrrell  County,  North  Carolina, 


on  July  4th,  1828.  The  earlier  part  of  his  life 
was  passed  with  his  matei'nal  grandmother ;  from 
his  seventh  to  his  fifteenth  ;,'ear  he  was  at  the 
school  of  Mr.  Bingham,  in  Hiilsboro';  in  May, 
1843,  he  entered  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina, then  under  the  charge  of  that  eminent 
and  successfuhpreceptor,  Governor  D.  L.  Swain  ; 
his  collegiate  career  was  so  brilliant  as  to  helve 
becomeacollegetradition.  When  hegraduated  in 
1847  the  faculty,  the  trustees  and  the  press  were 
exultant,  and  predicted  for  him  a  future  of 
brilliant  success  ;  the  event  of  his  graduation 
is  an  era  in  the  history  of  that  ancient  institu- 
tion. Nor  were  his  classmates  ordinary  com- 
petitors, they  were  powerful  in  the  generous 
struggle  for  .knowledge,  which  Bacon  says  "is 
power."  Their  success  in  after  life  is  evidence  of 
their  mental  superiority.  Among  them  were 
Alfred  Alston,  Duncan  L.  Clinch,  Eli  W.  Hall, 
John  Pool,  Matt.  W.  Ransom,  Charles  E.  Sho- 
ber,  and  Thos.  G.  Skinner,  and  others.  That 
the  universal  acknowledgment  of  his  merits  was 
not  confined  to  the  partiality  of  friendship  may 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  Mr.  Polk,  then 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  himself  a 
graduate  in  1818  of  the  University,  who  was 
present  at  the  commencement,  and  accompanied 
by  Commodore  Maury,  at  his  suggestion,  ten- 
dered to  Mr.  Pettigrew  the  position  of  Assistant 
Professor  in  the  National  Observatory,  at  Wash- 
ington City.  Crowned  with  the  honors  of  his 
alma  mater,  and  promoted  by  the  appreciation 
of  the  Chief  i\lagistrate  of  the  Republic,  with 
tlie  regard  of  his  teachers  and  the  affection  and 
admiration  of  his  associates,  and  a  large  and 
influential  connection,  who  were  proud  of  his 
promise  and  .powerful  to  sustain  him  in  the 
career  of  ambition ;  with  great  mental  gifts 
higlily  cultivated,  the'  vista  of  life  opened 
to  Mr.  Pettigrew  bright  and  promising.  His 
position  at  Washington  was  one  that  af- 
forded access  to  tlie  best  society,  as  well  as 
opportunities  of  distinction  in  the  scientific 
world. 

The  offices  of  the  Observatory  were  eminently 
filled  by  Maury,  Newcome,  and  others.  But 
from  a  restless  disposition,  so  often  the  com- 
panion of  genius,  which  prefers  conflict  with 
men  in  the  battle  of  life  rather  than  the  se- 
cluded pursuits  of  science,  he  remained  only 
for  a  short  time  at  the  Observatory.  He  felt 
"cribbed,  cabined,  and  confined"  in  the  clois- 
ters of  that  institution.  Accordingly  ho  entered 
the  law  office  of  James  Mason  (jarapbell,  of 
Baltimore,  and  commenced  the  study  of  law; 
upon  the  invitation  of  his  distinguished  relative, 


TYRRELL  COUNTY. 


425 


James  L.  Pettigrew,*  lie  coinjjleted  his  law  stud- 
ies in  his  office.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar, 
at  the  instance  of  his  friends,  who  wished  him 
to  have  every  advantage  that  a  finished  educa- 
tion could  present,  he  embarked  in  1850  on  a 
tour  in  Europe,  where  he  spent  two  years  in 
visiting  England,  Ireland,  Germany,  Hungary, 
Ital\:,Spain,  and  Switzerland,  studying  their  civil 
^ffd  military  institutions,  their  laws,  and  their 
forms  of  government.  While  at  Madrid  he  was 
tendered  the  post  of  Secretary  of  liCgation  by  Mr. 
Barringer,  then  our  envo}'  to  Spain;  this  he 
declined.  He  returned  home  and  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Charleston,  in 
connection  with  his  relative,  James  L.  Petti- 
grew. Although  he  enjoyed  great  success, 
yet  his  connection  with  the  bar  was  but  of  short 
duration,  for  the  excitement  of  politics  had 
superior  charms.  He  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  convention  of  the  State  to  send  delegates  to 
the  Cincinnati  convention,  and  in  October,  1856, 
he  was  cliosen  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from 
the  City  of  Charleston.  His  career  as  a  politi- 
cian was  lirief,  but  brilliant  and  iisefuL  He 
was  defeated  in  the  October  election  of  1858. 
This  disappointment  enabled  him  to  carry  out 
a  purpose  long  cherished  by  him.  He  felt  an 
irrepix'ssible  desire  for  militarj'  .service  ;  when 
a  student  at  Berlin  he  had  endeavored  to  pro- 
cure admission  into  the  Prussian  Army.  He 
again  went  to  Europe  and  offered  his  services  to 
the  Sardinian  Government;  his  application  was 
successful,  but  on  his  way  to  join  the  army  he 
met  the  news  of  the  peace  of  Villa-Franca, 
which  put  an  end  to  his  journey.  He  devoted 
to  study  a  few  months  in  Spain,  and  returned 
home  at  the  close  of  1859,  when  he  wrote  a 
book,  "  Spain  and  the  Spaniards" — a  book  of 
the  greatest  interest  and  the  sole  memento  left 
of  his  talents  as  an  author.-  Mr.  Pettigrew  re- 
turned from  Europe  and  was  convinced,  as  he 
long  had  feared,  that  the  conflict  between  the 
sections  of  our  country  was  only  a  question  of 
time,  and  that,  too,  not  very  remote.  With 
this  conviction  he  had  been  desirous  of  expe- 
riencing active  military  service  abroad  on  a 
large  scale;  therefore  he  closely  studied  works 
on  military  science  in  various  modern  languages. 
On  his  return  he  devoted  himself  to  the  improve- 
ment of  the  militia  organizations.  He  was 
elected  Captain  of  a  rifle  company,  which  he 
drilled  in  the  zouave  tactics — its  efficiency  he 
had  seen  exhibited  in  Paris.     Events  of  great 


*  Tills  should  be  spelled  Pettigrii;  the  South  Carolina 
branch  kept  the  French  terminal  in  their  name. — Ed. 


importance  now  crowded  upon  each  other.  The 
State  of  South  Carolina  seceded  from  the  LTnion, 
and  called  upon  her  sons  to  rally  to  the  sup- 
port of  that  government  which  they  had  been 
taught  to  love  and  obey.  Major  Anderson  had 
suddenly  evacuated  Fort  Moultrie  and  secured 
Fort  Sumter  under  cover  of  the  night.  Fort 
Sumter  was  fired  upon  and  surrendered,  and 
we  were  in  the  presence  of  civil  war.  The  un- 
expected occupation  of  Fort  Sumter  precipitated 
events.  Pettigrew  was  ordered  by  Governor 
Pickens  to  demand  of  Anderson  the  evacuation 
of  that  fort.  The  result  of  that  demand  we 
give  in  Pettigrew's  own  words  : 

"ToF.  \V.  Pickens,  Governor. 

"Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  pur- 
suant to  the  instructions  of  your  Excellency,  I 
proceeded  this  morning  to  Fort  Sumter  in  com- 
pany with  Major  Ellison  Copers,  Acting  Adju- 
tant of  my  regiment.  We  were  courteously  re- 
ceived by  Major  Anderson,  the  commanding 
officer.  I  stated  to  him  in  the  presence  of  all 
his  officers  that  you  had  been  astonished  at  the 
recejttion  of  the  news  of  his  having  transferred 
his  garyson  to  Fort  Sumter  ;  that  by  the  under- 
standing between  the  State  of  South  Carolina 
and  the  President  the  property  of  the  Lfnited 
States  was  to  be  respected,  and  on  the  other 
side  tlie  military  posts  should  remain  in  an  un- 
changed condition.  In  a  word,  the  question 
was  to  be  considered  a  political,  not  a  military 
one.  I  enforced  strongly  that  we  had  per- 
formed our  part  of'  this  agreement ;  that  we 
had  discountenanced  and  repressed  every  attempt 
of  the  people  upon  the  property  of  the  United 
States,  and  I  demanded  in  your  name  that  af- 
fairs sliould  be  restored  to  their  previous  condi- 
tion. He  replied  that  he  was  a  Southern  man 
in  his  feelings  upon  the  question  at  issue,  and 
had  so'  informed  the  Department  when  ap- 
pointed ;  tliat  he  knew  nothing  of  the  agree- 
ment mentioned ;  that  he  was  the  military 
commander  of  all  the  forts  in  the  harbor,  and 
did  not  consider  that  he  had  reinforced  them 
in  merely  transferring  his  garrison  from  one  to 
anotJier  ;  that  he  had  been  informed  that  he 
would  be  attacked  in  case  the  report  of  our 
Commission  was  unfavorable  ;  that  Fort  Moul- 
trie was  indefensible  against  an  ordinary  skill- 
ful attack ;  that  he  had  acted  entirely  on  liis 
own  responsibility.  He  declined  to  yield  to  my 
demand. 

"  Very  respectfully, 

"J.  Johnston  Pettigrew." 

• 

All  hopes  of  peace  were  ended,  and  each  sec- 


426 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


tion  jirepared  to  take  part  in  the  bloody  arbi- 
trament presented.  The  feeling  of  the  South 
was  well  expressed  by  Colonel  Pettigrew,  who 
in  July,  1861,  received  a  stand  of  colors  for  his 
regiment,  (to  which  he  had  been  appointed,) 
and  on  receiving  them  said:  "The  flag  of  the 
Republic  is  ours  no  more.  That  nobh  stand- 
ard which  so  often  has  waved  over  vict.rious 
fields  now  threatens  us  with  destruction.  In 
all  its  former  renowns  we  participated  ;  South- 
ern valor  bore  it  in  its  proudest  triumphs,  and 
oceans  of  Southern  blood  have  watered  the 
ground  beneath  it.  Let  us  lower  it  with  honor 
and  lay  it  reverently  upon  the  earth."  Col- 
onel Pettigrew  was  offered  the  positioa  of  Adju- 
tant-General under  the  belief  that  his  adminis- 
trative ability  could  'accomplish  more  good  in 
organizing  the  forces  of  the  State  than  by  re- 
stricting liim  to  a  single  regiment.  But  he 
preferred  the  active  duties  of  the  field,  and  de- 
clined. At  the  request  of  General  Beauregard, 
and  with  the  approbation  of  the  Executive,  he 
proceeded  to  organize  a  rifle  regiment.  Com- 
panies were  rapidly  raised  and  tendered  to  him, 
and  his  selection  of  field  and  staff  officers 
agreed  on.  The  regiment  was  tendered  to  the 
Secretary  of  War,  at  Montgomery,  then  the 
seat  of  the  Confederate  Government.  The 
views  of  the  War  Department  were  not  tq,  re- 
ceive organized  regiments,  but  only  companies, 
I'eserving  to  itself  the  selection  of  field  officers. 
This  was  not  agreeable,  and  the  several  compa- 
nies composing  the  regiment,  imwilling  to  ac- 
cept officers  unknown  to  them,  souglit  and  ob- 
tained admission  into  other  regiments.  This  left 
Colonel  Pettigrew  without  a  command,  but  his 
ardent  tem[)erament  would  not  allowhim  to  be  an 
idle  spectator  in  the  fearful  strife  then  imminent. 
He  went  to  Richmond,  to  which  place  the  Con- 
federate Government  had  been  removed,  and 
tendered  his  services.  He  was  only  in  Rich- 
mond a  few  days  when  he  received  a  letter 
from  the  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  inform- 
ing him  he  had  been  appointed  and  commis- 
sioned Colonel  of  the  Twelfth  Regiment  of 
North  Carolina  troops.  On  the  next  day  he 
started  to  his  command  at  Raleigh.  He  was 
soon  ready  for  the  fray,  and  marched  witli  his 
troops  to  the  front  only  a  few  days  too  late  to 
participate  in  the  first  battle  of  Manassas. 
During  tlie  winter  of  1861-62  he  was  encamped 
at  Evansport,  on  the  Potomac,  and  then  at 
Charleston,  where  his  higli  military  attainments, 
his  untiring  devotion  to  duty,  so  won  the  ad- 
miration and  esteem  of  all  associated  v/ith  iMm 
.that  without  his  knowledge  he  was  appointed 


Rrigadier.     He  d.-lled  on  the  President,  and  to 

his  surprise  he  declined  the  appointment  on  the 
ground  that  he  had  nevei'  been  under  fire,  never 
handled  troops  in  action,  and  that  no  man  who 
had  never  been  seriously  tried  in  battle  should 
be  appointed  to  be  a  Brigadier-General.  The 
President  replied  that  he  '''  was  fullj  satisfieer 
with  General  Pettigrew's  qualifications;  that 
he  had  been  besieged  by  applications  for  brig's^ 
diership  upon  everj'  conceivable  ground — this 
was  the  first  instance  of  an  officer  refusing  pro- 
motion." Neither  yielded,  and  Colonel  Petti- 
grew returned  to  Fredericksburg  and  remained 
there  a  few  days.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  General  French,  his  brigade  conamander, 
was  ordered  to  Wilmii.igton.  Major-General 
Holmes,  commanding  at  Fredericksburg,  sent 
for  Colonel  Pettigrew  and  urged  his  acceptance, 
and  said:  "Colonel  Pettigrew,  it  is  important 
to  this  command  and  to  the  country  that  you 
take  this  office.  I  regard  it  as  your  duty  to  do 
so."  Pettigrew  yielded  his  own  convictions, 
and  wrote  a  letter  of  acceptance. 

Soon  after  this  General  Pettigrew  was  ordered 
to  Yorktown,  and  with  Whiting's  Division  was 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines  ;  while 
the  battle  was  raging  he  was  instructed  to  drive 
the  enemy  from  a  position  in  the  woods,  where 
they  were  strongly  posted.  The  position  had 
been  before  attempted  by  a  regiment,  which  had 
failed.  In  making  the  attack  the  regiment  was 
exposed  to  a  fire  of  a  battery  of  artillery  on  the 
flank.  Pettigrew,  leading  one  of  his  regiments, 
was  attempting  to  carry  the  poisition  by  assault 
when  he  was  wounded.  An  attempt  was  made 
to  remove  him  from  the  field  ;  exhausted  from 
the  loss  of  blood,  he  enquired  how  the  day  had 
gone,  and  when  told  that  it  v.-as  against  us,  he 
insisted  that  the  men  should  leave  him  and  go 
to  the  front  to  join  their  company.  It  was  re- 
ported that  he  was  killed,  and  his  friends 
mourned  for  him  as  if  dead  ;  he  had  been  taken 
prisoner  and  was  sent  to  Fort  Delaware.  When 
exchanged,  still  sufi'ering  from  his  wounds,  he  re- 
paired to  his  command,  near  Petersburg,  and 
joined  his  brigade  in  the  army  of  Northern  Vir- 
ginia, under  General  Lee.  He  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg.  In  the  first  daj^'s  fight, 
Pettigrew  and  his  brigade  were  in  the  thickest 
of  the  battle,  and  proudly  bore  his  banner 
against  the  retreating  foe.  His  bravery  was 
conspicuous  ;  his  cool  and  heroic  co)iduct  was 
magnetic  ;  it  inspired  his  decimated  command  to 
action  and  daring. 

"I  never  realized  before,"  said  Capt.  Jos.  , 
Davis,  "  the  worth  of  one  man.     His  presence 


TYRRELL  COUNTY. 


427 


and  his  cheering  conamands  nerved  the  arms  of 
all." 

On  the  second  day  his  command  was  held  in 
reserve.  On  the  third  day  Pettigrew  was  placed 
in  charge  of  Heth's  division,  and  in  that  fatal 
anu  gallant  charge,  oh  Cemetery  Hill,  he  was  in 
the  line  on  the  left  of  Pickett's  cocQiHand.  His 
was  not  a  supporting  column.  Pijiiett  reached 
the  crest  of  the  hill  and  held  it  avliile.  Petti- 
grew having  greater  obstructions  did  not  reach 
that  point;  Both  were  repulsed  by  an  over- 
whelming force  which  occupied  an  impregnable 
jDosition.  Pettigrew  fell  painfully  wounded ; 
Burgwynn,  Marshall,  McCrea  and  Iredell,  all 
sons  of  North  Carolina,  here  gave  up  their  lives, 
and  proved  that  North  Carolina  had  followed  the 
Confederate  banners  to  the  furthest  point.  The 
hrigi  t,  warm  beams  of  the  sun  on  the  1st  day 
of  July,  1863,  shone  on  3,000  as  gallant  men  in 
Pettigrew's  brigade  as  ever  shouldered  a  mus- 
ket ;  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  only  825  were 
left. 

The  Confederate  army  fell  back  upon  Hagers- 
town  without  any  annoyancefrqm  thcenemy,  and 
crossed  the  Potomac  at  Williamsport  and  Falling 
Waters.  General  Longstreet's  corps,  of  which 
Heth'sdivision formed  a  part,  crossed  at  the  latter 
place.  On  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  July, 
1863,  this  division,  after  aweary  night's  march, 
stopped  for  rest  and  breakfast  about  a  mile  and 
a  quarter  from  the  bridge,  at  Falling  Waters. 
For  some  inexplicable  reason  General  Heth  had 
not  thrown  out  any  pickets  ;  about  9  o'clock, 
while  he.  General  Pettigrew  and  several  other 
officers  were  walking  to  the  left  of  the  division, 
their  attention  was  attracted  by  a  small  squad 
of  cavalry  riding  out  of  a  wooded  valley  about  a 
mile  off.  Their  small  number,  (about  tv.'enty- 
five,)  and  their  proximity,  led  General  Heth  to 
suppose  they  were  a  Confederate  troop,  and  be- 
fore the  error  was  discovered  they  had  reached 
the  group  of  officers,  when  a  few  scattered  shots 
were  fired  by  these  reckless  troopers  in  sight  of  the 
whole  division.  They  made  their  escape  as  rap- 
idly as  they  had  made  their  attack.  General  Pet- 
tigrew was  shot  through  the  bowels  and  mortally 
wounded.  He  was  carried  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
Boyd,  half-way  between  Martinsburg  and  Win- 
chester, where,  on  the  PZth  of  July,  1863,  three 
days  after  being  wounded,  in  the  early  stillness 
of  a  summer  morning,  his  gallant  spirit  rested 
with  his  God.  He  died  as  he  had  lived,  a  brave 
and  noble  man. 

The  Bishop  of  Louisiana,  who  was  with  him 
on  the  sad  and  solemn  occasion,  declared  that 
"in  a  ministry  of  near  thirty  years,  I  never 


witnessed   a   more  sublime   scene  of  Christian 
resignation  and  of  hope  in  death." 

When  we  study  his  earnest,  noble  and  self- 
sacrificing  character,  his  modest  and  reticent 
demeanor,  his  brave  and  daring  courage,  his 
solid  and  extended  acquirements,  we  can  realize 
the  loss  to  our  country  and  our  State  in  his  death, 
and  with  Burke  exclaim:  "When  death,  by 
one  stroke,  makes  such  a  dispersion  of  talent, 
virtue  and  accomplishments,  we  feel  the  vanity 
of  all  earthly  pursuits.  What  shadows  we  are, 
and  what  shadows  we  pursue  !" 

John  Hooker  Haughton,  eldest  son  of  John 
and  Mary  R.  Haughton,  was  born  in  Chowan, 
August  29,  1810.  He  received  his  academic  edu- 
cation in  the  town  of  Edenton,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  University,  in  1832,  with  Thomas 
L.  Clingman,  Thomas  S.  Ashe,  James  C.  Dob- 
bin, William  F.  Davidson,  Robert  B.  Burton, 
Thomas  B.  Hill,  and  others.  He  read  law  with 
his  distinguished  kinsman,  Thomas  B.  Haugh- 
toii,  of  Chowan,  and  settled  in  Tyrrell,  to  which 
County  his  parents  had  previously  removed. 
There  he  practiced  his  profession  until  1837, 
when  he  removed  to  Chatham,  and  located  at 
Pittsboro'.  In  this  large  County,  populated  by 
a  thrifty  and  intelligent  j^eople,  he  soon  ac- 
quired a  lucrative  practice,  and  became  a  leader 
at  the  bar  in  this  and  adjoining  counties.  In 
1857,  having  purchased  a  plantation  in  the 
County  of  Jones,  he  removed  to  New  Berne, 
where,  following  his  profession  with  unabated 
zeal  and  vigor,  he  soon  ranked  among  the  fore- 
most lawyers  at  that  bar,  distinguished  in  the 
history  of  the  State  for  its  able  advocates  and 
jurists.  Mr.  Haughton  was  thrice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  that  influential, 
hospitable  and  genial  gentleman.  Dr.  Robert 
Williams,  of  Pitt.  His  second  wife  was  Miss 
Eliza  Alice  Hill,  whom  he  married  in  1838. 
Miss  Hill  was  a  daughter  of  Col.  Thomas  Hill, 
of  the  Cape  Fear  section,  a  gentleman  of  wealth 
and  high  social  position.  By  this  marriage 
Mr.  Haughton  became  connected  with  many  of 
the  prominent  families  of  the  lower  Cape  Fear. 
Mr.  Haughton's  third  wife  was  Miss  Martha 
Harvey,  of  New  Berne,  whom  he  married  in 
1868.  She  died  May  26,  1876,  and  he  survived 
her  only  four  days.  Mr.  Haughton  belonged  to 
the  Whig  party,  and,  until  his  removal  to  New 
Berne,  was  the  acknowledged  leader  of  that 
party  in  the  County  of  Chatham.  He  repre- 
sented Chatham  both  in  the  House  of  Commons 
and  in  the  Senate,  and  he  was,  during  his  whole 
life,  prominently  connected  with  all  the  political 
movements  in  the  State.     He  was  nominated  for 


428 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


Congress,  but  the  district  being  largely  Demo- 
cratic, was  defeated  by  the  Hon.  James  C.  Dob- 
bin. As  a  public  speaker,  Mr.  Haughton  was 
clear,  logical  and  forcible.  As  a  lawyer  he  was 
learned,  laborious  and  zealous,  and  always  com- 
manded a  leading  practice  in  the  Courts  he  at- 
tended. Mr.  Haughton  was  cheerful  and  social 
in  his  disposition,  fond  of  anecdotes  and  told  a 
story  well.  In  all  the  domestic  relations  he  was 
kind,  aifectionate,  tender  and  true.  He  dis- 
charged all  his  duties  with  intelligence  and 
fidelity  to  his  country  and  State.  In  fact,  he 
was  a  man  of  unusual  public  spirit  and  liberality, 
and  by  his  large  subscriptions  to  works  of  in- 
ternal improvement  greatly  impaired  his  estate. 
The  war  between  the  States  deprived  him  of  his 
ample  fortune  and  brought,  with  increasing 
years,  much  trouble  and  anxiety  ;  yet  he  main- 
tained his  cheerfulness  to  the  last,  illustrating 
how  a  good  man  could  bear  adversity  as  well  as 
prosperity  with  equanimity. 

Dr.  Edward  Ransom  resides  at  Columbia,  in 


this  (Tyrrell)  County.  He  is  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, born  in  Gloucester  County  on  the  12th  of 
February,  1833.  He  was  educated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia  and  graduated  at  Hampden- 
Sidncy.  He  was  first  elected  to  the  Senate  in 
1873,  and  in  1874  was  elected  an  Elector  on  the 
Grant  ticket.  In  1875  he  was  elected  on  an  In- 
dependent platform  IVoni  Tyrrell  County  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention.  The  position  of 
parties  and  of  the  State  was  critical  in  the  ex- 
treme. On  the  preliminary  question  of  adjourn- 
ment the  parties  were  so  evenly  divided  that  upon 
his  vote  depended  whether  the  body  should  or- 
ganize. Dr.  Ransom  was  elected  President  and 
turned  the  .scale  by  which  the  State  was  re- 
deemed. Dr.  Ransom's  course  was  approved 
by  the  State  and  by  his  own  constituents,  for 
he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  the  next  year. 
A  biographical  sketch  of  that  eminent  North 
Carolinian,  Dr.  Edward  Warren,  (Bey,)  will  be 
found  in  the  article  immediately  following  the 
preface,  page  xlix. 


WAKE    COUNTY. 


"  Beneath  the  rule  of  men 
Enth-eh^  gve.it,  the  pen  is  greater  than  the  sword. 
Beliold  the  arcli  magician's  wand  !    In  itself  'tis  notliing, 
But  cateliing  sorcery  from  a  master's,  hand, 
And  aided  by  the  gigantic  power  of  tlie  press, 
It  paralyzes  the  tlirones  of  monarchs." 

— Bulwer. 

"  Few  persons  have  ever  lived  in  North  Caro- 
lina," says  an  editorial  in  the  North  Carolina 
University  Magazine,  Yehvuary,  1854,  "whose 
biography  would  be  more  interesting  than  that 
of  tlie  late  Joseph  Gales,  born  1761,  died  1841.' 
It  is  deemed  jiroper  to  preface  the  sketch  now 
attempted  by  some  historical  memoranda  of  the 
press  in  our  State. 

Martin  informs  us  in  his  History  of  North 
Carolina  (vol.  II,  54)  that  a  printing  press  was, 
in  1749,  imported  into  the  Province,  and  set  up 
at  New  Berne,  by  James  Davis,  from  Virginia. 
This  was  greatly  needed,  for  from  the  want  of 
such  an  establishment  the  laws  were  in  manu- 
script, scarce,  defective  and  inaccuralte. 

The  first  book  printed  was  "  A  Revisal  of  the 
Laws,  by  Edward  Moseley  and  Samuel  Swan," 
and,  from  its  homely  binding,  was  familiarly 
known  as  Tlie  Yelloiu  Jacket.  A  copy  of  this 
edition  is  in  the  Library  of  Congress,  presented 


by  Hon.  Samuel  F.  Phillips.  MHien  the  Gov- 
ernment was  moved  from  New  Berne  to  Wil- 
mington, in  1764,  Andrew  Stuart  setup  apress" 
in  the  latter  town,  and  issued  the  fii'st  number 
of  the  North  Carolina  Gazette  and  Wecldij  Fost- 
Boy.  This  was  followed  by  the  Cape  Fear 
3Iercu7-y,  in  1769,  which  was  countenanced  and 
sustained  by  the  Committee  of  Safety,  but  dis- 
continued at  an  early  period  of  the  Revolution. 
It  was  in  this  paper  tbat  Gov.  Martin  first  saw, 
as  he  expressed  it,  "tlie  most  infamous  publi- 
cation of  a  set  of  people,  styling  tliemselves  a 
Committee  for  the  County  of  Mecklenburg,  most 
traitorously  declaring  the  entire  dissolution  of 
the  laws,  government  and  constitution  of  this 
country."  A  copy  of  this  jiaper  was  for- 
warded in  tiie  disjiatch  of  Gov.  Martin  to 
his  Government,  dated  20th  of  June,  1775, 
whicli  paper  was  withdrawn  for  Mr.  Stevenson 
on  the  15th  of  August,  1837,  and  has  since  never 
been  recovered.  There  was  no  newspaper  in  the 
State  from  this  date  until  the  28th  of  August, 
1783,  when  Robert  Keith  issued,  at  New  Berne, 
the  first  number  of  the  North  Carolina  Gazette, 
or  Impartial  Intelligencer  and  Weekly  General 
Advertiser.     This  was  followed  by  the  North 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


429 


Carolina  Gazette,  printed  by  F.  X.  Martin,  at 
New  Berne,  1794.  The  list  of  newspapers 
established  before  the  publication  of  the  Raleigh 
Ilegister,  by  Joseph  Gales,  in  1799,  may  be 
found  in  the  irniversitij  Magazine,  III,  46. 

The  family  of  Gales  came  from  Eckington^ 
England,  where  Joseph,  the  subject  of  ourpreij- 
ent  sketch,  was  born.  With  no  iiatriniony  save 
probity,  aided  by  capacity  and  industry,  he 
commenced  the  great  battle  of  life,  receiving  as 
good  an  education  as  the  country  afforded.  At 
the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  bound  for  a  term  of 
seven  years  to  the  trade  of  book-binding  and 
printing,  and  he  became  master  of  the  craft. 
He  married,  in  1784,  Winifred  Marshall^  daugh- 
ter of  John  Marshall,  of  Newarl*upon-Trent, 
and  established  himself  at  Sheffield,  Yorkshire, 
as  printer  and  publisher.  In  1787,  with  little 
capital,  but  with  what  is  more  valuable  than 
money,  "the  character  of  an  honest  and  in- 
dustrious business  man,"  he  issued  the  fii'st 
number  of  the  Sheffield  lieginter,  which,  by  its 
high  tone,  probity  of  purpose  and  ability,  had 
an  unprecedented  circulation.  "  His  lines  had 
fallen  in  pleasant  places,"  and  he  prospered. 
Tlie  happiness  of  his  domestic  circle  was  en- 
hanced by  the  birth  of  several  cliildren,  among 
them  were  Joseph,  born  at  Eckington,  April  10, 
1786,  died  at  Washington,  July,  1860,  and 
Sarah,  born  at  Shuffieldj  1789,  afterward  the 
wife  of  W.  W.  Seaton.  Mr.  Gales  was  aided, 
as  an  assistant  editor,  by  a  prepossessing  youth 
who  became  an  invaluable  friend,  and  finally  his 
successor  as  editor  of  his  journal.  -This  youth 
was  James  Montgomery,  tlie  poet. 

The  troubled  waves  of  tlie  Erench  Revolution 
reached  the  shores  of  England  and  excited  the 
whole  counJ:ry.  No  district  was  more  convulsed 
than  Sheffield.  Mr.  Gales  and  his  co-editor 
sympathized  with  the  cause  of  reform.  Riots 
took  place.  Dr.  Priestly's  house  was  attacked. 
Hamilton  Rowan  escaped  to  America,  as  did 
Priestly.  Emmet  was  hanged.  The  liaheas 
corpus  act  was  suspended.  Tiie  printing  of  an 
insurrectionary  letter  to  tlie  London  Club  was 
traced  to  Gales'  printing  office,  and  Mr.  Gales 
was  only  saved  from  arrest  and  the  jail  by  plac- 
ing the  German  ocean  between  him  and  his  per- 
secutors. He  safely  reached  Amsterdam  and 
went  tlience  to  Hamburg.  Tliere  he  was  joined 
by  liis  family,  and  in  Se[)tember,  1794,  they  em- 
barked for  America,  landing  in  Philadelphia, 
then  the  seat  of  Government.  Hero  the  steno- 
grajihic  skill  of  Mr.  Gales  found  ready  employ- 
ment^ as  tlie  art  of  short-hand,  in  whicli  Mr. 
Gales  was  well  versed,  was   then   almost   un- 


known in  the  United  States.  He  soon  purchased 
a  paper,  the  Independent  Gazetteer,  from  the 
widow  of  Col.  John  Oswald.  Years  of  pros- 
perity now  followed  the  dark  days  that  they  had 
passed.  Tliey  met  a  warm  welcome,  and  found 
many  of  their  old  English  friends,  as  Dr.  Priestly 
and  others,  refugees  from  oppression.  Tlie  yel- 
low fever,  in  1799,  again  visited  Philadelphia, 
and  Mrs.  Gales  was  one  of  the  victims.  Mr. 
Gales  yielded  to  the  inducements  presented  by 
some  of  the  members  of  Congress  from  North 
Carolina,  and  decided  to  remove  to  Raleigh.  He 
disposed  of  his  paper  to  Samuel  Harrison  Smith, 
who,  in  1800,  accompanied  the  Government  to 
Washington,  where  his  journal  was  rebaptized 
as  the  National  Intelligencer. 

With  the  characteristic  kindness  of  a  pure 
and  simple-hearted  people,  Mr.  Gales  found  a 
cordial  welcome  in  North  Carolina,  and  he  at  once 
established  a  journal,  reviving  the  name  and  motto 
of  the  one  with  which  he  had  fought  so  brave  a 
contest  in  Sheffield,  the  Raleigh  Register.  Here, 
at  this  kind  and  genial  cajiital  of  a  noble  old  com- 
monwealth, more  than  an  ordinary  lifetime  was 
passed,  tranquilly  and  liappily,  by  Mr.  Gales, 
who  enjoyed  in  its  lovely  climate  the  blessings 
of  health  and  the  respect  of  a  generous  com- 
munity. Surrounded  by  warm  friends  and  a 
family  of  affectionate  and  gifted  children,  the 
autumn  of  life  came  to  him  with  its  mellow  influ- 
ences, and  Mr.  Gales  sought  repose  from  the 
constant  labors  of  prolonged  and  active  employ- 
ment. Mr.  Gales  decided  to  remove  to  Wash- 
ington, where  his  son,  Joseph,  and  his  daughter, 
tlie  wife  of  Col.  Seaton,  resided,  to  spend  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  This  announcement  pro- 
duced some  excitement  in  the  place  where  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gales  had  so  long  resided,  and  were 
so  warmly  respected.  They  could  not  be  parted 
from  silently  and  without  emotion.  A  public 
dinner,  at  which  every  respectable  citizen  was 
present,  was  prepared,  and  over  which  Governor 
Swain  presided;  guests  i'rom  a  distance,  among 
them  Chief  Justice  Marsliall  and  Judge  Gaston, 
united  to  pay  tribute  in  expressions  of  respect 
and  affection  to  their  venerable  and  beloved 
friend. 

Governor  Swain,  in  his  address,  June  4, 1867, 
at  Raleigh,  on  the  erection  of  a  monument  to 
Jacob  Johnson,  fatlier  of  Andrew  Johnson, 
offers  this  grateful  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
Joseph  Gales  :  "The  venerable  Joseph  Gales 
was  the  senior  of  tlie  editorial  fraternity  in  years 
and  journalistic  experience.  No  one  that  knew 
him  ever  thinks  of  him  but  as  the  impersonifica- 
tion  of  kindness,  benevolence  and  charity.     His 


430 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


eldest  son,  Joseph  Gales,  jr.,  at  Washington, 
■was  joined  by  W.  W.  Seaton,who  had  married 
his  sister.  Col.  Seaton  had  edited  a  paper  at 
Ealeigh,  and  the  names  of  Gales  and  Seaton  were 
transferred  from  the  head  of  the  Register  to  the 
National  Intelligencer ,  the  Register  returning  to 
its  original  status,  witli  Joseph  Gales,  sr.,  as 
editor,  continued  the  assurance  so  familiar  to 
newspaper  readers  of  the  last  generation : 
'  Ours  are  the  plans  of  fair  delightful  j^eace,  im- 
warp't  by  party  rage,  to  live  like  brothers.'" 
Ealeigh  thus  gave  to  Washington  city  a  brace  of 
editors,  trained  in  tlie  office  of  the  Ealeigli  Reg- 
ister, who  published,  for  nearly  a  half  a  century, 
a  paper  that,  for  ability,  fairness,  courtesy,  dig- 
nity, purity  and  elegance  of  style,  was  pro- 
nounced by  a  competent  judge  to  compare  favor-- 
ably  with  the  London  Times,  and  certainly 
second  to  no  gazette  in  this  country." 

Joseph  Gales,  sr.,  came  to  Washington,  and 
in  liis  declining  years  found  congenial  occupa- 
tion for  his  generous  nature  in  managing  the 
affairs  of  the  African  Colonization  Society  ;  and 
surrounded  by  respect,  friendship  and  affection, 
were  the  last  days  of  Joseph  Gales  on  earth 
spent.  He  died  in  1841.  His  venerable  wife, 
whose  genius  had  aided  his  labors,  and  whose  in- 
telligence had  brightened  his  checkered  life,  had 
already  preceded  him  by  two  years  to  tlrat — 

"Bourne  from  whence  no  traveler  returns." 

The  Register  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  third 
son,  Weston  Ealeigh  Gales,  who  edited  it  until 
his  death,  July,  1848,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  Seaton  Gales,  born  1828,  died  1878,  whose 
premature  death  all  who  knew  him  so  deeply 
regret.  We  trust  a  short  sketch  of  him  will 
not  be  unacceptable  to  our  readers.  He  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Ealeigh,  May  17,  1828,  and 
graduated  at  the  University  in  June,  1848.  On 
the  death  of  his  father,  in  the  following  mouth, 
he  took  charge  of  the  Register,  and,  although 
only  twenty  years  of  age,  conducted  it  with 
ability  and  dignity. 

On  the  commencement  of  the  war  he  entered 
the  army,  and  served  four  years  as  Adjutant- 
General  of  a  brigade  in  Northern  Virginia,  and 
did  a  soldier's  duty  in  nearly  all  the  battles 
fought  by  that  army.  After  the  war  he  con- 
tinued his  editorial  duties,  and  was  associated 
from  1866  to  1869  with  Eov.  William  E.  Pell  in 
the  management  of  the  Ealeigli  Sentinel,  \\\nc\\ 
under  their  joint  efforts  acquired  great  popu- 
larity and  influence.  He  was  nominated  in 
1875  as  a  candidate  for  tlie  Convention  to  amend 
the    Constitution.      His   canvass  was  able,  elo- 


quent and  active;  but  his  party  was  defeated. 
As  an  orator  he  was  fluent,  ready,  and  eloquent ; 
and  as  a  lecturer,  instructive,  ])leasing,  and 
learned.  His  addresses  on  Odd-Fellowship,  in 
behalf  of  the  Oxford  Orphan  Asylum,  and  at 
Charlotte  on  the  Centennial  celebration,  were 
very  appropriate  and  exceedingly  graceful.  He 
was  appointed  Superintendent  of  the  Document 
Eoom  of  the  House  of  Ee])rescntatives  at  the 
opening  of  the  Forty-fifth  Congress,  which 
position  lie  held  at  the  time  of  his  sudden  and 
unexpected  death,  on  December  2,  1878.  He 
left  a  wife  and  children  to  mourn  their  irrepar- 
able loss. 

Henry  Seawell,  born  1772,  died  1835,  lived 
and  died  in  Ealeigli.  He  was  a  native  of  Frank- 
lin Count}^;  a  man  of  strong  native  intellect, 
but  of  little  education.  He  often  represented 
Wake  County  in  the  Legislature  ;  from  1790- 
1800,  1801-2,  1810-12  in  the  Commons  ;  and 
1821-26,  1831-32  in  the  Senate.  In  1810  he 
was  appointed  bjr  the  Governor  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts,  but  the  Legisla- 
ture did  not  ratify  the  appointment.  In  1813 
he  was  elected  tfudge,  which  he  resigned  in 
1819.  In  1832  he  was  again  elected  Judge, 
which  lie  held  until  his  deatli,  11th  October, 
1835.  About  1820  he  was  appointed  by  the 
President  one  of  the  Commissioners  under  the 
Treaty  with  Ghent.  He  married  the  daughter 
of  Colonel  John  Hinton,  and  left  a  large  family. 

A  few  men  of  the  State  were  better  known 
and  more  higlily  appreciated  as  an  advocate, 
judge,  statesman,  and  financier  than  Duncan 
Cameron,  born  1777,  died  1853.  He  was  a 
native  of  Mecklenburg  County,  Virginia.  Bishop 
Meade  in  his  work,  "Old  Churches,  Ministers, 
and  Families  in  Virginia,"  says:       » 

"This  family  was  ancient  and  liighly  respect- 
able. There  were  four  brothers  (two  of  them 
ministei's)  who  came  to  America  from  Scotland. 
Eev.  John  Cameron,  one  of  these,  succeeded 
Mr.  Craig.  He  was  educated  at  the  King's 
College,  at  Aberdeen.  His  first  charge  in 
America  was  St.  James'  Church,  in  Mecklen- 
burg County,  Virginia.  In  1784  he  went  to 
Petersburg,  and  after  spending  some  years  there 
he  went  to  Nottaway  Parish.  He  taught  school, 
and  was  made  Doctor  of  Divinity  by  the  Col- 
lege of  William  and  Mary.  As  a  teacher  he 
was  thorough  and  methodical,  stern  and  au- 
thoritative, but  he  made  good  scholars.  He 
continued  Eector  of  Cumberland  Parish  until 
his  death  in  1815.  His  successor  was  theEev.  Jno. 
Micklejohn,  whose  name  often  occurs'  in  North 
Carolina  history,  but  not  as  a  regular  minister. ' ' 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


431 


Rev.  John  Starke  Ravenscroft  succeeded  him, 
who  in  1823  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  the 
diocese  of  North  Carolina.  Dr.  Cameron  mar- 
ried Miss  Nash  in  Charlotte,  Virginia,  by  whom 
he  had  several  children,  who  inherited  his 
virtues,  piety  and  abilities.  Among  these  was 
the  distinguished  subject  of  our  present  sketchy 
who  was  born  in  Mecklenburg  County,  Virginia, 
in  1777.  He  studied  law  with  Paul  Carrington ; 
came  to  the  bar  of  North  Carolina  in  1798  and 
settled  in  Hillsboro',  and  there  commenced  the 
practice.  By  his  assiduity  and  acquirements  he 
soon  attained  fame  and  fortune.  In  1800  he 
was  appointed  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Conference, 
(then  the  court  of  last  jurisdiction,)  and  prepared 
and  published  the  reports  of  cases  decided  in 
that  court.  It  was  entitled,  "  Reports  of  Cases 
Determined  by  the  Judges  of  tire  Superior 
Courts  of  Law  and  Equity  of  the  State  of  North 
Carolina,  at  their  meeting  on  the  10th  June, 
1800,  held  jiursuant  to  an  act  of  Assembly  for 
settling  questions  of  law  and  equity  arising  in 
the  circuit,  by  Duncan  Cameron,  Attorney-at- 
Law,  Raleigh,  from  the  press  of  Hodge  &  Boylan, 
Printers  of  the  State,  1800."  This  was  an  octavo 
of  108  pages.  In  1804  this  court,  which  had 
been  styled  the  Court  of  Conference,  was  made 
a  court  of  record.  The  judges  were  required 
to  reduce  their  opinions  to  writing,  and  file 
them,  and  deliver  the  same  viva  voce  in  open 
court.  'The  following  year  (1805)  the  name 
was  changed  from  the  Court  of  Conference  to 
the  Supreme  Court,  and  converted  from  a  tem- 
porary to  a  permanent  tribunal.  Chief  Justice 
Taylor,  "the  Mansfield  of  North  Carolina;" 
Judge  Hall,  proverbial  for  integrity,  amiability 
and  sound  common  sense,  and  Judge  Henderson, 
who  in  genius,  judgment  and  power  of  fasci- 
nation iu  social  intercourse,  was  without  a  peer, 
were,  says  Governor  Swain,  the  three  Judges 
in  1822.  Francis  L.  Hawks  was  the  reporter, 
who  had  not  yet  attained  his  25th  year^  but  gave 
promise  of  that  distinction  he  afterward  attained 
in  another  sphere  as  a  brilliant  writer,  a  learned 
divine,  and  eloquent  speaker,  who  enjoyed  a 
higher  transatlantic  rejiutation  than  any  other 
American  in  the  line  of  his  profession.  Wil- 
liam Drew,  of  Halifax  County,  standing  on 
the  thin  partition  which  divides  great  wit 
and  phrensy,  was  Attorney-General.  Of  the  bar 
were  Wm.  Gaston,  facile  p^-inccjis,  Archibald 
Henderson,  Joseph  Wilson,  Judges  Murjdiey, 
Ruffin  and  Sea  well;  Hogg,  Mordecai,  Badger, 
Devereux  and  James  F.  Taylor.  In  1806,  1807, 
1812  and  1813  he  represented  Orange  County 
in    the  Plouse   of  Commons.     In  1814  he  was 


elected  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  vice  Ed- 
ward Harris  deceased,  which  he  resigned,  after 
presiding  with  satisfaction  to  the  bar  and  the 
country,  in  1816.  In  1819,  1822,  and  1823  he 
was  in  the  Senate  of  the  Legislature.  In  1819 
he  was  chosen  President  of  the  State  Bank.  His 
course  in  the  Legislature  was  marked  by  dig- 
nity, urbanity  and  patriotism — especially  in 
the  exciting  period  of  the  war  with  England  ; 
he  was  a  leading  and  unflinching  advocate  for 
its  active  prosecution.  He  was  the  devoted 
friend  of  internal  improvement,  and  of  all 
schemes  to  develop  the  resources  of  the  State, 
with  which  subject  no  one  was  more  familiar. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Internal  Im- 
provement, and  there  was  no  one  in  whose 
judgment  and  opinion  people  had  more  confi- 
dence and  respect. 

As  a  financier  he  was  unrivaled,  not  only  by 
the  clearness  of  his  judgment  as  from  the  in- 
tegrity of  his  character  and  the  proverbial  cau- 
tion of  the  race  from  which  he  3ame.  For 
years  he  presided  over  the  largest  banking  in- 
stitution of  the  State,  "  the  Bank  of  the  State  of 
North  Carolina,"  whose  aff'airs  lie  conducted  witli 
unparalleled  skill  and  success.  He  was  elected 
its  President  in  September,  1831,  and  resigned 
in  -January,  1840,  and  was  succeeded  by  the 
late  George  W.  Mordecai,  who  married  liis 
daughter.  In  private  life  he  was  a  sincere 
and  unslirinking  friend,  a  kind  neighbor, 
just  and  charitable.  .But,  yet  in  his  younger 
days  at  lea.st,  he  observed  the  advice  of  Polonins  : 

"Beware  of  entrance  into  (jiLarrcl, 
But  being  in,  so  bear  tliyself  that  the  opposer 
Will  beware  of  thee." 

About  1804  he  had  an  affair  of  honor  with 
William  Duffey,  Esq.,  in  which  Judge  Cam- 
eron was  wounded.  But  in  the  course  of  his 
long  life,  and  especially  its  close,  his  career  was 
marked  by  Christian  sincerity  and  benevolence, 
and  he  was  a  devoted  and  humble  member  of 
the  church.  He  married,  in  1803,  Rebecca, 
daugliter  of  Richard  Bennehan,  by  wliom  he 
had  several  children. 

Moses  Mordecai  was  a  native  of  Warren 
County,  and  the  eldest  of  the  large  and  talented 
family.  Pie  read  law  with  George  Fitts,  and 
settled  in  Raleigh,  and  became  one  of  the  most 
able  lawyers  of  tlie  State.  He  died  at  Raleigh 
at  an  early  age.     His  brotliers  were: 

Samuel,  studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Stephen 
Davis,  graduated  at  Pliiladelphia  and  moved 
to  Mobile,  wliere  he  acquired  lame  and  fortune. 

Alfred,  graduated  at  West  Point,  was  sent 


432 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


with  McClellan  to  Europe  to  report  upon  the 
improvements  in  warfare.  On  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Civil  War  he  resigned  his  commis- 
sion. 

George  W.  ,who  was  a  Lawyer,  President  of  the 
Raleigh  and  Gaston  Railroad,  and  also  of  the 
Bank  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina.  He  died 
a  few  years  ago  universally  respected  and  re- 
gretted. 

Edmund  B.  Freeman,  was  born  at  Falmouth, 
in  the  State  of  Massaclmsetts,  in  1795,  and 
died  in  1848.  In  1805  he  was  brought  to  this 
State  by  his  father,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Otis 
Freeman,  who  for  many  years  was  at  the  head 
of  many  classical  schools  of  a  high  character — 
as  Murf reesboro' ,  Salisbury,  and  elsewhere  Tlie 
son,  after  completing  his  education,  devoted^ 
himself  to  the  study  of  the  law,  and  after  due 
preparation  was  admitted  to  practice.  He,  liow- 
ever,  never  attended  much  to  ihe  profession. 
In  early  life  he  became  editor  of  the  Halifax 
Compiler,  a  paper  publislied  in  the  town  of 
Halifax.  About  the  year  1830  he  was  elected 
reading  clerk  of  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
continued  to  fill  that  office  by  successive  elec- 
tions ibr  several  years.  In  1835  he.  was  cliosen 
principal  clerk  to  the  Convention  which  was 
then  called  to  amend  the  Constitution  of  the 
State.  About  the  same  time  he  was  appointed 
deputy  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  con- 
tinued to  act  as  such,  with  a  short  intermission, 
until  the  death  of  his  principal,  John  L.  Hen- 
derson, Esq.,  in  1845.  He  was  then  appointed 
by  the  judges  principal  clerk  of  the  court,  and 
continued  in  the  office  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  July  3, 1848,  the  very  day  on  which 
the  court  itself  expired,  being  abolished  by  the 
adoption  of  the  new  Constitution.  As  clerk  of 
their  court,  the  judges  had  the  most  exalted 
opinion  of  Mr.  Freeman's  eminent  integrity  and 
capacity,  and  the  members  of  the  bar  with 
whom  he  was  brought  into  contact  and  close  re- 
lations had  not  only  the  most  implicit  confi- 
dence in  him,  and  regard  for  him,  as  an  officer, 
but  also  affection  for  him  as  a  man.  Indeed,  it 
has  been  truly  said  of  him  that  he  was  honest, 
competent  and  faithful  in  every  public  duty 
which  he  was  ever  called  upon  to  discliarge,  and 
that  in  all  the  relations  of  private  life  he  was 
kind-hearted,  generous  and  true.  He  was 
twice  married:  first  to  Miss  Mary  McK.  Stith, 
of  Halifax,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  and 
then  to  Mrs.  Foreman,  the  widow  of  Wm, 
Foreman,  of  Pitt  County,  who  died  many  years 
before  him,  without  leaving  any  children  by 
him.     His  only  child,  a  daughter,  married  Ham- 


den  S.  Smith,  Esq.,  of  Raleigh,  who  died  a  few 
years  ago,  leaving  his  widow  and  three  sons, 
who  are  still  living. 

We  should  do  injustice  to  merit  and  to  long 
and  faithful  public  service  were  we  not  to  record 
the  character  and  services  of  a  servant  of  the 
State,  William  Hill,  who  for  nearly  forty  years 
was  Secretary  of  State,  and  died  in  this  respon- 
sible position. 

William  Hill  was  born  in  Surry  (now  Stokes) 
County,  N.  C,  on  the  23d  of  September,  1173, 
and  died  in  Raleigh  on  the  29tli  of  October, 
1857,' being  eighty -four  years,  one  month  and 
six  days  old. 

Of  his  early  life  little  is  known  beyond  the 
few  brief  reminiscences  occasionally  narrated  by 
himself.  His  father,  who  removed  from  Caro- 
line County  J  Va.,  was  a  Baptist  minister,  a 
sterling  patriot  and  an  honest  man.  During 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  his  stirring  appeals 
stimulated  the  Whigs  of  this  section.  He  was 
Chaplain  in  the  American  army  at  the  battle  of 
Guilford  Court-house.  His  son  William  was 
then  about  eight  years  old,  and  he  well  I'ecol- 
lected  hearing  the  roar  of  the  artillery,  being 
only  four  miles  distant  from  the  field  of  battle. 
He  has  been  heard  to  relate  that  a  short  time 
prior  to  this  battle  a  band  of  Tories  called  at  his 
ftither's  house,  where  he  and  his  mother  were, 
and  inquired  for  his  father.  On  being  told  that 
he  was  not  at  home  they  departed,  avowmg  their 
intention  to  hang  him  if  they  found  him.  He 
had  incurred  their  hate  by  his  devotion  to  the 
patriot  cause.  He  was  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention that  met  at  Hillsboro'  in  August, 
1775,  to  improvise  a  system  of  government  for 
the  State.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife,  the 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was  Eliza 
Halbert.  She  was  a  native  of  Caroline  Count}'', 
Va. 

The  late  Secretary  had  in  youth  but  lim- 
ited educational  facilities.  He  followed  the  plow 
for  several  months  during  the  year  to  obtain 
money  sufficient  to  pay  his  tuition  at  school  the 
remainder  of  the  year.  At  the  early  age  of  six- 
teen he  taught  school,  thus  improving  his  mind 
while  he  earned  a  livelihood. 

In  the  month  of  July,  1795,  having  obtained 
a  letter  of  introduction  from  Major  Mark  Hardin, 
of  Chapel  Hill,  to  James  Glasgow,  then  Seci'e- 
taiy  of  State,  he  came  to  Raleigh  and  entered 
his  (Glasgow's)  office  as  a  clerk.  Associated 
with  him  in  the  like  capacity  was  William 
White,  Esq.,  who  succeeded  Glasgow  in  office 
in  1798.  He  continued  in  the  same  position 
under  Secretary  White   until  about  January, 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


433 


1803,  when  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Col.  John  Geddy.  Col.  Geddy 
was  astauuch  Whig.  Pie  was  captured  hy  the 
British  and  imprisoned  for  a  long  time  in 
Charleston.  S.  C.  He  was  a  memherof  the  first 
convention  of  the  peojale  held  in  the  State  on  tlie 
25th  of  August,  1174,  at  New  Berne  ;  also  of 
the  convention  held  at  Hillsboro'  on  the  21st 
of  August,  1775  ;  and  he  represented  Halifax 
County  in  the  State  Legislature  from  1774  to 
1835. 

A  son  and  four  daughters,  all  now  living, 
were  the  fruits  of  this  marriage.  His  wife  died 
on  February  14,  1833.  A  short  time  after  his 
marriage  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
at  Haywood,  Cliatliara  County,  where  he  re- 
mained but  a  short  time,  returning  to  Raleigh 
during  the  year  1804.  Here,  for  a  while,  he  fol- 
lowed the  same  pursuit,  at  Richard  Smith's  old 
stand,  Mr.  Smith  being  then  his  clerk.  At  the 
session  of  the  Legislature  of  1804-5  he  was  ap- 
pointed Magistrate  for  Wake  County.  At  the 
Fehruary  term  of  the  court  of  pleas  and  quar- 
ter sessions  in  the  year  1806,  he  was  elected 
Register  of  the  County  ;  and  at  February  term, 
1807,  he  was  elected  County  Court  Clerk,  which 
office  he  held  until  he  was  elected  Secretary  of 
State  in  November,  1811,  succeeding  William 
White,  who  died  in  October,  1811. 

In  the  year  1834  or  1835  he  again  married. 
His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Frances  C.  Blount, 
relict  of  Joseph  Blount,  Esq.,  of  Chowan 
County.  Her  maiden  name  was  Connor.  She 
is  a  lineal  descendant  from  Jolm  Archdale,  a 
Quaker,  who  succeeded  Philip  Ludwell  as  Gov- 
ernor of  Carolina  in  the  year  1694.  By  this 
marriage  there  was  no  issue. 

At  the  burning  of  the  old  Capitol  in  1831, 
Mr.  Hill  succeeded,  by  strenuous  efforts,  in  })re- 
serying  tlie  records  of  his  office,  and  had  them 
removed  to  what  is  now  the  site ,of  the  Deaf  and 
Dumb  Asylum.  By  laboring  incessantly  he 
succeeded  in  arranging  all  his  papers  before  the 
meeting  of  the  Legislature. 

He  held  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State, 
through  all  tlie  mutations  of  party,  to  the  day  of 
his  deatli. 

Mr.  Hill  joined  the  M.  E.  Church  in  1811, 
when  Bishops  Asbury  and  McKendree  preaclied 
in  the  old  State-house.  He  was  baptized  pri- 
vately, by  immersion.  There  was  'then  no 
church  huilding  in  Raleigh.  The  first  church 
built  here  was  that  of  Rev.  Mr.  Gleudening,  a 
Unitarian,  and  tlie  building  is  now  used  as  a 
shop.  It  is  situated  on  Hargett  street,  near  the 
shop  of  David  Royster,.sr.     The  next  church 


was  the  Presbyterian,  and  the  next  the  Metho- 
dist. The  only  person  now  living  in  Raleigh 
who  joined  the  church  with  Mr.  Hill  is  Wesley 
Whitaker,  sr. 

Many  years  ago  he  journeyed  to  Tennessee, 
then  an  almost  unhroken  forest.  At  that  time 
it  was  a  perilous  undertaking.  Robberies  were 
by  no  means  uncommon,  and  Indian  outrages 
were  of  frequent  occurrence.  The  passage  of  the 
mountains,  too,  was  fraught  with  danger,  as 
there  were  but  few  roads,  and  they  almost  im- 
passable. While  there  he  met  a  widow  lady 
with  an  inl'ant,  left  by  her  husband's  deatli  in  a 
land  of  strangers,  friendless  and  alone.  She 
was  endeavoring  to  make  her  way  back  to  her 
relatives  in  Carolina.  Obedient  to  the  generous 
impulses  of  his  nature  he  endeavored  to  secure 
her  comfort  and  to  shield  her  as  far  as  he  could 
from  the  iiardships  incident  to  the  journey,  h-e- 
qucntly  carrying  her  infant  for  hours  in  his 
arms.  In  1811,  when  a  candidate  for  tlie  office 
he  so  long  and  worthily  filled,  he  was  o])posed 
hy  a  gentleman  of  deserved  poi)ularity  and  pow- 
erful i'amily  influence.  Twice  they  received  each 
an  equal  number  of  votes.  Several  members  of 
the  Legislature  were  confined  to  theii'  rooms  by 
sickness,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  visit 
them  and  obtain  their  votes.  One  of  these  gen- 
tlemen, a  brother  of  the  widow  above  mentioned, 
hut  an  entire  stranger  to  Mr.  Hill,  recollected 
hearing  his  sister  speak  of  the  kindness  shown 
her  liy  iiim,  and  cast  his  vote,  on  that  account, 
for  William  Hill.  That  one  vote  secured  his 
electiiin. 

Mr.  Hill  had  two  brothers,  one  of  whom  is 
still  living.  The  other  was  at  the  battle  of  the 
Hor.se  Shoe,  under  Gen.  Jackson,  and  was  called 
by  the  Indians  "Captain  Big  John  Hill."  He 
has  been  dead  several  years. 

In  conclusion  we  apiiend  an  article,  published 
several  years  ago  in  the  Asheville  Messenger,  and 
supposed  to  have  been  written  by  the  late  Gen. 
John  G.  Bynum : 

"  William  Hill— Secretary  of  State.  Perhaps 
there  is  not  a  gentleman  in  North  Carolina  who 
has  held  office  as  long,  or  given  as  general  satis- 
faction to  tiie  whole  State  through  its  represen- 
tatives and  private  business  intercourse,  as  the 
one  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  ar- 
ticle. James  Glasgow  was  the  first  Secretary 
of  the  State  of  North  Carolina  after  the  declara- 
tion of  Independence.  He  held  that  office  until 
1798,  and  was  succeeded  by  William  White, 
who  held  it  till  removed  by  death  in  1811,  when 
the  present  Secretary  took  possession  of  an  office 


434 


WPIEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


that  he  has  held  without  interruption  over  forty 
years  ;  ever  faithful,  ever  at  his  post.  Mr.  Hill 
was  born  in  Surry  County,  on  Dan  River,  in 
1773,  we  believe;  his  father  was  a  Baptist,  and  was 
first  recommended  to  consideration  by  a  letter 
(now  in  the  Secretary's  office)  from  Mark 
Hardin  to  Glasgow.  Amid  all  the  changes  of 
political  strife,  the  contention,  ascendency  and 
overthrow  of  parties  in  the  State,  and  the 
consequent  scrambling  for  office,  the  finger  of 
proscription  has  never  been  applied  to  our  now 
venerable  citizen  and  faithful  public  servant.  In 
glancing  at  the  order  in  which  he  has  the  books 
and  papers  pertaining  to  his  office  arranged, 
while  paying  him  a  visit  in  June  last,  we  were 
struck  with  the  order,  precision  and  methodical 
arrangeraentof  everything  belonging  to  this  im- 
portant public  office.  After  years  of  labor,  he 
has  just  completed  the  arrangement  of  every 
book  and  i)aper  in  his  office  in  alphabetical  order. 
He  begins  with  tlie  counties  commencing  at  A 
and  going  through,  then  he  takes  up  the  names 
in  the  same  order  ;  then  in  the  file  of  his  papers, 
he  takes  ujj  the  years  beginning  with  the  first 
records  at  1694.  The  counties  are  an-anged 
from  1735,  and  State  papers  from  1776.  A  refer- 
ence may  be  now  had  by  him  to  anything  per- 
taining to  the  history  of  the  State  and  the  Col- 
ony that  has  been  preserved,  in  a  moment's 
time,  for  the  last  150  years,  now  shrouded  in  the 
gloom  of  by-gone  days,  and  many  and  singular 
and  woeful  are  the  musty  records  that  are  now 
imprisoned  and  speechless  upon  liis  shelves. 
The  first  grants  given  by  the  State  of  North 
Carolina  were  dated  in  1777.  Mr.  Hill  is  now 
in  a  green  old  age,  and  little  to  hope  from  the 
jjleasures  of  this  fleeting  world  more  than  that 
consciousness,  which  is  of  more  value  than  gold, 
of  having  honestly  and  faithfully  performed  his 
part  upon  the  stage  of  human  action,  with  an 
eye  single  to  truth,  honesty  and  the  glory  of  his 
God. 

"His  probation  upon  the  confines  of  this 
earth  is  fast  approaching  that  point  '  where  the 
good  man  meets  his  fate,  and  evinces  to  the 
world  the  excellence  of  religion  and  tlie  blissful 
reward  of  a  virtuous  and  consistent  course  of 
conduct.  Such  men  are  a  blessing  to  the  world 
in  life,  glorify  their  Creator  in-  death,  and  leave 
the  world  the  better  for  having  lived  in  it,  and 
their  friends  '^not  without  hope.'  Mr.  Hill  has 
long  been  a  faithful  attendant,  a  sincere  wor- 
shiper and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church.  Long  may  lie  live  to  adorn  her 
communion,  and  spread  abroad  in  society  the 
sweet  influences  of  virtue,  honor  and  religion. 


and  when    he  dies  may  his  exit  be  calm,  tri- 
umphant and  peaceful,  for — 

'  Death  is  the  crown  of  life  ; 
AVere  deatli  denied,  poor  man  would  live  in  vain. 
Death  wounds  to  cure  ;  wo  fall,  we  rise,  we  reign, 
Spring;  from  our  fetters,  hasten  to  the  skies, 
Where  bloomino;  Eden  withers  from  our  sight. 
The  King  of  Terrors  is  the  Prince  of  Peace.'  " 

His  son.  Dr.  William  G.  Hill,  was  long  a 
resident  in  Raleigh,  and  much  respected  as  a 
generous  and  kind  friend  and  skillful  physician. 
He  died  a  few  years  since  universally  esteemed. 
His  son,  Theophilus  H.  Hill,  is  named  among 
"  the  Living  Writers  of  the  Soutli,"  by  James 
Wood  Davidson,  A.  M.,  1869.  He  is  also  a  na- 
tive of  tlie  vicinity  of  Raleigh,  born  1836.  He 
is  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and  at  one  time  edited 
the  Spirit  of  the  Age.  He  wrote  verses  early  in 
life,  always  under  impulse  or  inspiration,  with- 
out system  or  object.  A  small  volume  of  Mr. 
Hill's  production  appeared  in  1861,  entitled 
"  Hesper  and  other  Poems,"  full  of  fire,  ir- 
regular, hasty  and  crude.  His  later  poems, 
Narcissus,  A  Gangese  Dream,  The  Pit  and  the 
Pendulum  and  Sunset,  give  proof  of  the  poetic 
genius  he  possesses,  when  regulated  by  study 
and  system.  Rev.  Dr.  Craven,  the  President  of 
Trinity  College,  pronounces  The  Song  of  the 
Butterfly  one  of  the  finest  of  tliis  kind  of  poetry 
in  the  English  language.  Much  may  be  hoped 
in  the  future  of  Mr.  Hill.  The  critic  in 
"The  Living  Writers  of  the  South,"  on  Mr. 
Hill's  productions,  says  that  he  has  been  too  care- 
less of  the  gift  he  possesses,  trusting  too  much 
to  the  inspiration  of  genius,  rather  than  to  re- 
flection and  study  ;  that  there  is  sometliing  of 
the  moody  style  of  Poe  and  not  enough  of  cheer- 
ful romance  is  his  poems. 

Mrs.  Betty  M.  Zimmerman  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Meredith,  an  eminent  divine  of  the  Ba})tist  de- 
nomination, and  who  resided  near  Raleigh,  ed- 
itor of  the  Baptist  Hecorder.  Some  years  ago 
she  married  R.  P.  Zimmerman,  of  Georgia.  For 
several  years  she  resided  in  Augusta,  but  the 
shadow  of  death  there  fell  upon  her  life  and 
clouded  its  brightness,  for  tliero  sleeps  her  boy, 
to  whom  she  alludes  in  the  beautiful  jioems. 
Three  Years  in  Heaven  and  Christmas  Tears. 
Since  the  war  she  has  lived  in  Atlanta.  Her 
writings  'display  genius  and  taste,  and  with 
study  and  application  she  would  rank  among 
the  best  of  "The  Female  Writers  of  the  South." 

Andrew  Johnson,  born  1808,  died  1875,  was 
a  native  of  Raleigh.  He  presents  a  notable  in- 
stance of  a  man  rising  from  the  humblest  ranks 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


435 


of  society,  reared  in  ignorance  and  indigence, 
who  by  integrity,  energy  and  perseverance  at- 
tained the  highest  positions  of  honor  and  dis- 
tinction. His  father,  Jacob  Jolmson,  lived  and 
died  in  Raleigh  ;  his  death  was  hastened  by 
exertions  in  saving  the  life  of  a  friend  from 
drowning. 

In  the  Raleigh  Stay-  of  January  12,  1812, 
the  following  obituary  notice  appeared  : 

"Died,  in  this  city  on  Saturday  last,  Jacob 
Johnson,  who  for  many  years  occupied  an  hum- 
ble but  useful  station.  He  was  the  city  con- 
stable, sexton  and  porter  to  the  State  Bank. 
In  his  last  illness  he  was  visited  by  the  princi- 
pal inhabitants  of  the  city,  by  all  of  whom  he 
was  esteemed  for  liis  honesty,  sobriety,  industry, 
and  his  humane,  friendly  disposition.  Among 
all  by  whom  he  was  known  and  esteemed, 
none  lament  him,  except  perhaps  his  own 
relatives,  more  than  the  publisher  of  this  paper, 
for  he  owes  his  life  on  a  particular  occasion  to 
the  kindness  and  humanity  of  Johnson." 

His  son  Andrew  was  left  an  orphan  at  a  ten- 
der ago.  He  was  apprenticed  to  a  tailor,  and 
worked  at  tlie  trade  until  he  was  seventeen  years 
old.  He  never  had  the  advantages  of  school. 
It  is  said  that  he  was  taught  to  read  by  his  wife, 
but  this  is  doubtful.  He  told  me  tliat  he  was 
when  a  boy  delighted  to  hear  Dr.  William  G. 
Hill  read,  as  he  often  did,  to  tlie  boys  at  work 
from  the  speeches  of  Burke,  Pitt  and  others 
from  the  Columbian  Orator,  but  he  did  not 
know  a  letter  of  the  alphabet.  Dr.  Hill,  see- 
ing the  interest  he  took  in  the  book,  gave  the 
book  to  him.  T!iis  was  the  first  book  he  ever 
owned,  and  from  this  book,  by  application  and 
industry,  he,  unaided  by  any  one,  learned  to 
read.  He  felt  the  importance  of  knowledge  and 
resolved — 

"  With  such  jewels 
As  tlie  aspiring  luiiid  brings  from  tlie  caves  of  knowledge 
To  win  his  ransom  from  those  twin  jailers  of  tlie  daring 

heart, 
Low  birth  and  iron  fortune." 

And  in  this  fearful  and  unequal  contest  his 
efforts  were  successful.  He  moved  to  Greenville, 
Tennessee,  and  married ;  here  his  conduct 
was  so  exemplary  that  in  1830  he  was  chosen 
mayor  of  the  place  ;  in  1835  he  was  elected  to 
the  State  Legislature,  and  from  1843  to  18.53 
was  a  Representative  in  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States.  "Here,"  says  Forney  of  the 
Press,  in  his  flowing,  expressive  style,  "we 
knew  him  well,  a  calm,  quiet  man,  usually, 
who  bore  the  reputation  among  the  members  of 
being  too  radical  and  fond  of  impracticable   re- 


forms.    But   when  roused  he  was  impetuous, 
rash  and  dogmatic.     He  took  no  advice  from  any 
one,  neither  from  the  precepts  of  history  nor  the 
examples  before   him.     He   never   yielded   his 
opinions  or  condescended  to   explain   them,  or 
ask  other  persons  for  their  opinion.   He  seemed  to 
delight  in  alarming  the  timid  or  irresolute   by 
the  rapid  advance  of  his  theories  and  ultraisms. ' ' 
His  land  system  and  judiciary  reforms  were  so 
ultra  to  them  that    it    was    predicted    that  he 
would  be  shipwrecked  in  the  storm  he  had  him- 
self evoked,  and  swallowed  up  by  the  waves  of 
radicalism.     But  he  knew  the  workings  of  the 
popular  tide  intimately  and  thoroughly.    The 
storm  came  upon  him  and  his   oj^ponents.     It 
elevated  him  and  crushed  them  forever.     The 
people  had  confidence   in    him,   for  he   sprung 
from  the  people — they  "loved  him  because   he 
first  loved   them."     In    1853  they    nominated 
him  for  Governor  (when  the  State  liad  first  been 
carried  by  the  Whigs  against  General  Pierce) 
in  opposition  to  Gustavus  A.    Henry,  an  able, 
active  and  practiced  statesman,  whose  eloquence 
won  for  him  the  title  of  "  The  Eagle    Orator," 
yet,  with  tliese  odds,  Johnson  fearlessly  entered 
the  field,  and  by  argumentand  truth  overcame  the 
elegant  and  ornate  Henry.     But  the  campaign 
of  1855  was  most  critical  in  the   political  wars 
of  Governor  Johnson,  as  it  was  the  most  impor- 
tant.    The  canvass  commenced  with  the  meteoric 
advent  of  tlie  American  party  which  was  visible 
in    the    political  horizon.     It    had  just  begun 
its  career  of  unparalleled  and  brilliant  success, 
and  had  swept  within  its  orbit  men  of  all  par- 
ties and  of  all  principles.     This  new  organiza- 
tion, called  "  the  Know  Nothing  party,"  a  most 
appropriate  name,  was  so  called  from  tlie  secrecy 
and  mystery  of  its  rites,    binding    its    votaries 
by  oath  to  oppose  the  election  of  all  foreigners 
and  Catholics,  and  to  so  amend  the  Constitution 
that  all  foreigners  should  remain  for    twenty- 
one  years,  after  reaching  this   country,  before 
they  should  be  permitted  to  vote.     Never  did  a 
task  appear  more  hopeless  than  any  opposition  to 
this  powerful  and  progressive  party.     Yet  John- 
son buckled  on  his  armor  for  the  fray — the  more 
formidable  tlie   advance    tlxe   heavier    was  his 
resistance  and  the  heavier  were  his  blows.    The 
election  of  Mr.   Gentry,  his  opponent,   seemed 
so  certain  that  Johnson's  friends  invited  him 
to  withdraw,  or  at  least  begged  him  to  be  more 
moderate  in  liis  declamation  and  less  hostile  and 
aggressive  in  his  attacks.     But  he  spurned  their 
timid  counsel,    and   opened   his   campaign   by 
heavy  and  stalwart  blows,  which  fell  heavier  as 
the  contest  thickened  ;  victory  perched  on  John- 


436 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


son's  banner,  and  ho  obtained  a  triumphant 
majority.  In  1857  he  was  elected  a  Senator  of 
the  United  States,  which  he  resigned  in  1862  on 
being  appointed  Military  Governor  of  Tennes- 
see. These  were  troublous  and  perilous  times, 
but  Governor  Johnson  bore  himself  as  became 
a  man  of  courage  and  discretion.  In  1864  he 
was  elected  Vice-President,  and  on  the  death  of 
Lincoln  (April  15,  1865,)  he  became  President 
of  the  United  States.  His  course  as  President 
did  not  please  the  dominant  party,  and  on  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1868,  the  House  of  Representatives 
adopted  resolutions  of  impeachment,  founded 
chieily  on  alleged  misconduct  under  the  ten- 
ure-ot-office  act.  He  was  tried  by  the  Senate, 
organized  as  a  high  court  of  impeachment,  and 
acquitted.  After  his  term  as  President  expired 
he  returned  to  his  home  in  Tennessee,  and  was 
elected  again  Senator  in  Congress  for  the  term 
commencing  1875,  and  sat  during  the  extra 
session.  He  died  soon  after  this  at  his  residence, 
July  31,  1875.  The  verdict  of  the  country  was 
that  he  was  an  honest  and  remarkable  man. 

Three  brothers,  Joel,  Joseph  and  Jesse  Lane, 
removed  from  the  County  of  Halifax,  on  the  Roa- 
noke, more  than  one  hundred  years  ago,  to 
Wake  County,  (formed  1770,)  then  Johnston, 
(1746.)  Colonel  Joel  Lane  built  on  Hillsboro' 
street,  in  Raleigh,  the  residence  of  the  late 
Wm.  Boylan,  and  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  and 
best  known  of  these  brothers.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Provincial  Council,  whicli  met  at 
Hillsboro'  August  21,  1775.  The  General 
Assembly  in  June,  1781,  met  at  his  house; 
Colonel  Lane  was  at  this  time  Senator  from 
Wake,  and  continued  to  represent  the  County 
up  to  the  date  of  his  death  in  1795.  On  April  4, 
1792,  he  conveyed  one  thousand  acres  of  land 
to  the  State  immediately  contiguous  to  his  resi- 
dence, at  Wake  Court  House,  upon  which  the 
City  of  Raleigh  now  stands.* 

General  Joseph  Lane,  Governor  Henry  S. 
Lane,  Senator  and  Governor  of  Indiana,  and 
the  late  George  W.  Lane,  Judge  of  United  States 
Court  of  Alabama,  were  cousins,  the  grandsons 


*TIie  coniuiissionors  to  whom  this  conveyance  was  made 
were  Frederick  Hargett,  Willie  Jones,  Joseph  McDowell, 
Thomas  Blount,  Wm.  Johnson  Dawson  and  Jas.  Martin. 
The  place  was  fixed  by  an  ordinance  of  the  convention 
that  met  at  Hillsboro'  August,  1788.  The  corner  stone 
of  the  State  House  was  laid  in  December,  1792,  and  in 
December,  1794,  the  General  Assembly  met  in  it  for  the 
first  time.  It  was  consumed  by  accidental  tire  on  June 
21, 1S31,  and  on  July  4,  1833,  the  corner  stone  of  the  pres- 
ent State  House  was  laid.  The  first  Legislature  of  North 
Carolina  met  at  the  house  of  Eichard  Sanderson,  on  Lit- 
tle River,  in  Perquimans  County,  in  1715.  Up  to  this 
time  the  Legislature  had  uo  local  habitation. 


of  Jesse  and    great    nephews   of  Colonel    Joel 
Lane. 

Joseph  Lane  was  born  in  Buncombe  County, 
North  Carolina,  on  December  14,  1801.  In 
1804  his  father  migrated  to  the  West,  and 
settled  in  Henderson  County,  Kentucky. 
Thence,  in  tlie  year  1816,  iiis  son  went  into 
Warwick  County,  Indiana,  where  he  became  a 
clerk  in  a  mercantile  house,  a  position  in  which 
he  remained  some  years.  Having  married  and 
fixed  his  abode,  as  he  then  thought,  for  life,  in 
Vanderburgh  County,  young  Lane  soon  gained 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people,  and  at 
the  election  of  1822  was  chosen  by  the  voters 
of  that  County  and  Warwick  a  member  of  the 
Indiana  Legislature.  He  was  barely  eligible 
when  he  took  his  seat,  and  though  at  that  early 
age  "a  man  of  family,"  he  seems,  from  the 
accounts  of  his  contemporaries,  to  have  pre- 
sented at  his  entrairce  into  public  life  the  appear- 
ance of  quite  a  juvenile  legislator.  Hon.  Oliver 
H.  Smith,  for  several  years  a  United  States 
Senator,  and  a  political  opponent  of  General 
Lane,  in  a  work  recently  published,  thus  de- 
scribed his  ai>pearance  at  tiie  opening  of  the 
Legislature,  of  which  body  he  himself  was  also 
a  new  member :  "The  roll  calling  jjrogressed 
as  I  stood  by  the  side  of  tlie  clerk.  '  The 
County  of  Vanderburgh  and  Warwick,'  said  the 
clerk.  I  saw  advancing  a  slender,  freckled-faced 
boy,  in  appearance  eighteen  or  twenty  years  of 
age.  I  marked  his  step  as  he  came  up  to  my 
side,  and  have  often  noticed  his  air  since ;  it 
was  General  Lane,  of  Mexican  and  Oregon 
fame  in  after  years." 

Tlie  youthful  representative  of  Vanderburgh 
and  Warwick  was  subsequently  frequently  re- 
elected by  the  voters  of  tiiose  Counties,  and  con- 
tinued to  serve  them,  at  intervals  ol'  one  or  two 
years,  in  one  or  the  other  branch  of  the  Legis- 
lature, from  the  year  1822  to  1846,  a  period  of 
twenty-four  years.  To  anyone  who  knows  the 
fidelity  of  General  Lane  to  the  higli  and  re- 
sponsible public  trusts  confided  to  him,  it  is 
needless  to  say,  that  as  a  member  of  the  Indiana 
Legislature  he  was  vigilant,  active  and  efficient. 
Tenacious  of  tlie  rights  and  zealous  to  promote 
the  interests  of  his  constituents,  he  was  at  the 
same  time  just  and  liberal  in  his  views  on  all 
questions  affecting  the  riglits  and  interests  of 
other  portions  of  the  State.  At  a  time  when  it 
was  thought  that  Indiana,  over-burdened  with 
debt,  would  be  compelled  to  repudiate,  lie 
labored  untiringly  to  save  the  State  from  tliis 
deep  disgrace,  and  iiad  the  satisfaction  at  last 
of    seeing   his    efforts   crowned   with   success. 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


437 


Always  capable  of  expressing  his  views  clearly 
and  forcibly  on  every  subject  of  legislation, 
General  Lane  justly  thought  tliat  too  miicli  of 
the  time  of  all  legislative  bodies  was  consumed 
in  idle  and  unprofitable  debate.  He  accordingly 
did  not  obtrude  his  opinions  on  the  body  of 
which  he  was  a  member,  on  all  occasions, 
whether  suitable  or  unsuitable  ;  but  strove  to 
discharge  his  legislative  duties  in  a  way  which, 
if  not  quite  so  ostentatious,  he  well  knew  was 
far  more  creditable  to  himself  and  useful  to  his 
constituents. 

An  ardent  supporter  of  the  administration  of 
General  Jackson  and  Martin  Van  Buren  as  long 
as  the  latter  followed  "in  the  footsteps  of  his 
illustrious  predecessor,"  General  Lane  took  an 
active  part  in  the  struggles  between  the- Demo- 
cratic and  old  Whig  parties,  and  by  his  great 
weight  of  character  and  frequent  and  laborious 
canvassing,  he  infused  a  spirit  like  liis  own  into 
the  Democracy  of  his  State. 

In  the  spring  of  1846  tlie  war  commenced 
between  tlie  United  States  and  Mexico,  and  a  call 
was  made  upon  Indiana  for  volunteers.  Among 
the  first  to  respond  to  this  call  was  Joseph  Lane. 
Without  waiting  for  a  commission  from  the 
President,  regardless  of  every  consideration  of 
self  interest  or  self  aggrandizement,  looking 
only  to  the  fact  that  his  country  required  his 
services,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Captain 
Walker's  company,  Second  Regiment  of  Indiana 
Volunteers.  His  fellow-soldiers,  however,  had 
no  idea  of  jDermitting  to  remain  in  the  ranks 
one  whom  nature  had  so  obviously  endowed 
with  the  qualities  of  a  commander.  He  was 
accordingly,  on  the  comi)letion  of  tlie  regiment, 
unanimously  elected  Colonel.  Soon  after,  on 
the  recommendation  of  the  Indiana  delegation 
in  Congress,  and  without  any  solicitation  on  his 
part.  President  Polk  sent  him  a  commission  of 
Brigadier-General . 

The  first  service,  if  service  it  can  be  called, 
required  of  General  Lane,  after  his  arrival  in 
Mexico  was  extremely  irksome  and  disagreeable. 
Stationed  by  order  of  the  commanding-general, 
with  his  brigade,  in  a  swamp  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  lie  was  comjielled  to  remain 
inactive  several  months.  Here,  under  the 
swelting  heats  of  a  tropical  sun,  his  troops  were 
decimated  by  the  diseases  peculiar  to  that 
pestilential  climate.  He,  himself,  was  almost 
the  only  man  belonging  to  the  brigade  who  was 
not  prostrated  at  some  period  during  their 
long  confinement  on  that  fatal  spot.  At  length 
the  welcome  order  came  to  advance  to  Saltillo, 
of  which  place,  on  his  arrival,  he  was  appointed 


by  General  Butler  civil  and  military  Governor. 
Here,  however,  he  was  not  long  permitted  to 
remain,  being  ordered,  with  his  command,  after 
the  battle  of  Monterey,  to  join  General  Tavlor. 

On  February  22  and  23,  1847,  was  fought 
the  great  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  which  in  noth- 
ing, save  the  number  of  the  combatants,  falls 
shoit  of  the  most  famous  of  modern  times. 
Tlie  disposition  of  the  American  troops  by  the 
commanding-general  was  such  that,  during  the 
engagement,  the  brigade  of  General  Lane  was 
in  tlie  hottest  of  the  fight  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end.  The  hostile  operations  of  tlie  op- 
posing armies,  resulting  in  the  great  battle  of 
the  23d,  commenced  on  the  heights  around 
Buena  Vista  on  the  22d.  On  the  afternoon  of 
that  day,  the  Mexican  lines  being  sufficiently 
advanced,  a  shell  thrown  from  a  howitzer,  by 
order  of  Santa  Anna,  was  the  signal  for  the 
attack.  Immediately  a  heavy  fire,  in  continued 
rolling  volleys,  was  opened  by  the  Mexican  light 
troops  under  Ampudia,  upon  the  American 
skirmisliers  on  the  opposite  ridge  of  the  moun- 
tain. The  Americans  replied  with  spirit,  and 
the  firing  was  kept  up  with  much  animation  on 
both  sides,  but  without  any  definite  result, 
until  darkness  put  an  end  to  the  combat,  and 
botli  parties  retired,  to  await  a  renewal  of  the 
strife  on  a  more  extended  scale  on  the  following 
day. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23d  the  battle  was  re- 
newed, and  raged  with  the  greatest  fury  through- 
out the  day.  The  first  movement  of  Santa  Anna 
was  to  turn  the  left  flank  of  the  Americans. 
Four  companies,  under  Major  Gorman,  were  de- 
spatched by  Gen.  Lane  to  intercept  this  move- 
ment. Soon  after,  three  companies  of  the  Second 
Illinois,  and  three  of  Marshall's  Kentucky  regi- 
ments, were  sent  to  Gorman's  assistance.  While 
these  troops  were  engaged  with  the  enemy  on 
the  brow  of  the  mountain,  a  large  body  of  Mexi- 
cans, six  thousand  strong,  advanced  to  the  plain, 
toward  the  position  held  by  Gen.  Lane.  He  im- 
mediately formed  his  little  band,  now  reduced 
to  400  men,  into  line,  to  receive  the  onset  of 
this  immense  force.  Hardly  was  this  movement 
completed  when  the  Mexicans  opened  a  tre- 
mendous fire  from  their  entire  line,  which  was 
returned  by  the  Americans  with  promptness  and 
good  effect.  "Nothing,"  says  an  eye-witness, 
"could  exceed  the  imposing  and  fearful  appear- 
ance of  the  torrent  of  assailants,  which,  at  this 
moment,  swept  along  toward  the  little  band  of 
Lane.  The  long  lines  of  infantry  delivered 
a  continued  and  unbroken  sheet  of  fire.  But 
their  opponents,  though  few  in  number,  were 


438 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


undismayed,  and  defended  tlieir  position  with  a 
gallantry  worthy  of  the  highest  praise.  Several 
times  I  observed  the  Mexican  lines,  galled  hy 
the  American  musketry,  and  shattered  by 
the  fearful  discharges  from  O'Brien's  batter}^, 
break  and  fall  back,  but  their  successive  forma- 
tions beyond  the  ridge  enabled  them  to  force 
the  men  back  to  their  position,  and  quickly  re- 
place those  who  were  slain." 

Thus  commenced  the  battle  on  the  plain  of 
Buena  Vista  on  the  morning  of  the  23d,  and 
continued  to  rage  with  unabated  fury  and  vary- 
ing success  to  that  close  of  that  memorable  and 
eventful  day.  In  proportion  to  the  violence  and 
impetuosity  of  the  assaults  of  the  Mexicans  on 
the  American  lines,  was  the  steady  and  unshaken 
firmness  with  which  those  assaults  were  received. 
If  at  any  time  a  regiment,  overcome  by  superior 
numbers,  was  compelled  to  give  way,  another 
quickly  advanced  to  the  rescue,  drove  back  the 
enemy,  and  enabled  it  to  regain  its  former  posi- 
tion. In  this  way  the  Mexican  General  was 
kept  at  bay,  his  strength  defied,  his  most  skill- 
ful combinations  and  manoenvers  baffled  and  de- 
feated by  his  vigilant  and  active  foe.  Late  in 
the  afternoon,  finding  stratagem  and  force  alike 
unavailing,  the  day  drawing  to  a  close  and  no 
chasm  yet  opened  tor  his  legions  in  the  ranks  of 
the  enemy,  Santa  Anna  determined,  by  assailing 
the  weakest  part  of  the  American  line  with  an 
overwhelming  force,  to  make  a  last  desperate 
effort  to  win  tlie  day.  Collecting  all  his  infantry, 
he  ordered  them  to  charge  the  Illinois  and  Ken- 
tucky regiments.  These  brave  troops  made  a 
gallant  resistance  against  the  fearful  odds  op- 
posed to  them ;  but,  seeing  their  leader*  fall,  and 
overpowered  by  vastly  superior  numbers,  they 
gave  way  and  began  to  fall  back.  Gen.  Lane, 
at  this  critical  moment,  hastened  forward  with 
his  brigade,  and  opening  a  destructive  fire  upon 
the  Mexicans,  checked  their  advance,  and  en- 
abled the  retreating  regiments  to  form  and  return 
to  the  contest.  This  was  Santa  Anna's  last 
struggle  on  that  hotly-contested  and  bloody  field. 
Night  spread  her  mantle  over  the  scene  of  con- 
flict. The  weary  Americans  sank  to  repose  on 
a  gory  bed,  expecting  a  renewal  of  the  strife  on 
the  following  day.  Morning  came — but  no 
enemy  appeared.  Silently  during  the  night, 
Santa  Anna,  with  his  shattered  legions,  had  re- 
tired, leaving  the  victorious  Americans  masters 
of  the  field. 

Gen.  Lane,  having  been  transferred  in  the 
summer  of  1847  to  the  line  of  Gen.  Scott's 
operations,  reached  Vera  Cruz  in  the  early  part 
of  September.     Ou  the  20th  of  that  montli  he 


set  out  toward  the  City  of  Mexico  with  a  force 
of  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  men,  con- 
sisting of  one  regiment  of  Indiana  and  one  of 
Ohio  volunteers,  two  battalions  of  recruits,  five 
small  companies  of  volunteer  horse,  and  two 
pieces  of  artillery.  This  force  was  subsequently 
augmented  at  Jalapa  by  a  junction  with  Major 
Lally's  column  of  one  thousand  men,  and  at  Pe- 
rote  its  strength  was  furtlier  increased  by  a  com- 
pany of  mounted  riflemen  and  two  of  volunteer 
infantry,  besides  two  pieces  of  artillery.  Several 
small  guerrilla  parties  appeared  atdiflerenttimes 
on  the  route  and  attacked  the  advance  and  rear 
guards,  but  were  quickly  repulsed ;  and  the 
column  continued  its  advance  unmolested  along 
the  great  road  leading  through  Puebla  to  the 
City  of  Mexico. 

At  this  time  Col.  Childs  of  the  regular  army, 
with  a  garrison  of  five  hundred  effective  troops 
and  one  thousand  eight  hundred  invalids,  was 
besieged  in  Puebla  by  a  large  force  of  Mexicans 
commanded  by  Santa  Anna  in  person.  This 
general,  notwithstanding  his  many  defeats,  with 
a  spirit  unbroken  by  misfortune,  and  an  energy 
that  deserves  our  highest  admiration,  however 
much  we  may  reprobate  the  cause  in  which  he 
was  engaged,  had  collected  the  remnant  of  his 
beaten  army,  determined,  if  possible,  to  wrest 
Puebla  from  the  grasp  of  the  American  general, 
Scott,  and  thus  cutoff  his  communications  with 
the  sea  coast.  The  gallant  Childs  well  under- 
stood that  the  maintenance  of  his  post  was  of 
the  utmost  importance  to  the  success  of  the  cam- 
paign. Every  officer  and  soldier  under  his  com- 
mand seemed  also  to  comprehend  the  immensity 
of  the  stake  ;  and  both  officers  and  soldiers  ex- 
hibited the  loftiest  heroism,  and  the  most  un- 
yielding fortitude,  in  meeting  the  dangers  and 
enduring  the  fatigues  and  privations  of  a  pro- 
tracted siege.  Aware  that  a  strong  column, 
under  Gen.  Lane,  was  marching  from  Vera  Cruz 
to  their  relief,  the  great  object  to  be  gained  by 
the  garrison  was  time.  Santa  Anna,  also  aware 
of  Gen.  Lane's  approach,  redoubled  his  exer- 
tions to  carry  the  place  by  storm,  superintend- 
ing the  operations  of  the  corps  in  person,  direct- 
ing the  guns  to  such  parts  of  the  defenses  as 
appeared  most  vulnerable,  and  watching  with 
intense  anxiety  the  eftect  of  every  shot.  Con- 
vinced at  length  by  the  obstinate  resistance  of 
the  besieged,  and  the  lessening  distance  between 
him  and  his  advancing  and  dreaded  foe,  that  he 
must  abandon  his  position  and  encounter  the 
"Marion  of  the  wa;r "  in  an  open  field,  he 
silently  and  cautiously  withdrew,  and  with  the 
main  body  of  his  troops  moved  in  the  direction 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


439 


of  Huentla,  intending,  when  Gen.  Lane  had 
passed  that  point,  to  make  an  attack  upon  his 
rear,  while  another  strong  force  should  assail 
him  at  the  same  time  from  the  direction  of  Pu- 
ehla.  Gren.  Lane  being  informed  of  Santa  Anna's 
movements,  at  once  penetrated  his  designs. 
With  the  promptness  of  decision  displayed  in  all 
his  military  operations,  he  divided  his  force, 
leaving  the  Ohio  volunteers  and  a  battalion  of 
recruits,  with  two  field  guns,  to  guard  the  wagon 
trains.  With  the  remainder  of  his  column  he 
marched,  by  a  route  diverging  from  the  main 
road,  directly  toward  Huentla. 

On  the  morning  of  October  9th  the  people 
of  Huamantla  were  startled  and  dismayed  to 
behold  the  formidable  and  glittering  array 
spread  out  over  the  neighboring  hills.  White 
fiaigs  were  immediately  hung  out  in  a  token  of 
submission,  and  the  place  seemed  to  have  sur- 
rendered without  a  blow  from  its  panic-stricken 
inhabitants.  But  suddenly  the  advanced  guard, 
under  Captain  Walker,  having  entered  the  town, 
was  assailed  on  every  side  by  volleys  of  musketry. 
He  immediately  ordered  a  charge  upon  a  body  of 
500  lancers,  stationed  with  two  pieces  of  artillery 
in  the  plaza.  A  furious  and  deadly  combat  en- 
sued. Gen.  Lane  advancing  at  the  head  of  his 
column  encountered  the  heavy  reinforcement  or- 
dered up  by  Santa  Anna,  who  had  now  arrived 
with  his  whole  force.  Soon  the  roar  of  battle 
resounded  through  every  street,  and  street  and 
plaza  were  reddened  with  blood  and  covered 
with  heaps  of  the  slain.  The  Mexicans,  for 
a  short  time,  combated  their  assailants  witli 
the  energy  and  fury  of  despair.  But  the  steady 
and  well-directed  valor  of  the  soldier  of  tlie 
"  Republic  of  the  North,"  bore  down  all  oppo- 
sition. The  Mexican  ranks  were  broken  and 
thrown  into  disorder  ;  the  order  to  retreat  was 
given  ;  and  the  American  flag  waved  in  triumph 
over  the  treacherous  city  of  Huentla. 

This  was  the  last  field  on  which  Santa  Anna 
appeared  in  arms  against  the  United  States. 
This  remarkable  man,  universallyacknowledged 
to  be  able  and  active,  was  never  a  successful 
commander.  Whether  this  want  of  success  is  to 
be  ascribed  to  the  superior  generalship  of  the 
leaders  and  prowess  of  the  troops  opposed  to 
him,  or  to  his  own  instability  of  purpose  in  the 
very  ciisis  of  battle,  when  vigor  and  decision 
are  most  required,  we  will  not  stop  to  inquire. 
Having,  during  the  progress  of  the  war,  col- 
lected several  large  armies,  and  led  them  to  de- 
feat, he  had  determined  with  that  which  re- 
mained to  him  to  make  a  last  effort  to  retrieve 
his  fortunes,  and  Huentla  was  selected   as  the 


Waterloo,  where  his  waning  star  should  shine 
out  in  cloudless  effulgence,  or  sink  to  rise  no 
more.  If  he  did  not  encounter  a  Wellington  on 
that  field,  he  encountered  one  who,  with  Well- 
ington's courage,  united  many  of  the  hjgher 
qualities  of  a  military  commander.  Perhaps  he 
relied  upon  Gen.  Lane's  want  of  experience  ; 
but  the  courage  and  conduct  of  the  latter  at 
Bucna  Vista  should  have  admonished  him  of  the 
hopelessness  of  a  contest  in  an  open  and  equal 
field  with  such  an  officer,  at  the  head  of  troops 
comparatively  fresh,  in  high  spirits,  with  full 
confidence  in  the  skill  and  courage  of  their 
leader,  and  burning  to  rival  tlie  heroic  deeds  of 
their  countrymen  at  Cha2:)ultepec  and  Cerro 
Gordo.  Although  Santa  Anna  from  this  time 
withdrew  from  an  active  participation  in  the 
contest  between  the  belligerent  nations,  the 
bloody  drama  in  which  he  had  played  so  con- 
spicuous a  part  was  not  j'et  closed.  Much  re- 
mained to  be  done  to  complete  the  conquest  so 
auspiciously  begun  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio 
Grande  and  prosecuted  with  such  vigor  by  Scott 
in  the  valley  of  Mexico.  Many  bloody  fields 
were  yet  to  be  won  ;  many  despei'ate  bands  of 
guerrillas  yet  to  be  defeated  and  dispersed,  to 
render  the  subjugation  of  the  country  complete. 

Defeated  at  Huentla,  the  remnant  of  tlie 
Mexican  force  fell  back  on  Atlixo,  where,  on 
October  18th,  a  large  body,  with  munitions 
and  supplies,  and  two  pieces  of  artillery,  were 
collected,  under  the  orders  of  Gen.  Rea.  Gen. 
Lane  hearingof  the  coucentrationof  the  enemy's 
troops  at  tliat  point,  hastened  with  tlie  small 
force  at  his  disposal  to  attack  tliem.  After  a  long 
and  fatiguing  marcli  on  a  hot  and  sultry  day, 
he  encountered  the  enemy  strongly  posted  on  a 
hill-side,  within  a  mile  and  a  half  froiu  Atlixo. 
The  Mexicans  made  a  show  of  despei  at<i  resist- 
ance, 1)ut  being  vigorously  assaulted  by  the  cav- 
alry, closely  followed  )jy  the  entire  column,  they 
gave  way  and  fled  in  confusion  toward  the  town. 
It  was  not  until  after  night-fall  that  the  whole 
command  of  Gen.  Lane  reached  Atlixo,  having 
marched  ten  Spanish  leagues  since  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon.  Disposing  his  troops  in  such 
manner  as  to  command  the  approaches  by  the 
main  roads,  he  opened  a  vigorous  cannonade 
from  a  heiglit  whicli  commanded  the  town. 
Tiie  gueri-illas,  however,  had  fled,  and  the  au- 
tliorities  having  soon  after  surrendered  the  place 
into  his  hands,  his  weary  troops  entered  the 
town  and  sought  the  repose  tiiey  so  much 
needed. 

It  is  impossible,  within  the  limited  sjiace  al- 
loted  to  tills  sketch,  to  present  a  detailed  account 


440 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


of  all  Gen.  Lane's  military  operations  at  this 
period.  In  authentic  histories  of  the  war  and 
official  documents  filed  in  the  archives  of  gov- 
ernment, the  reader  will  find  the  record  of  his 
achiavements — his  long  and  toilsome  marches 
by  night  and  by  day  over  a  wild  and  rugged 
country,  full  of  narrow  defiles  and  dangerous 
passes  ;  his  frequent  surprises  of  the  enemy  ;  his 
sudden  incursions  far  away  into  remote  valley 
and  plain  ;  his  fierce  combats  and  glorious  vic- 
tories. At  Tlaxcala,  Matamora.s,  Jalapa,  Tu- 
lancingo,  Zacuataplan,  as  at  Huentla  and 
Olintla,  Mexican  valor  yielded  to  the  force  of  his 
impetuous  and  well-directed  assaults.  On  every 
field  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  went  down  before 
the  thundering  charge  of  his  cavalry,  the  fierce 
onset  of  his  resistless  infantry.  The  lame  of 
his  acliievenieuts  soon  spread  through  Mexico, 
and  the  terror  witli  wliich  the  enemy  was  in- 
spired by  his  death-dealing  blows  and  almost 
ubiquitous  presence,  was  equaled  only  by  the  un- 
bounded C(mfidence  and  enthusiasm  infused  into 
liis  followers  by  his  gallant  bonring,  and  tlie 
prestige  of  a  name  ever  relied  on  by  tliem  as  tlie 
sure  guarantee  of  victory.  For  one  quality  as 
much  as  any  other,  perhaps  more  than  even  his 
dauntless  courage,  Gen.  Lane  was  distinguished 
throughout  the  war — liumanityto  the  vanquished. 
His  bright  fame  was  unsullied,  his  escutcheon 
untarnished  by  a  single  act  of  wanton  outrage  or 
cruelty  during  the  whole  time  he  bore  a  commis- 
sion in  the  American  army.  Wlien  the  fight 
was  over  and  the  victory  won,  the  field  of  car- 
nage where  a  short  time  before  foeman  had  met 
foeman  in  deadly  conflict,  presented  the  specta- 
cle of  stern  and  swarthy  warriors  imbued  with 
the  humane  spirit  of  their  leader,  bending  over 
tlie  heaps  of  the  dying  and  the  dead,  selecting 
now  a  •friend  and  now  a  foe,  from  whom  the 
vital  spark  liad  not  yet  fled,  staunching  his 
wounds,  and  if  the  sufferer  liad  not  yet  passed 
beyond  the  power  of  human  aid  to  save,  restor- 
ing him  by  their  kind  ministrations  to  life  and 
healtli,  lamily,  home  and  friends.  An  officer 
thus  distinguislied  for  courage  and  humanity  ; 
unyielding  fortitude  under  the  severest  priva- 
tions; an  originality  and  promptness  in  the  for- 
mation of  his  )dans,  surpassed  only  by  tlie  bold- 
ness and  rapidity  of  their  execution  ;  a  celerity 
of  movement  which  annihilated  time  and  dis- 
tance ;  with  a  power  of  endurance  that  defied 
hunger  and  thirst,  heat  and  cold — such  an 
officer,  never  for  a  moment  relaxing  his  exer- 
tions, and  daily  adding  some  new  name  to  the 
list  of  his  conquests,  could  not  fail  to  attract  tlie 
attention  and  excite  the  admiration  of  the  army, 


and  win  the  approbation  and  applause  of  his 
countrymen  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States. 
There  was  a  tinge  of  romance  in  his  exploits 
which  possessed  on  irresistible  attraction,  and 
ciptivated  the  imagination  of  all  classes  of  ad- 
mirers. But  imagination  has  had  little  to  do 
with  the  final  judgment  which  his  countrymen 
have  pronounced  upon  his  conduct.  The  paral- 
lel traced  at  the  time  between  his  deeds  and 
character  and  those  of  an  illustrious  hero  of  the 
Revolution,  suggested  to  his  countrymen  a  suit- 
able way  of  testifying  their  appreciation  of  his 
services  and  admiration  of  his  character  ;  and 
they  have,  with  a  unanimity  which  shows  that 
the  parallel  is  not  altogether  imaginary,  be- 
stowed upon  him  a  title,  prouder  than  any  ever  con- 
i'erred  by  a  patent  of  nobility  from  prince  or  po- 
tentate— -the  title  of  "  The  Marion  of  the  Mexi- 
can War." 

On  March  10,  1848,  the  treaty  of  j'^ace 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico  was 
ratified  by  the  Senate.  General  Lane  remained 
some  months  in  Mexico  after  peace  was  con- 
cluded, directing  the  movements  and  superin- 
tending' the  embarkation  of  troops  returning 
home. 

Returning  to  the  United  States  in  July,  a 
few  days  after  he  reached  home  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Polk  Governor  of  the 
Territory  of  Oregon.  This  appointment,  en- 
tirely unsolicited.  General  Lane,  against  the 
wishes  of  many  of  his  friends,  concluded  to 
accept ;  and  having  made  the  necessary  prepa- 
rations, started  across  the  plains  in  September, 
with  an  escort  of  twenty  men.  After  a  journey 
across  the  plains  and  mountains,  full  of  peril 
and  hardship,  he  arrived  in  Oregon  in  March, 
1849,  and  immediately  organized  the  Territorial 
Government. 

Of  the  ability  with  which  he  performed  the 
duties  of  Governor,  no  better  testimony  could 
be  given  than  is  furnished  by  the  fact  that 
when  superseded  by  Governor  Gaines,  on  the 
accession  of  General  Taylor  to  tlie  Presidency, 
he  was  elected  by  the  people  of  Oregon  Delegate 
in  Congress,  a  position  which  he  long  held. 

The  military  career  of  General  Lane  did  not 
close  with  the  termination  of  hostilities  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico.  In  Oregon  he 
was  destined  to  add  other  laurels  to  those 
already  won.  The  Indians  of  that  territory 
gave  the  whites  much  trouble,  destroying  lives 
and  ]iroperty,  and  thereby  greatly  impeding 
the  progress  and  retarding  the  settlement  of 
the  country.  In  1853  occurred  a  formidable 
outbreak  on  Rogue  river,  in  the  southern  part  of 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


441 


Oregon.  General  Lane  immediately  collected 
a  force,  composed  of  settlers,  miners  and  a  few- 
officers  and  soldiers  of  the  regular  army,  at- 
tacked the  Indians  near  Table  Rock,  and  after 
a  desperate  conflict,  in  which  he  was  severely 
wounded,  drove  them  from  their  position. 
Following  up  this  success  with  great  vigor,  he 
administered  such  chastisement  that  they  soon 
gave  up  the  contest,  and  were  glad  to  accede  to 
any  terms  of  peace. 

He  continued  in  Congress  till  tlie  admission 
of  Oregon  as  a  State,  when  he  was  chosen 
Senator  in  Congress  until  1861. 

In  1860  he  was  nominated  as  Vice-President 
with  Mr.  Breckenridge,  but  defeated.  He  has 
since  retired  from  public  life,  but  his  gallant 
son,  Lafayette  Lane,  born  1842,  elected  a  mem- 
ber to  the  44th  Congress,  1875-77,  worthily 
bears  his  name  and  his  honors — the  worthy  son 
of  a  gallant  father. 

William  Woods  Holden  resides  in  Raleigli, 
a  native  of  Orange  County,  where  he  was  born 
November  24,  1818.  His  early  education  was 
at  an  "old  field  school"  until  lie  was  sixteen 
years  old,  when  he  was  emjiloyed  at  Dennis 
Hoartt's  printing  office,  in  Hillsboro',  N.  C. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  lie  went  to  Raleigh  and 
was  employed  in  tlie  office  of  Thomas  J. 
Lemay,  Esq.  He  read  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1841.  But  his  appropriate  element 
was  the  press.  In  June,  1813,  he  purchased 
of  Tlioiuas  Loringthe  Raleigh  Standard,  which 
be  conducted  for  twenty-five  years  with  un- 
paralleled ability  and  success.  No  pajier  in  the 
State  ever  wielded  a  more  powerful  influence  in 
North  Carolina.  It  killed  and  made  alive.  Al- 
though it  was  thought  at  tlje  time  to  be  an  un- 
meaning and  empty  boast,  yet  history  records 
that  its  favor  did  make  the  political  fortunes  of 
many,  while  its  frowns  withered,  with  upas-like 
influence,  the  hopes  of  others.  In  1846  Mr. 
Holden  was  elected  a  member  of  tlw  House  of 
Commons  from  Wake  County,  but  tliis  was  not 
the  arena  suited  to  his  character  or  his  tastes, 
and  he  declined  a  re-election.  He  served  several 
years  as  a  member  of  the  Literary  Board,  un- 
der the  administrati(nis  of  Grovernors  Bragg  and 
Ellis.  He  was  also  one  of  the  commissioners  of 
the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Institution  and  of  the  Insane 
Asylum.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Secession 
Convention  in  1861,  and  signed  the  ordinance 
separating  North  Carolina  from  the  Union. 
During  the  war  Mr.  Holden  was  a  sufi^erer,  and 
his  office  was  ravaged  by  violence.  On  May  29, 
1865,  he  was  appointed  by  the  President  Pro- 
visional Governor  of  North  Carolina  under  the 


reconstruction  plan  of  President  Johnson.  In 
1866  he  was  offered  the  mission  to  San  Salva- 
dor, which   he   declined.* 

In  April,  1868,  he  was. elected  Governor  of 
the  State  for  four  years  by  popular  vote  over 
Judge  Thomas  S.  Ashe,  which  stood  92,235 
for  Holden  and  73,594  for  Ashe.  Parties 
were  now  arrayed  in  angry  antagonism,  and 
madness  and  misrule  marks  this  era.  Mat- 
ters came  to  such  a  crisis  that  the  House  of 
Representatives  on  December  20,  1870,  pre- 
sented eight  articles  of  impeachment  against 
Governor  Holden  "  for  high  crimes  and  misde- 
meanors" to  the  Senate,  which  as  a  high  court 
of  impeachment  proceeded  to  try  the  same. 
Chief  Justice  Pearson  presided ;  the  managers 
appointed  by  tlie  House  were  Thomas  Sparrow^, 
chairman;  James  G.  Scott,  of  Onslow  ;  Wm. 
G.  Welch,  of  Haywood;  T.  D.  Johnston,  of 
Buncombe;  G.  A.  Gregory,  of  Martin  ;  Jno.  W. 
Dunham,  of  Wilson  ;  C.  W.  Broadfoot,  of  Cum- 
berland. Governors  W.  A.  Grahamand  Thomas 
Bragg  and  Judge  A.  S.  Merrimon  were  coun- 
sel for  the  managers.  Nor  were  the  counsel  for 
the  respondent  obscure  or  less  able.  They  were 
Hon.  W.  N.  H.  Smith,  now  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court ;  Nathaniel  Boyden,  J.  M. 
McCorkle,  Edward  Conigland  and  Richard  Bad- 
ger, Esquires.  After  a  patient  examination  of 
the  testimony  and  arguments  by  both  sides,  the 
Senate  did,  March  22,  1871,  by  a  vote  of  two- 
thirds  of  the  members,  pronounce  W.  W.  Hol- 
den guilty  of  the  charges  contained  in  six  of 
the  eight  articles,  and  pronounced  the  sentence 
that  "  he  be  removed  from  the  office  of  Gov- 
ernor and  disqualified  to  hold  any  office  of  trust, 
honor  or  profit  under  the  State  of  North  Caro- 
lina"— the  first  of  the  United  States  to  get 
rid  of  a  Governor  in  this  way.  After  this 
event  Governor  Holden,  (succeeded  by  Todd 
R  Caldwell  as  Governor,)  came  to  Washington, 
and  for  a  time  was  the  editor  of  the  National 
RepuhUcan.  After  being  for  a  time  in  this 
position  he  returned  to  Raleigh  and  was  ap- 
pointed Postmaster  of  that  place.  Gov.  Hol- 
den is  now  in  "  the  sear  and  yellow  leaf  of  life." 
He  has  been  twice  married:  first  to  Miss  A. 
Young  in  1841,  and  second  to  Louisa  Virginia 
Harrison,  by  whom  he  has  an  interesting  family. 
In  this  sketch  we  have  tried  to  state  only  ac- 
knowledged facts,  without  extenuation  or  "  set- 
ting  down   aught   in   malice."     History    will 


*His  defeat  by  Governor  Worth  in  186.5  is  recited  in 
the  sketoli  of  that  gentleman  under  heart  of  Bandolph 
County. 


442 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


show  that  he  was  "  more  sinaecl  against   than 
sinning." 

Judge  Daniel  Gr.  Fovvle  resides  in  Raleigh. 
He  was  born  and  raised  in  Washington,  Beau- 
fort County,  the  son  of  the  late  Samuel  R. 
Fowle,  a  prominent  merchant  at  that  place,  a 
native  of  Boston,  and  a  useful  citizen.  He 
studied  law  and  has  attained  eminence  in  his 
profession.  He  served  in  the  army  as  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  Thirty-first  Regiment  and  as 
Adjutant-General  of  the  State.  In  18G5  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Holdea  one  of  the  judges 
of  the  Superior  Court.  He  is  now  in  the  suc- 
cessful practice  of  his  profession  and  a  promi- 
nent candidate  for  Governor,  and  kuown  as  the 
silver-tongued  orator.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried :  first  to  a  daughter  of  Judge  Pearson,  and 
then  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Dr.  Fabius  J.  Hay- 
wood, of  Raleigh. 

John  Watrous  Beckwith  is  now  the  Episco- 
pal Bishop  of  Georgia.  He  is  a  native  of  Ra- 
leigh, son  of  Dr.  John  Beckwith,  and  graduated 
at  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  Conn.  Pie  read 
law  and  practiced  for  a  time,  but  exchanged,  as 
Hawks  and  others,  the  bar  for  the  pulpit.  He 
was  ordained  as  a  deacon  at  Wilmington  in 
1854,  and  a  priest  at  Warrenton  in  1856.  He 
was  residing  in  Maryland  at  the  opening  of  the 
war,  and,  as  his  brother  Polk,  felt  it  a  duty  to 
God  and  his  country  to  join  the  suffering  South. 
He  entered  as  Chaplain,  served  through  Missis- 
sippi, South  Carolina  and  Georgia  until  the  war 
ended.  He  then  took  charge  of  St.  John's 
Church  at  Savannah,  and  in  18G8  was  conse- 
crated Bishop  of  Georgia.  He  is  a  fluent  speaker 
and  blessed  with    winning  eloquence. 

The  Right  Reverend  John  Stark  Ravenscroft, 
D.  D.,  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  North  Carolina  diocese  from  the 
date  of  his  consecration,  April  22,  1823,  to  the 
date  of  his  death,  March  5,  1830,  was  during  a 
part  of  his  episcopate  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
Raleigh.  We  collate  from  a  memoir  by  Mr. 
Walker  Anderson,  attached  to  the  edition  of 
his  "Works,"  the  following:  Bishop  Ravens- 
croft, born  in  the  year  1772  upon  an  estate  near 
Blanford,  County  of  Prince  George,  Virginia, 
long  a  possession  of  his  family.  He  v/as  the 
only  child  of  Dr.  John  Ravenscroft,  a  gentle- 
man of  fortune,  educated  for  the  practice  of 
medicine  ;  the  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Hugh  Miller,  a  Scotch  gentleman  resident  of 
the  same  County,  both  parents  being  descended 
on  the  mother's  side  from  the  extensive  and  re- 
spectable family  of  Boilings.  Hesays:  "Though 
a  native  of  Virginia,  of  which  State   my   pro- 


genitors, as  far  back  as  I  have  been  able  to  trace 
them,  with  the  exception  of  my  maternal  grand- 
father, were  also  natives,  yet  my  first  recollec- 
tions are  of  Scotland,  my  parents  having  re- 
moved there  from  Virginia  the  same  year  in 
which  I  was  born ;  and  after  an  interval  of 
about  two  years  spent  in  the  north  of  England 
purchased  and  settled  finally  in  the  south  of 
Scotland,  where  my  mother  and  two  sisters  still 
reside."  Here  his  father  died,  1780,  and  his 
mother  availed  herself  of  the  excellent  opportu- 
nity which  Scotland  a0"orded  of  giving  her  son  a 
classical  education ;  after  he  had  finished  his 
course  at  one  of  the  most  respectable  grammar 
schools  in  that  country,  she  placed  him  at  a 
seminary  of  somewhat  higher  grade  in  the  north 
of  England,  where,  besides  continuing  his  clas- 
sical studies,  he  was  instructed  in  mathematics, 
natural  philosophy  and  other  sciences.  He  left 
Scotland  and  reached  Virginia  in  January,  1789, 
then  just  seventeen  years  old.  He  came  to  look 
after  the  remains  of  his  father's  property.  In 
this  he  was  so  far  successful  as  to  be  subsequently 
in  easy  if  not  afiluent  circumstances.  He  en- 
tered William  and  Mary  College,  intending  to' 
devote  himself  to  the  study  of  the  law,  of  which 
Mr.  Wythe  was  then  the  professor,  but  owing 
to  the  extreme  laxity  of  discipline  in  the  col- 
lege, joined  to  the  large  pecuniary  allowance 
made  by  his  guardian,  habits  of  extravagance 
and  dissipation  were  induced,  and  he  did  not 
derive  any  great  benefit  from  the  lectures  of 
this  eminent  lawyer.  This  feet  is  frankly  con- 
fessed in  the  autobiographical  sketch  referred  to. 
It  does  not  appear  that  he  was  ever  licensed  in  the 
profession,  but  in  Williamsburg  he  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  a  lady,  whose  lovely  character 
appears  from  that  time  to  have  exerted  an  in- 
fluence over  his  wayward  disposition  sufficiently 
powerful  to  counteract  the  adverse  influence  of 
his  former  bad  habits  and  want  of  religious 
principles,  and  to  make  him  the  estimable  and 
respectable  man  he  afterward  became,  until  the 
more  powerful  operation  of  Divine  grace  brought 
him  into  God's  ministry.  About  the  year  1792 
he  visited  Scotland  for  the  last  time,  converted 
his  inheritance  into  money,  which  justified  him 
in  marrying  the  estimable  lady  just  referred  to, 
on  his  return  to  Virginia.  This  event  occurred 
a  short  time  previous  to  his  coming  of  age,  when 
he  married  the  daughter  of  Lewis  Bur  well,  of 
Mecklenburg  County,  Virginia,  and  settled  in 
Lunenburgh  County,  not  far  from  Mr.  Bur- 
well  ;  liere  he  devoted  himself  to  the  usual  pur- 
suits of  a  country  life.  As  a  husband,  a  master 
and  a  member  of  society,  Mr.  Ravenscroft  was 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


443 


everything  that  was  estimable,  and  the  absurd 
stories  of  his  fondness  for  gaming  and  other  low 
vices  are  utterly  groundless.  It  is  true  that 
his  good  qualities  were  all  obscured  by  a  more 
than  ordinary  neglect  and  perhaps  contempt 
of  religious  obligations.  And  it  is  this  that 
led  him,  when  afterward  connected  with  the 
church,  to  loathe  himself  to  the  degree  which 
was  so  remarkable  a  trait  of  his  religious  char- 
acter. But  many  a  mere  moralist  has  built  his 
claims  for  acceptance  with  his  God  upon  a 
foundation  fixr  more  slender  than  the  morality 
which  Mr.  Bavenscroft  practiced  during  this 
period  of  his  life,  though  without  any  reference 
to  his  accountability.  Some  groundless  stories 
respecting  the  immediate  causes  and  manner  of 
his  conversion  have  been  related,  and  even  pub- 
lished, but  it  is  well  for  Mr.  Bavenscroft's  own 
reputation  that  he  left  in  writing  an  excellent, 
interesting  and  detailed  account  of  the  rise  and 
progress  in  his  heart  of  that  great  change  by 
which  he  "put  off,  concerning  the  former  con- 
versation, the  old  man  and  put  on  the  new  man." 
Up  to  that  time  that  he  lived  without  "  God  in 
the  world,"  as  he  himself  was  ever  most  ready 
to  acknowledge,  and  his  life  had  been  the  mere 
details  of  an  ordinary  irreligious  life,  passed  in 
the  obscurity  of  the  country,  possessing  neither 
novelty  or  instruction. 

Though  blessed  in  many  ways,  more  espe- 
cially with  a  wife  who  seems  to  have  found  her 
happiness  in  promoting  his ;  with  an  estate 
that  was  equal  to  his  utmost  wishes,  and  with 
the  respect  and  affection  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  he  yet  experienced  that  truth  which 
enters  so  largely  into  the  experience  of  every 
man,  that  the  happiness  of  this  world  is  empty 
and  unsatisfying,  and  his  well-informed  mind, 
after  a  night  of  delusion,  was  brought  to  tlie 
conviction  that  "  here  was  not  his  rest."  This 
he  thought  he  found  in  a  body  of  Christians 
then  called  Republican  llethodisfs ;  and  influ- 
enced by  a  personal  attachment  for  one  of  their 
preachers,  Mr.  John  Eobinson,  of  Charlotte 
County,  he  and  his  wife,  "'who  opened  her 
mouth  with  wisdom,  and  whose  tongue  was 
the  law  of  kindness,"  tjok  membership  with 
that  body.  This  was  in  the  year  1810  ;  in 
1815  he  became  much  exercised  on  the  subject 
of  the  ministry,  believing  he  was  called  thereto, 
and  was  earnestly  solicited  by  his  brethren  to 
assume  its  duties.  He  was  compelled,  after 
thoroughly  canvassing  the  matter,  to  look  to 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  for  that  de- 
posit of  apostolic  succession,  in  which  alone  is 
the  verifiable  power  to  minister  in  sacred  things, 


to  be  found  in  the  United  States.  On  February 
17,  1816,  Bishop  Moore  gave  him  letters  of 
license  as  a  lay-reader,  and  on  April  25,  1817, 
in  the  Monumental  Church  atBichmondhe  was 
made  deacon,  and,  for  reasons  satisfactory  to  the 
Bishop  and  standing  committee  of  the  diocese, 
at  the  same  time  he  had  conferred  upon  him  the 
orders  of  priesthood,  being  ordained  thereto  on 
May  6,  1817,  at  Fredericksburg ;  he  returned 
to  his  parishes  of  Cumberland,  in  Lunenburg, 
and  of  St.  James,  in  the  County  of  Mecklenburg. 
Having  lost  his  wife  in  1814,  he  was  married  to 
his  second  wife  in  1818,  a  Miss  Buford,  of  Lu- 
nenburg County,  whose  consistent  Christian 
character  was  at  once  a  comfort  and  an  aid  to 
him  during  their  union. 

In  1823  he  received  an  invitation  to  take 
charge  of  the  large  and  flourishing  congregation 
at  Norfolk,  but  not  conceiving  that  any  call  of 
duty  accompanied  this  invitation,  he  promptly 
declined  it,  "  as  nothing  in  the  shape  of  emolu- 
ment could  move  him  from  where  he  was,  and 
induce  him  to  sacrifice  his  predilections  and 
attachment  to  his  own  flock."  He  was  shortly 
afterward  "called"  to  the  Monumental  Church, 
in  Richmond,  to  be  the  assistant  of  thatvenerable 
prelate,  Bishop  Moore.  For  the  good  of  the 
church,  Mr.  Bavenscroft  was  preparing  to  yield 
to  what  he  considered  as  an  imperative  call  of 
duty  and  to  accept  this  invitation,  when  a  call 
of  a  yet  more  imperative  nature  reached  hini 
from  North  Carolina,  coming  under  circum- 
stances which  at  once  forbade  a  rejection. 

The  church  in  North  Carolina  had  shared  the 
same  fate  during  the  Eevolutionary  war  that 
had  involved  all  other  portions  of  it  in  this  coun- 
try in  so  much  gloom  and  depression.  Tb.e  vio- 
lent prejudices,  to  the  injustice  of  which  it  is 
hardly  necessary  to  recur,  which  had  brought 
odium  and  ])ersecution  upon  its  ministers  else- 
where, existed  here  in  their  full  vigor.  The 
effect,  indeed,  of  these  prejudices  seems  to  have 
been  more  remarkable  in  North  Carolina  than 
any  where  else,  the  church  being  identified  as 
one  of  the  concomitauts  of  royalty.  The  cry  of 
"downwithit,  down  with  it  even  to  the  ground," 
accomplished  the  wishes  of  the  enemies  of  the 
church  ;  and  long  after  this  Zion  had  arisen 
from  the  dust  and  put  on  her  beautiful  gar- 
ments, in  other  portions  of  her  borders,  her 
children  here  had  still  to  weep  when  they  re- 
membered her.  It  was  not  until  the  year  1817 
that  three  clergymen  who  had  been  called  to  the 
towns  of  Fayetteville,  Wilmington  and  New 
Berne,  encouraged  by  some  influential  laymen 
in  the  two   last-mentioned   towns,   proposed  a 


444 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


convention  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  the 
church  in  this  State.  A  convention  was  accord- 
ingly held  in  New  Berne,  June,  1817,  attended 
by  three  clergymen  and  six  or  eight  lay  dele- 
gates. The  second  convention  was  more  num- 
erously attended,  and  the  church  from  that 
time  continued  rapidly  to  increase,  or,  to  speak 
more  properly,  to  revive  from  her  long  and 
deadly  torpor.  At  a  convention  held  in  Salis- 
bury, attended  by  all  the  clergy  and  an  unus- 
ually full  delegation  of  laymen,  in  the  year 
1823,  Mr.  Ravenscroft  was  unanimously  elected 
bishop  of  the  diocese,  and  furnished  with  the 
requisite  testimonial ;  he  received  his  high  com- 
mission in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  April  22, 
1823,  where  he  received  his  consecration  at  the 
hands  of  the  venerable  Bishop  Wliite,  Bishops 
Griswold,  Kemj),  Croes,  Bowen  and  Brownell 
being  also  present  and  assisting. 

Bishop  Ravenscroft  was  only  required  to  de- 
vote one-half  of  his  time  to  the  diocese,  the  other 
portion  was  used  in  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
congregation  at  Raleigh.  He  set  out  on  his 
Episcopal  tour  in  June,  within  one  month  after 
his  consecration. 

His  devotion  to  both  his  diocese  and  parish 
always  continued  unremitted,  besides  "  the  care 
of  all  the  cliurches,"  which  to  a  mind  so  solic- 
itous as  his,  respecting  every  thing  that  con- 
cerned their  well  being,  was  a  source  of  constant 
and  corroding  anxiety.  The  mere  physical  labor 
of  hisannual  visitations  wasanimmensestrain  on 
his  system.  The  farthest  western  County  was 
more  than  three  hundred  miles  distant  from  the 
more  eastern,  and  yet  long  after  disease  had 
established -itself  in  his  enfeebled  body  he  punc- 
tually and  resolutely  made  his  yearly  visits  to 
both  sections,  and  these  were  only  discontinued 
a  short  time  previous  to  his  death,  when  he  had 
become  utterly  incapable  of  travel. 

In  1828  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  his  {)as- 
toral  duties  in  the  congregation  at  Raleigh;  im- 
mediately the  large  congregations  of  New  Berne 
and  Wilmington  both  sought  his  services,  in- 
terrupted and  hindered  as  they  were,  but  these 
he  declined,  and  selected  the  village  of  Will- 
iamsborough  (now  in  Vance  County)  as  the  place 
of  his  residence,  the  congregation  of  that  parish 
being  small  and  never  had  the  benefit  of  regular 
services.  About  this  time  he  lost  the  whole  of 
his  worldly  substance  by  a  surety  debt,  the  issue 
of  which  was  his  utter  financial  ruin  ;  and  yet 
a  greater  misfortune  befell  him,  for,  in  January, 
1829,  he  lost  his  faithful  spouse  by  death.  Yet 
was  he  willing  to  meet  the  will  of  God,  and  so 
confiding  in  that  blissful  hope  of  immortality, 


he  lingered  until  March  5,  1830,  the  date  of  his 
deatli.  His  remains  were  deposited  beneath  the 
chancel  of  Christ  Church  at  Raleigh. 

In  person,  Bishop  Ravenscroft  was  large  and 
commanding,  with  a  countenance  in  its  general 
aspect,  perhaps,  austere,  but  susceptible  of  the 
most  benevolent  expression.  His  manner  cor- 
responded with  his  person,  especially  when  ex- 
ercising his  ministerial  functions,  being  remark- 
ably dignified,  and  so  solemn  and  impressive  as 
to  inspire  all  who  had  witnessed  it  with  rever- 
ence. As  a  man  he  was  liberal  in  his  views, 
independent  in  his  principles,  just  almost  to 
punctiliousness,  honest  in  his  intentions,  warm 
and  kind  in  his  feelings,  bold  and  fearless  iu  the 
cause  of  truth,  and  remarkably  regardless  of 
self  in  all  he  said  or  did. 

As  a  citizen  he  was  warmly  attached  to  the 
free  institutions  of  our  country,  and  was  often 
heard  to  rejoice  that  the  church,  of  which  he  was 
an  overseer,  was  untrammcled  by  any  alliance 
with  the  civil  power. 

As  a  neighbor,  he  was  kind  and  cliaritable, 
being  considerably  skilled  in  medicine  ;  he  was, 
while  resident  in  Virginia,  tlie  chief  ])liysician 
in  his  neighborhood,  and  performed  the  laborious 
duties  attached  to  this  beneficent  species  of 
charity  with  cheerfulness  and  alacrity. 

As  a  minister  of  the  divine  word.  Bishop 
Ravenscroft  was  faithful,  diligent  and  zealous. 
He  loved  to  proclaim  the  goodness  of  God  and 
the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel  ;  and  his  appeals 
to  tlie  hearts  and  understanding  were  fervid  and 
animated.  He  preached  the  gospel  in  its  utmost 
purity.  His  success  as  a  preacher  no  doubt 
arose  in  part  from  the  familiarity  which  his 
early  experience  had  given  him  with  all  the  re- 
cesses of  tlie  unconverted  heart,  and  the  search- 
ing fidelity  witli  whicli  he  portrayed  its  utmost 
secret  workings.  Not  like  the  spy  who  had 
merely  discovered  the  outward  deienses  of  the 
enemy's  camp,  but  like  one  who  liad  been  born 
and  bred  within  its  precincts,  he  knew  every  as- 
sailable point,  every  defenseless  outpost,  and 
bearing  down  upon  it  wich  impetuous  force^  it 
was  impossible  to  withstand  the  assault. 

His  solemn  and  impressive  manner,  his  finely 
modulated  voice,  his  coiumanding  figure,  and 
evident  earnestness  in  the  sacred  cause  in  which 
he  was  engaged,  never  failed  to  command  the  at- 
tention and  to  move  the  hearts  of  his  auditor}'; 
all  were  constrained  to  admit  liis  zeal  and  sin- 
gleness of  purpose.  Long  may  the  mild  influ- 
ence of  his  pious  example  continue  to  bless  the 
church  which  he  so  dearly  loved ,  and  may  she  ever 
pay  a  grateful  and  merited  tribute  to  his  memory. 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


445 


Levi  Silliman  Ives,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  was  born 
in  Meriden,  Conn.,  September  16,  1797,  but  at 
a  very  early  age  removed  witb  his  parents  to 
Turin,  Lewis  County,  New  York,  wliere  lie 
lived  until  he  attained  his  fifteenth  year,  and 
was  then  entered  at  the  academy  in  Lowville. 
During  the  later  months  of  the  war  with  Great 
Britain  he  was  in  the  military  service  of  the 
United  States,  but  upon  the  return  of  peace  he 
became  a  student  once  moi-e,  and  joined  the 
classes  at  Hamilton  College  in  1816. 

At  first  he  studied  for  the  Presbyterian  min- 
istry, but  before  he  was  ordained  was  compelled 
to  leave  the  college  by  a  very  serious  illness, 
and  when  health  was  restored  he  changed  his 
religious  views  and  united  liimself  to  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopalians.  He  removed  to  New 
York  city  in  1820,  and  studied  theology  with 
Bisliop  Hobart,  by  whom  he  was  ordained  in 
August,  1822  ;  three  years  afterward  he  mari-ied 
Rebecca,  a  daughter  of  the  bishop.  His  first 
mission  v/as  to  Batavia,  in  Genessee  County, 
New  York ;  subsequently  he  was  called  to 
Trinity  Church,  Pbiladelpliia,  where  he  was 
ordained  to  the  iiriesthood  by  Bishop  White, 
and  in  1827  removed  to  Lancaster,  Penn.,  where 
he  had  charge  of  Christ  Churcli.  In  the  next 
year  he  served  as  an  assistant  minister  at  Christ 
Church,  New  York  city,  for  about  six  months, 
when  he  became  rector  of  St.  Luke's  in  that 
city  ;  here  he  remained  until  he  was  consecrated 
bisliop  of  the  diocese  of  Nortli  Carolina  in  Sep- 
tember, 1831.  In  North  Carolina  he  became 
popular  for  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  education, 
and  his  success  in  providing  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  slave  pojiulation. 

His  works  on  theology,  entitled  the  "Apostles' 
Doctrine  and  Fellowship,"  New  York,  1844,  and 
the  "Obedience  of  Faith,"  New  York,  1849, 
gained  him  great  distinction  as  a  theologian. 
When  the  excitement  as  to  the  Oxford  tracts 
began  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  be  made  a 
strong  effort  in  favor  of  that  movement,  and  so 
alienated  from  himself  the  confidence  of  his 
diocese.*  From  that  time  his  position  became 
exceedingly  uncomfortable  and  most  unhappy, 
and   wliiie  in  Rome  in   1852  he  openly  allied 

*It  is  an  error  to  say  that  Bishop  Ives  made  a  strona; 
effort  in  favor  of  the  Oxfoi'd  movement,  and  so  alienated 
from  him.self  the  conlidence  of  his  diocese.  Bishop  Ives 
in  common  with  perliap.';  a  hirge  majority  of  his  clert!;y 
heartily  sympathized  witli  tliat  movement,  as  it  was  only 
carrying  out  those  church  piinciples  for  which  Bishop 
Ravenseroft  liad  contended  Bisliop  Ives  .alienated  the 
confidence  of  his  diocese  by  endeavoring  to  introduce 
Eomisli  practices,  especially  auriculai'  confession,  and  to 
maintain  tliat  they  were  autliorized  by  the  church. — J. 
B.  C,  jr. 


himself  with  the  Church  of  Rome.  Such  an  act, 
as  might  be  expected,  received  the  severe  de- 
nunciations of  the  Protestant  religious  papers, 
and  Doctor  Ives  defended  his  course  in  the  pub- 
lication of  a  book,  entitled  "  Tiie  Trials  of  a 
Mind  in  its  Progress  to  Catholicism,"  (London 
and  Boston,  1834.)  On  his  return  to  America 
he  became  professor  of  rhetoric  in  St.  Joseph's 
Theological  Seminary,  and  lectured  in  the  con- 
vents of  the  Sacred  Heart  and  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity,  in  New  York  city.  He  also  occasion- 
ally lectured  in  public,  and  became  active  in 
the  cause  of  tlie  Church  of  Rome  as  president  of 
the  conference  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  To 
him  the  City  of  Ne^w  York  is  indebted  for  the 
establisluuent  in  1858  of  the  "  Catholic  Male 
Protectory,"  and  the  "House  of  the  Angels," 
a  home  for  vagrant  and  orphan  children  of 
Catholic  parentage  ;  both  of  these  were  emi- 
nently successful,  and  wei-e  subsequently  re- 
moved to  West  Chester  County,  in  that  State. 
Until  his  death,  in  1868,  he  was  president  of 
these  institutions.  Dr.  Ives  was  a  very  able 
but  strangely  erratic  gentleman,  and  a  most 
eloquent  speaker  ;  his  conversion  to  the  Romish 
Church  was  an  exceedingly  unfortunate  circum- 
stance, and  without  honor  or  profit ;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  drew  upon  him  a  great  amount  of 
obloquy^  and  will  give  his  najiie  for  ever  here- 
after a  notoriety  most  undesirable,  *  over  which 
his  sincerest  friends  lament  as  over  a  premature 
death. 

Rev.  Richard  Sliarp  Mason,  D.  D.,  was  for  a 
long  time  a  resident  of  Raleigli,  and  the  rector 
of  tlie  Episcopal  Cliurch,  from  1840  until  his 
death  in  1875.  He  was  a  man  of  deep  and 
diversified  learning,  and  of  exemplary  and 
agreeable  manners.  A  native  of  the  Island  of 
Barbadoes,  one  of  the  English  West  India 
Islands,  where  he  was  born  December  29,  1796, 
he  was  brought  to  this  country  when  quite 
young  by  his  parents,  and  educated  in  Phila- 
delpliia.  He  was  admitted  by  Bishop  White  in 
1817  as  deacon  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 
became  rector  of  Christ  Church,  New  Berne. 
In  1820  he  was  received  into  the  order  of  priests 
by  Bishop  Moore  (Ricli'd  Channing)  in  St. 
Paul's  Church,  Edenton.  Dr.  Mason  remained 
some  ten  years  in  New  Berne,  a  faithful,  active 
pastor,  and  an  earnest,  self-denying  missionary  ; 
for  the  church  had  then  scarcely  any  foothold 


*  I  think  the  first  words  most  accurate.  Bishop  Ives' 
friends  could  not  liave  felt  his  death  a  sad  event,  except 
that  it  would  have  parted  tliem.  They  felt  his  defection 
to  Rome  mucli  more  deeply  than  they  could  have  felt  his 
death. — J.  B.  C,  jr. 


446 


WHEELEE'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


in  this  diocese  beyond  the  limits  of  New  Berne, 
Wilmington  and  Fayetteville ;  to  these  Dr. 
Mason  rejoiced  to  minister. 

In  1828  he  was  elected  president  of  Geneva, 
now  Hobart,  College,  New  York,  which  he  ex- 
changed in  1835  for  the  presidency  of  Newark 
College,  in  Delaware.  There  he  trained  many 
pupils  who  became  distinguished  in  after  life  ; 
he  remained  for  five  years,  when  he  became  the 
rector  of  Christ's  Church,  at  Raleigh,  and  here, 
for  the  space  of  an  ordinary  lifetime,  he  dis- 
charged his  sacred  duties  with  zeal,  integrity 
and  great  usefulness.  All  who  knew  Dr. 
Mason  can  testify  to  the  purity  of  his  life  and 
the  sincerity  of  his  character.  He  died  1875 
universally  loved  and  respected,  leaving  a  wife 
and  several  children.  Mrs.  Mason  is  quite  an 
authoress,  aird  is  named  among  "Southland 
Writers, ' '  and  one  of  "  the  Living  Female  Writers 
of  the  South,"  (by  May  T.  Tardy,  Philadel- 
phia, 1870,)  for  possessing  great  merit  as  a 
writer,  and  genius  as  an  artist  in  sculpture  ; 
had  she  devoted  her  life  to  art,  she  would  have 
rivaled  Harriet  Hosmer  or  Vinnie  Eeam  in  ex- 
cellence. Her  head  of  General  Lee,  cut  in 
cameo,  is  said  to  be  an  exquisite  work. 

James  Saunders,  son  of  William  Saunders 
and  Betsy  Hubbard,  his  wife,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Hubbard,  was  born  April  25,  1765,  in 
Lancaster  County,  Virginia,  where  the  Saunders 
familv  had  been  established  for  near  a  century. 
On  February  16,  1790,  he  left  the  old  home- 
stead intending  to  go  to  the  then  far  West,  but 
by  the  persuasion  of  relatives  was  prevailed 
upon  to  remain  for  near  three  years  in  the 
County  of  Brunswick,  Virginia,  when  having 
abandoned  his  purpose  to  go  West,  he  came  to 
North  Carolina  and  settled  in  the  Edenton  dis- 
trict. On  January  7,  1798,  he  married  Hannah, 
widow  of  Jacob  Simons,  of  Chowan  County,  and 
daughter  of  James  Sitterzen,  of  Perquimans 
County,  who,  with  Zebulon  Clayton,  Richard 
Sanderson,  James  Sumner,  Thomas  Doctar, 
Jacob  Chancey,  Joseph  Sutton,  Nathaniel 
Carruthers,  John  Stephey,  Marmaduke  Norfleet, 
John  Stephenson  and  Thomas  West,  were  on 
March  23,  1734,  appointed  by  Governor  Gabriel 
Johnston,  "  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  His  Majesty's  council,  justices  of  the  peace 
for  the  precinct  of  Perquimans,  to  set  and  hold 
a  court  on  the  third  Monday  in  the  months  of 
April,  July,  October  and  January  yearly."  , 

The  only  child  of  this  marriage  was  Joseph 
Hubbard  Saunders,  who  was  born  in  Chowan 
County  on  December  26, 1800.  He  was  educated 
at  home  in   the  country  and   in   the  town  of 


Edenton  until  he  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  was  sent  to  Raleigh  to  school,  where 
he  remained  until  Jaiiuary,  1819,  when  he 
entered  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  join- 
ing the  sophomore  class,  half  advanced.  In 
June,  1821,  he  graduated  with  distinction, 
being,  as  his  contemporaries  said,  the  best 
writer  in  the  college.  After  his  graduation  he 
remained  at  the  university  as  a  tutor  and  as  a 
student  at  law  with  Judge  Nash.  Abandoning 
the  study  of  the  law  for  the  study  of  theology 
with  a  view  to  entering  the  church,  he  resigned 
his  tutorship  upon  the  death  of  his  father  in 
1824,  and  returned  to  Edenton,  and  for  several 
years  was  in  charge  of  the  academy  at  that 
l^lace. 

On  February  6, 1831,  in  Richmond,  Virginia, 
he  was  ordained  a  deacon  by  Bishop  Moore,  and 
on  March  18,  1832,  at  Warrenton,  North  Caro- 
lina, he  was  made  a  priest  by  Bishop  Ives  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  In  1832  and  1833  he 
was  in  charge  of  the  Episcopal  Church  at  War- 
renton, preaching  also  at  stated  periods  at 
Louisburg,  Williamsboro',  Halifax  and  Scotland 
Neck.  On  April  25,  1833,  he  married  Laura 
Lucinda  Baker,  daughter  of  Dr.  Simmons 
Jones  Baker,  of  Martin  County,  North  Carolina. 
In  1834  he  removed  to  Raleigh  in  consequence 
of  the  establishment  of  the  Episcopal  school,  of 
which  institution  he  was  one  of  the  principal 
promoters,  and  had  been  appointed  chaplain. 
In  spite  of  the  favoi'able  auspices  under  which 
it  was  managed  the  attempt  to  establish  a 
diocesan  school  for  the  education  of  boys  in 
North  Carolina  proved,  for  causes  unnecessary 
here  to  mention,  unsuccessful,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1836  he  moved  to  Pensacola,  Florida,  hav- 
ing received  a  call  to  the  'charge  of  the  parish 
there,  mainly  through  the  instrumentality  of 
Judge  John  A.  Cameron  and  Judge  Walker 
Anderson,  then  citizens  of  the  place,  but  formerly 
of  North  Carolina.  On  October  24,  1839,  be 
died  of  fever,  the  yellow  fever  being  epidemic 
at  that  time,  and  was  buried  under  the  vestry 
room  of  his  church. 

A  man  of  great  learning  united  with  rare 
practical  sense,  of  deej)  and  unaffected  piety, 
and  of  tireless  energy,  it  was  his  fortune  to 
take  a  prominent  part  in  shaping  the  destiny  of 
the  church  he  loved  so  well,  botli  in  his  native 
and  in  liis  adopted  State.  When  he  entered 
its  ministry  in  North  Carolina  it  liad  no  bishop 
and  but  a  handful  of  clergy  ;  before  he  left  it 
an  impetus  had  been  given  that  is  felt  to  this 
day.  That  day  was  the  seed  time,  the  present 
is  the  harvest.     How  lie  accomplished  so  much 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


447 


in  so  short  a  time  is  a  wonder  to  every  one  who 
recalls  that  he  died  ere  he  was  yet  forty  years 
of  age.  To  this  day  even  he  is  always  referred 
to  in  North  Carolina  as  "  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Saunders."  In  what  esteem  he  was  held  in 
Florida  will  he  shown  hy  an  extract  from  a 
letter  from  Hon.  Walker  Anderson,  afterward 
chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Florida,  to 
Rev.  W.  M.  Green,  tlten  professor  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina,  now  the  venerable 
hishop  of  Mississippi : 

Pensacola,  Florida,  October  27,  1839. 
"  My  Dear  Sir:  It  has  been  along  time  since 
we  interchanged  a  letter,  and  it  is  a  sad  occa- 
sion that  prompts  me  now  to  renew  our  cor- 
respondence. We  have  lost  a  beloved  and 
valued  friend,  and  I  know  it  will  afford  you  a 
mournful  pleasure  to  learn  some  particulars,  of 
his  last  hours.  Our  excellent  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Saunders,  has  been  removed  from  his  labors 
on  earth  to  his  reward  in  heaven,  and  left  a 
whole  community  in  tears.  He  died  on  Thurs- 
day morning,  the  24th  instant,  after  a  distres.s- 
ing  illness  of  eight  days  with  malignant  brain 
fever.  You  liave  heard  doubtless  of  the  terri- 
ble scourge  with  which ournearneighbor,  Mobile, 
has  been  visited  this  fall.  Among  the  fugitives 
from  that  place  many  came  here,  and,  bringing 
the  seeds  of  disease  with  them,  they  came  only 
to  linger  and  die  among  strangers.  There 
were,  therefore,  many  calls  upon  the  sympathy 
of  all ;  none  responded  to  such  calls  more  freely 
than  our  dear  friend.  He  was  continually 
abroad  day  and  night  witli  the  sick  and  dying, 
exposing  himself  i'earlessly  to  tlie  sun  and  the 
dews.  On  the  Sunday  before  his  illness  com- 
menced he  preached  at  the  request  of  the  Com- 
modore of  the  squadron  here  on  board  of  the 
flagship,  and  on  his  return  complained  that  he 
felt  the  sun  beating  powerfully  on  his  head  as 
he  was  preaching  ;  for  the  service  was  on  deck, 
and  his  being  elevated  brought  his  head  near  to 
the  awning,  which  was  between  tliem  and  the 
sun.  Though  he  felt  his  head  aifected  from 
this  time,  he  did  not  complain  much  of  it,  and 
on  Tuesday  night,  being  called  up  at  midnight 
to  visit  a  young  lady  wlio  was  dying  with  yel- 
low fever,  he  went,  liaving  to  walk  near  a  half 
mile  in  a  high,  keen  wind.  He  was  up  the 
whole  night,  and  spoke  to  me  afterward  of  the 
severe  trial  of  feeling  he  underwent  from  the 
painful  circumstances  of  the  death-bed  he  at- 
tended. On  Wednesday  morning  at  9  o'clock 
he  was  taken  with  a  chill,  followed  by  higli 
fever.     From  the  first  he  had  the  best  medical 


advice,  the  fleet  surgeons  from  both  the  Ameri- 
can and  French  squadrons  being  assiduous  in 
their  attention,  and  I  need  not  say  he  was 
nursed  as  faithfully  as  the  most  devoted  love 
could  dictate  by  his  anxious  and  sorrowing  peo- 
ple. His  disease  at  first  seemed  to  be  a  common 
bilious  fever,  such  as  has  prevailed  lately  to 
some  extent  among  us,  hut  which  is  usually 
mild  and  easily  managed,  and  in  his  case  it 
seemed  to  yield  readily  to  the  prescriptions,  but 
on  Monday  we  began  to  perceive  indications  of 
an  afi'ection  of  the  brain,  and  during  that  night 
we  could  no  longer  mistake  the  malignant  char- 
acter of  the  attack.  On  Thursday  morning 
after  waking  from  a  sleep  of  some  hours  his 
mind  was  greatly  obscured,  and  before  that 
night  came  a  dismal  darkness  had  settled  over 
his  fine  and  well-balanced  intellect.  He  raved 
incessantly  and  incoherently,  but  in  all  his 
wanderings  God  and  Christ  and  heaven  was  the 
burden  of  his  thoughts.  He  was  ever  going 
througli  some  of  the  services  of  the  church  or 
in  a  loud  and  anxious  tone  exhorting  hispeoj^le. 
He  would  call  on  us  to  pray,  and  with  a  devout 
and  impassionate  manner  repeat  scraps  from  the 
Prayer  Book,  and  once  he  got  as  far  in  the 
Lord's  Prayer  as  the  petition  '  Thy  will  be 
done.'  This  continued  with  but  little  inter- 
mission for  forty-eight  hours  ;  for  even  when 
his  strengtli  failed  him  by  bending  your  ear  to 
his  lips  you  would  find  he  still  was  whispering 
about  the  cliurch  and  kindred  topics.  He  sunk 
to  rest  without  apparent  sufiering,  though  while 
his  extremities  wei-e  chilling  with  the  damps  of 
death,  tlie  lieat  of  the  top  of  his  liead  was  almost 
painful  to  the  touch.  Not  a  single  glimmering 
of  reason  was  permitted  to  cheer  those  who 
watched  his  parting  struggle.  He  was  buried 
on  the  afternoon  of  Thursday  with  more  than 
the  ordinary  marks  of  respect.  The  floor  of 
of  his  vestry  room  was  removed  and  liis  grave 
dug  beneath  the  spot  in  which  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  sitting  when  there.  Tlie  vestry,  be- 
sides addressing  a  letter  of  condolence  to  his 
widow,  full  of  admiration  for  his  cliaracter  and 
sorrow  for  his  loss,  have  determined  to  erect  a 
tablet  to  his  memor3\  So  universal  was  the 
reverence  in  wliicli  he  was  lield  that  on  tlie  day 
of  his  death  and  funeral  the  stores  of  tlie  whole 
city  were  closed,  the  Creoles  and  Catholics  unit- 
ing heartily  with  his  own  people  in  this  demon- 
stration of  respect,  and  the  ofiicers  of  the  French 
squadron,  which  is  lying  in  our  harbor,  at- 
tended tlie  services  in  full  uniform." 

By  his  marriage  with  Miss  Baker  he  left  four 


448 


WHEELER'S  REMmiSCENCES. 


children  :  1.  Richard  Benbury,  born  in  Raleigh, 
March  12,  1834  ;  2.  William  Lawrence,  born  in 
Raleigh,  July  30,1835  ;  3.  Anne,  born  in  Pensa- 
cola,  April  20,  1837;  4.  Joseph  Hubbard,  Oc- 
tober, 1839. 

I.  Richard  was  educated  liberally,  and  gradu- 
ated at  the  University  in  June,  1854,  and  after 
a  course  of  study  in  chemistry,  established  him- 
self at  Chapel  Hill  as  a  chemist  and  druggist, 
and  has  been  ever  since  engaged,  except  when 
absent  in  the  army,  which  in  response  to  the 
call  of  the  Governor  he  entered  as  a  member  of 
the  Orange  Light  Infantry,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain R.  J.  Ashe,  and  was  elected  second  lieuten- 
ant;  went  with  his  comi^any  to  Raleigh  April, 
1861,  and  formed  part  of  the  First  Regiment 
North  Carolina  Volunteers,  Col.  D.  H.  Hill, 
known  as  "the  Bethel  Regiment,"  and  was 
engaged  in  the  battle.  He  was  promoted  and 
commissioned  as  cajDtain  and  A.  Q.  M.  of  the 
regiment.  He  was  mustered  out  after  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  service.  He  married  in 
November,  1856,  at  the  residence  of  her  uncle, 
Frederick  Stanton,  Mary  Stanton,  daughter  of 
lute  Gerard  Brandon,  ex-Governor  of  that  State. 
They  iiave  had  five  children,  and  reside  at 
Chapel  Hill. 

n.  Wm.  Lawrence  Saunders,  the  present 
Seci-etary  of  State^  was  born  in  Raleigh,  July 
30,  1835  ;  graduated  in  June,  1854  ;  studied  law 
with  Judge  Battle,  and  admitted  to  the  bar 
1856.  He  moved  to  Salisbury,  and  resided 
there  till  the  civil  war  opened  ;  he  volunteered 
in  April,  1861,  as  a  member  of  the  Rowan 
Rifle  Guards,  commanded  by  Captain  Frank 
McNeely,  and  ordered  to  Fort  Johnston,  below 
Wilmington.  He  was  appointed  a  lieutenant 
ill  the  Rowan  Artillery,  tben  in  camp  of  in- 
struction nearWeldon.  This  battery  was  with 
the  4 til  Regiment  North  Carolina  troops,  and 
witli  this  regiment  marched  to  Manassas  Junc- 
tion, arriving  there  a  few  days  after  the  battle. 
Having  been  appointed  captain  by  Governor 
Clark,  he  returned  to  Salisbury  and  enlisted  a 
company  of  infantry  for  the  war,  and  took  it  to 
Raleigh  for  instruction  at  Camp  Mangum  ;  they 
became  a  part  of  the  46th  Regiment  North 
Carolina  troops.  Colonel  Hall.  In  May,  18()2, 
the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Goldsboro',  thence 
to  Richmond,  and  then  to  Drury's  Bluff,  where 
it  became  a  part  of  General  J.  G.  Walker's 
brigade.  He  was  twice  wounded,  once  at  the 
first  battle  of  Fredericksburg  in  the  right  cheek, 
and  at  the  Wilderuess  in  May,  1864,  very 
severely,  the  ball  entering  the  left  corner  of  his 
mouth  and  passing  out  at  the  back  of  the  neck 


on  the  right  side.  In  1862  he  was  promoted 
to  be  major  ;  in  1863  he  was  made  a  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  on  January  1,  1864,  he  was  elected 
colonel  of  his  regiment.  His  military  career 
terminated  at  Appomattox  by  the  surrender  of 
Lee  on  April  9,  1865,  when  and  where  he  was 
paroled . 

After  the  war  closed,  with  his  health  aud 
strength  much  impaired  by  his  wounds,  he  re- 
turned to  Florida  and  engaged  in  planting.  In 
1870  he  returned  to  this  State  and  was  elected 
Secretary  of  the  Senate,  and  re-elected  in  1872, 
when  with  his  brother-in-law.  Major  Engle- 
hard,  he  established  the  Wilmington  Journcd, 
winning  great  re])utation  as  a  sagacious  politi- 
cal writer.  This  had  great  influence  in  achiev- 
ing the  final  triumph  of  the  Democratic  power 
in  the  State.  In  November,  1876,  he  estab- 
lished the  Observer.  On  the  death  of  Major 
Englehard,  February  15,  1879,  he  was  ap- 
pointed his  successor  as  Secretary  of  State,  which 
important  position  he  now  occupies,  to  the 
gratification  of  the  people  of  North  Carolina. 
He  is  keenly  alive  to  the  success  and  progress 
of  her  institutions.  His  recent  letter,  Febru- 
ary 21,  1880,  to  Colonel  Jolin  D.  Taylor,  of 
Wilmington,  on  the  subject  of  the  sale  or  no 
sale  of  the  North  Carolina  railroad,  was  allowed 
to  be  one  of  the  ablest  arguments  presented  on 
that  side.  He  is  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  and 
may  he  be  spared  for  many  years  of  usefulness 
to  his  country. 

He  married  February  3, 1864,  at  the  house  of 
Thomas  Barnes,  near  Marianna,  Florida  Call, 
third  daughter  of  the  late  John  W.  Cotten. 
In  July,  1865,  his  wife  died.  We  have  not  at- 
tempted to  enlarge  this  sketch  by  any  display 
of  the  usefulness,  ability  or  talent  of  Colonel 
Saunders.  This  can  be  done  at  some  future 
time  by  abler  liands. 

IV.  Joseph  Hubbard  Saunders,  named  for  his 
father,  graduated    at    the    University  in   June, 

1860.  When  the  war  began  he  joined  in  April, 

1861,  the  Orange  Light  Infantry,  Captain 
Ashe.  In  December  he  was  appointed  a  lieu- 
tenant by  Governor  Clark  in  Company  A,  33d 
Regiment,  then  under  instruction  at  Raleigh, 
commanded  by  Colonel  L.  O'B.  Branch. 

This  regiment  was  ordered  to  New  Berne, 
and  after  General  Branch's  promotion,  assigned 
to  his  brigade.  After  the  engagement  at  New 
Berne,  the  brigade  was  ordered  to  Virginia  and 
assigned  to  command  of  General  A.  P.  Hill. 
In  1862  he  was  promoted  to  be  cajitain  ;  in  1863 
to  be  major,  and  in  1864  to  be  lieutenant-colonel. 
He  was  in  all  the  severe  eng-aseraentsof  Northern 


WAKE  COUNTY. 


449 


Virginia.  He  was  twice  wounded — once  at 
second  Manassas  in  the  right  slioukler,  and 
again  at  Gettysburg,  very  severely ;  the  hall 
entered  the  leit  nostril  and  passing  out  the  left 
ear.  His  wound  was  supposed  to  be  mortal, 
and  he  was  left  on  the  field.  He  was  captured  hy 
the  enemy  and  carried  to  Che.ster  Hospital,  and 
after  some  months  to  Johnson's  Island,  where 
he  was  imprisoned  until  March,  1865.  He  was 
then  paroled  for  exchange  and  returned  home. 
He  resides  with  his  mother,  unmarried. 

William  RufJfin  Cox  was  horn  in  Scotland 
Neck,  North  Carolina ;  he  removed  to  Ten- 
nessee, and  was  educated  at  Franklin  College, 
near  Nashville  ;  after  graduating  he  hecame  a 
student  of  the  Lehanon  Law  School,  and  being 
licensed  to  practice,  opened  an  office  in  Nash- 
ville. Before  the  civil  war  began  he  had  re- 
turned to  North  Carolina,  and  settled  in  Edge- 
combe County,  where  he  engaged  himself  in 
agricultural  interests.  In  the  civil  war  he  was 
early  commissioned  major  of  the  2d  North 
Carolina  State  troojis^  and  soon  attained  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general  in  the  armies  of  the 
Confederacy,  and  commanded  his  division  in  the 
last  charge  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia 
a  few  hours  before  the  flag  of  truce  announced 
the  surrender  at  Appomattox.  And  so  North 
Carolina  justly  claims  that  at  Bethel  she  bore 
the  first  assault  at  arms,  and  at  Appomattox 
she  fired  the  last  gun  in  defense  of  the  liberties 
of  the  South. 

Since  the  war  General  Cox  returned  to  the 
practice  of  the  law  at  Raleigh  ;  for  six  years  he 
was  the  solicitor  of  the  Metropolitan  district, 
and  afterward  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the 
Superior  Court  for  the  same  district,  which  he 
resigned  to  canvass  his  district  for  election  to 
the  United  States  House  of  Representatives  ;  he 
was  elected  to  the  47th  Congress  over  Moses  A. 
Bledsoe.  General  Cox  is  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  University  of  the  South  ;  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Democratic  convention  which  met  in  New 
York,  and  was  elected  to  the  St.  Louis  Demo- 
cratic convention  but  declined  the  honor,  and 
for  several  years  was  chairman  of  the  State 
Democratic  convention.  In  every  public  posi- 
tion to  which  he  has  been  called  his  course  has 
been  marked  with  fidelity,  integrity  and  talent. 
His  first  wife  was  Penelope,  daughter  of  James 
S.  Battle  ;  his  second  wife  is  a  daughter  of 
Bishop  Lyman. 

Octavius  Coke  resides  iu  Raleigh,  a  member 
of  the  legal  j)rofessiou.  He  is  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, born  at  Williamsburg,  October  4,  1840. 
Educated   at   William   and   Mary  College,    he 


studied  law  and  became  a  member  of  the  bar  in 
ISGO.  When  the  civil  war  began  he  enlisted  in 
the  32d  Virginia  Infantry,  and  soon  attained 
the  rank  of  captain,  and  so  served  during  the 
whole  contest.  He  was  severely  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Sharpshurg  and  of  Five  Folks. 
When  the  war  ended  he  settled  in  Chowan 
County,  where  he  married  Miss'Wood.  He  was 
a  Democratic  elector  iu  1872,  and  a  member 
of  the  State  Senate  in  1876.  He  has  now  per- 
manently located  in  Raleigh,  (1880,)  and  is 
chairman  of  the  State  Democraticcommittee.  His 
brother,  Richard  Coke,  became  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Texas,  and  now  represents  that  State 
in  the  United  States  Senate. 

A  sketch  of  Dr.  Richard  H.  Lewis,  the  cele- 
brated oculist,  will  be  found  in  Pitt  County,  of 
which  he  is  a  native. 

Donald  William  Bain  is  a  native  of  Raleigh, 
horn  April  2,  1841.  Educated  at  Mr.  Lovejoy's 
Academy.  He  entered  the  service  of  the  State 
in  the  office  of  comptroller  under  Governor 
Brogden,  in  1857,  where  he  served  until  a|)- 
pointed  chief  clerk  of  the  treasury,  which  posi- 
tion he  now  holds.  In  February,  1867,  be  was 
a))i>ointed  Grand  Secretary  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  North  Carolina.  The  systematic  business 
habits  he  has  used  render  his  services  invalu- 
able and  most  satisfixctory  ;  he  has  the  regard 
and  confidence  of  every  one  who  knows  him. 


Hon.  Kemp  P.  Battle  in  his  centennial  address, 
"Early  History  of  Raleigh,"  j)age  44,  says  of 
insurrections  :  It  is  impossible  for  us  to  imagine 
what  terror  rumors  of  insurrections  among 
slaves  caused  our  ancestors.  Tliey  created  a 
wild  panic  in  wliich  reason  and  sense  liad  no 
f)art.  We  find  such  rumors  common  in  tlie 
eai'ly  part  of  the  century.  The  most  notable 
was  in  June,  1802,  when  the  discover)  that  one 
Frank  Sumner  had  embodied  a  company  of 
thirteen  men  under  his  leadership  as  ca[)tain, 
thi'cw  the  wliole  couiftry  from  Tar  river  to  the 
Atlantic  into  consternation.  Volunteer  conniu- 
nies  were  organized  for  patrolling  and  arresting 
suspected  persons.  Martial  law  reigned  su- 
preme. The  writ  of  habeas  coiyus  was  sus- 
pended in  practice,  though  not  by  law,  as  to 
the  negro  race.  At  the  time  one  hundred  men 
were  locked  up  iu  Martin  County  jail.  Captain 
Frank  Sumner  for  his  ill-timed  ambition  was 
promptly  hung  by  judgment  of  a  special  court, 
and  his  deluded  followers  were  glad  to  escape — 
one  with  theloss  of  his  ears,  onewith  branding, 
the  rest  with  flogging. 

A  similar   panic  about  that  time  occurred  in 


450 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


Franklin  County,  but  after  great  excitement  in 
all  middle  North  Carolina,  and  many  arrests, 
the  accused  were  pronounced  "not  guilty"  by 
the  court  hastily  convened  for  the  emergency. 

When  Nat.  Turner's  massacre  of  fifty-five 
persons  occurred  in  Southampton,  Virginia,  in 
1831,  the  whole  of  Raleigh  was  placed  under 
arms.  The  able-bodied  were  divided  into  four 
companies,  Sach  to  patrol  the  streets  every  fourth 
night.  The  old  men  were  organized  as  Silver 
Grays.  Tlie  fortress  was  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  it  was  agreed  that  whenever  the 
State  House  bell  should  sound  the  women  and 
children  were  to  hasten  to  its  protecting  walls. 
At  last  one  night  O'Rourke's  blacksmith  shop 
took  fire.  It  was  night,  says  my  informant, 
whose  hair  is  frosted  now  ;  but  he  remembers 
as  vividly  as  if  it  were  yesterday,  the  women 
with  dislieveled  hair  and  in  their  night  clothes 
running  for  life  through  the  streets.  It  was  no 
laughing  matter  to  them.  One  of  our  most 
venerable  and  intelligent  old  ladies,  (and  she  is 
an   uncommonly  brave   women,)  although   she 


disbelieved  the  stories,  yet  when  she  heard  the 
loud  clangor  of  the  bells  at  midnight,  drew  her 
children  around  her,  determined  to  beg  the 
enemy  to  kill  them  first  so  that  she  might  see 
them  safe  in  death  rather  than  be  the  first  to 
die,  leaving  them  to  brutality  and  torture.  But 
her  son,  then  a  mere  boy,  brandished  his  de- 
ceased father's  sword  and  prepared  to  defend 
the  household.  I  hope  he  will  pardon  me  for 
mentioning  an  act  so  much  to  his  credit.  It 
was  our  Raleigli  poet — James  Fontleroy  Taylor. 
The  negroes  were  frightened  more  than  the 
whites.  They  fled  and  hid  under  houses,  in 
garden  shrubbery,  lay  between  corn  rows,  any- 
where for  safety.  There  never  was  a  time  when 
the  colored  people  of  Raleigh  would  have  risen 
against  our  people.  It  is  greatly  to  the  credit 
of  both  races  that  notwithstanding  party  ani- 
mosity and  sudden  emancipation,  the  kindly 
personal  feeling  between  the  whites  and  their 
old  servants  has  never  been  interrupted.  See 
ante,  pages,  127,  128,  222  and  223,  touching 
these  matters. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


WARREN    COUNTY. 


Gen.  Jethro  Sumner  lived  and  died  in  Wai'- 
ren  County.  His  father  emigrated  from  Eng- 
land and  settled  near  Suffolk,  Va.  His  son  emi- 
grated to  Bute  (since  1779  Franklin  and  Warren 
Counties)  and  was  sherifi'of  Bute  for  some  years. 
Wlien  the  Revolutionary  war  began  he  was  ap- 
2">ointed,  in  April,  1776,  Colonel  of  the  third 
regiment  of  Continental  troops  by  the  Provin- 
cial Congress  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina. 
He  joined  the  Grand  Army  of  the  North  under 
Washington,  and  after  a  campaign  he  was  ap- 
pointed Brigadier-General  and  ordered  to  join 
General  Gates  in  the  South.  He  behaved  with 
gallantry  at  Camden.  He  tlien  joined  General 
Greene  and  was  with  him  in  his  southern  cam- 
paign, and  commanded  the  North  Carolina 
troops  at  the  hard-fouglit  battle  of  Eutaw,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1781,  where  his  charge  with  bayonets 
contributed  to  the  success  of  that  decisive 
battle.  This  was  one  of  the  severest  battles  and 
decisive    of    the    whole    Revolution.     General 


Greene's  first  line  was  composed  of  Marion's, 
Sumter's  and  Col.  Pleasant  Henderson's  Regi- 
ments, Lee's  Legion  and  Pickens'  Corps.  The 
second  line  was  composed  of  Sumner's  Brigade 
of  North  Carolina  Continentals,  under  Col.  John 
B.  Ashe,  Major  Armstrong,  and  Major  Blount, 
with  the  Virginians  on  the  left  and  Marylanders 
in  the  center.  The  British  were  driven  from  the 
field,  and  only  escaped  annihilation  by  seizing 
a  large  brick  house,  from  which  their  fire  was 
so  destructive  that  Greene  forebore  further  at- 
tack. The  force  of  each  was  about  2,000  men  ; 
of  these,  1,200  were  left  on  the  field.  More 
than  half  the  force  of  Greene  were  North  Caro- 
linians. The  first  line  behaved  well,  but  the 
second  line  sustained  tlie  brunt  of  the  fight.  The 
charge  by  Sumner  with  fixed  bayonets  was  bril- 
liant, and  the  proud  Englishman  was  beaten  at 
his  favorite  weapon.  Many  men  of  each  line 
were  transfixed  by  their  opponents,  and   thus 


"  fighting  fell. 


WARREN  COUNTY. 


451 


The  war  being  over,  General  Sumner  resigned, 
and  married  a  wealthy  widow  (Mrs.  Heiss)  of 
New  Berne,  by  whom  he  had  three  children  ; 
one  of  these,  Mary  Sumner,  married  Hon. 
Thomas  Blount.     (See  page  158.) 

General  Sumnerlies  buried  in  Warren  County, 
near  the  road  between  Louisburgand  Warrenton, 
near  the  old  Shocco  Chapel.  The  stone  that 
marks  his  grave  bears  this  inscription:  "To 
the  memory  of  Gen.  Jethro  Sumner,  one  of  the 
heroes  of  1776." 

The  Hawkins  family  is  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive as  well  as  one  of  the  most  respectable  in 
the  State.  They  have  pervaded  not  only  our 
own  State,  but  many  other  j)ortions  of  the  south 
and  southwest,  and  wherever  they  have  gone 
they  have  left  indelible  traces  of  genius,  enter- 
pri.se,  integrity  and  patriotism. 

The  family  is  of  English  origin  ;  emigrated 
to  this  country  about  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne, 
1705,  and  settled  in  Gloucester  County,  in  Vir- 
ginia, where  the  founder  of  this  family,  Phile- 
mon Hawkins,  was  born,  on  September  28,  1717. 
He  removed  from  Gloucester  County,  Va.,  at  tlie 
age  of  twenty,  to  Warren  (then  Bute)  County, 
in  this  State. 

Philemon  Hawkins  was  enterpiislng  and  ener- 
getic. Born  to  but  little  fortune,  reared  to  hard 
labor,  with  little  or  no  education,  without  patron- 
age or  powerful  friends,  he  boldly  resolved  to 
make  for  himself  a  name  and  place,  in  a  new 
country,  inhabited  then  only  by  Indians  and 
semi-savage  whites.  His  industry,  energy  and 
capacity  caused  the  country  around  him  to  grow, 
and  lie  grew  with  it.  He  prospered  beyond 
even  his  own  hopes  or  the  expectations  of  his 
friends.  His  reputation  and  position  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  he  was  an  officer  in  the  Colonial 
Government,  and  was  aid  to  Governor  Tryon  in 
the  battle  of  Alamance.  From  his  own  position 
in  society,  and  the  liberal  means  at  his  command, 
he  exerted  much  influence.  He  was  given  to 
hospitality  and  kindness  ;  no  private  house  in 
the  wliole  borders  of  the  State  was  better  known 
and  none  where  more  enlarged  and  unstinted 
hospitality  dispensed  than  at  the  house  of  Col. 
Philemon  Hawkins,  sr.  He  enjoyed  the  regard 
and  respect  of  the  community.  He  lived  in  the 
enjoyment  of  a  well-spent  life,  and  died  in  1801, 
in  tlie  eighty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  mar- 
ried Delia  Martin,  by  whom  he  had  six  children, 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  as  shown  by  this 
genealogical  table : 

Philemon  Hawkins,  the  founder  of  the  family, 
was  the  son  of  Philemon  Hawkins,  of  Virginia, 
born  in  Gloucester  County,  Va.,  in  1717  ;  mar- 


ried Delia  Martin  and  had  issue  :  I.  Delia,  mar- 
ried to  L.  Bullock,  no  issue  ;  II.  Colonel  John, 
married  a  sister  of  Hon.  Nathaniel  Macon, 
and  had  (1)  Col.  Joseph,  whose  daughter  mar- 
ried to  Williams,  (2)  Gen.  Micajah,  (3)  Gen. 
John  H.,  (4)  Philemon,  (5)  a  daughter,  married 
to  Baker,  (6)  another  married  to  Williams,  (7) 
and  another  married  to  Alston. 

III.  Philemon,  son  of  Philemon,  jr.^  of  Pleas- 
ant Hill,  born  1752,  married  Lucy  Davis,  died 
1833,  had  twelve  children  :  (1)  William,  Gov- 
ernor, married  Ann  Boyd,  and  had  eight  chil- 
dren :  (a)  Lucy,  married  (1st)  Coleman,  (2d) 
Conner  ;  (b)  Emily,  married  to  Nutall,  (c)  Ma- 
tilda, (d)  William  J.,  (e)  Celestia,  married  to 
Amis,  (f)  Mary,  (g)  Henrietta;  (2)  JohnD., 
married  Jane  Boyd,  and  had  eleven  children:  (a) 
Ann,  married  to  Young,  (b)  Lucy,  married  to 
Cane,  (c)  Mary,  married  to  Jones,  (d)  Vir- 
ginia, married  to  Anderson,  (e)  James,  (f) 
Frank,  (g)  Dr.  William  J.,  (h)  John  D.,  (i) 
Pliilemon,  (k)  Alexander,  (1)  Jane;  (8)  Joseph 
W.,  married  Mary  Boyd,  and  had  eight  chil- 
dren :  (a)  Alexander,  (b)  Peter,  (c)  Philemon 
H.,  (d)  George,  (c)  W'illiam  D.,  (f)  Ann  Leis- 
ter, (g)  Lucy  Henderson,  (h)  Rufus  ;  (4)  Benja- 
min F. ,  married  Sally  Persons,  and  had  Thomas, 
Henry  and  Benjamin;  (5)  Philemon,  (G)  George, 
(7)  Frank,  died  unmarried,  (8)  Eleanor,  niMr- 
ried  to  Sherwood  Haywood,  and  had  nine  chil- 
dren :  (a)  Nancy,  married  to  William  A.  Blount, 
(b)  Sally,  (c)  Rufus,  (d)  Lucy,  married  to 
Bryan,  (e)  Delia,  married  (1st)  to  Williams, 
(2d)  to  George  E.  Badger,  (f )  Frank,  (g)  Rob- 
ert E.,  (ii)  Maria,  (i)  Richard  ;  (9)  Ann,  mar- 
ried William  P.  Little,  and  had  seven  children  : 
(a)  Lucy,  married  to  Terry,  (b)  Mary,  married 
to  Mosely,  (c)  Thomas  P.,  died  unmarried, 
lived  in  Hertford  County,  (d)  George,  (e) 
Minerva,  married  to  Graham,  (f )  William,  (g) 
Susan,  married  to  Dr.  Charles  Skinner;  (10) 
Delia,  married  to  Stephen  Haywood,  and  had 
five  children  :  (a)  Margaret,  (b)  Dallas,  (c)  Lu- 
cinda,  (d)  Sally,  (e)  Philemon  ;  (11)  Sarah,  was 
the  second  wife  of  Col.  William  Polk,  of  Ra- 
leigli,  had  issue:  (a)  Lucius,  (b)  Leonidas,  (c) 
Mary,  first  wife  of  George  E.  Badger,  (d) 
Rufus,  (e)  George  W.,  (f)  Susan,  married  to 
Kenneth  Rayner,  (g)  Andrew ;  (12)  Lucy 
Davis  Ruffin,  first  wife  of  Louis  D.  Henry,  no 
issue. 

To  Philemon  Hawkins  and  Delia  Martin  were 
also  born  (IV.)  Benjamin,  born  1754,  died  1816; 
in  Congress,  1782  ;  Indian  agent,  1785  ;  U.  S. 
Senator,  1789  ;  he  had  one  son,  Madison,  and 
three  daughters.     (V.)  Joseph,  died  unmarried. 


452 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


(VI.)    Ann,  married   to  Micajah    Thomas  ;    no 
issue. 

Benjamin  Hawkins  (born  1154,  died  1816) 
was  born  in  Bute,  now  Warren  County,  tbe  son 
of  Col.  Philemon  Hawkins,  sr.,  and  Delia, 
his  wife.  He  was  reared  in  habits  of  industry 
and  economy.  His  education  was  the  best  the 
country  afforded.  Witli  a  younger  brother 
(Joseph)  he  was  sent,  after  being  prepared  at 
other  institutions,  to  Princeton  College,  where 
they  remained  until  the  war  closed  its  walls,  he 
being  then  in  the  senior  class.  The  study  of  lan- 
guages seemed  to  be  his  forte,  and  he  was  familiar 
with  not  only  the  Latin  and  Greek,  but  also  was 
proficient  in  the  modern  languages,  especially 
the  French.  This  accomplishment  caused  Gen- 
eral Washington  to  invoke  his  aid  in  his  inter- 
course with  the  French  officers,  and  he  was  for 
awhile  a  member  of  Washington's  military 
family.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth 
with  Washington  in  1779,  probably  as  a  volun- 
teer aid.  In  1780  he  was  selected  by  the  Legis- 
lature as  commercial  agent  to  procire  supplies 
at  home  or  abroad  for  the  supjiort  of  the  war  ; 
he  repaired  to  the  West  Indies  and  procured 
munitions,  arms  and  provisions,  and  shipped 
them  on  board  of  vessels  belonging  to  John 
Wright  Stanley,  (the  father  of  John  Stanley,) 
then  a  wealthy  merchant  at  New  Berne.  These 
vessels  with  their  cargoes  were  captured  by  the 
British,  which  ruined  the  fortunes  of  Mr.  Stan- 
ley, and  when  he  applied  to  the  State  for  in- 
demnity, and  was  refused,  he  sued  Colonel 
Hawkins  individually,  but  the  court  held  that 
the  contracts  of  an  agent  of  the  State  did  not 
bind  him  individually.  In  September,  1782, 
he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  a  member  of 
Congress  in  the  old  Confederation,  and  re-elected 
in  1783  ;  he  was  present  at  Annapolis  that  year 
and  witnessed  the  resignation  of  Washington  as 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  armies  of  America ; 
March  21,  1785,  he  was  appointed  with  Daniel 
Carroll  and  William  Perry  to  treat  with  the 
Cherokees  and  all  other  Indians  south  of  them. 
He  was  also  appointed  by  Congress  with  An- 
drew Pickens,  Joseph  Martin  and  Lauchlin  Mc- 
intosh, to  negotiate  with  the  Creeks.  They 
concluded  the  treaty  of  Joephinton,  and  also 
the  treaty  with  the  Creeks  of  Hopewell.  In 
1786  he  was  again  elected  a  member  of  Congress 
to  serve  until  1787,  and  in  1789  he  was  elected 
Senator  in  Congress,  with  Samuel  Johnston  as 
a  colleague,  the  first  two  United  States  Sena- 
tors chosen  to  represent  this  State  ;  he  took  his 
seat  January  13,  1790,  and  served  for  six  years. 
After  his  term  in  the  Senate  had  expired  he  was 


appointed  by  the  President  "  agent  for  super- 
intending all  Indians  south  of  the  Ohio."  In 
1801  he  was  reappointed  by  Mr.  Jefferson  joint 
commissioner  with  Generals  Wilkerson  and 
Pickens  to  negotiate  treaties  with  the  Chicka- 
saws,  Choctaws  and  Natches.  It  is  a  well- 
known  trait  in  Indian  character  that  whenever 
war  is  waged  in  their  vicinity  their  belligerent 
and  restless  temper  will  cause  them  to  take  a 
part.  When  General  Jackson  was  carrying  on 
the  war  with  the  Creeks  it  was  deemed  best  by 
the  Government  that  a  regiment  should  be 
raised  among  the  friendly  Indians  to  prevent 
their  joining  the  enemy.  The  regiment  was 
raised  and  Hawkins  was  appointed  Colonel,  and 
tlie  celebrated  half-breed  Mcintosh,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  This  regiment  was  supplied  for  a 
time  by  Colonel  Hawkins  at  his  own  charge. 
Colonel  Hawkins  from  exposure  and  bad  health 
wished  to  resign  the  charge  of  his  responsible 
appointment  as  superintendent,  but  the  Gov- 
ernment seemed  unwilling  to  give  him  up.  He 
died  in  this  service  June  6,  1816,  leaving  one 
son  and  three  daugliters.  He  was  a  uian  of 
literary  attainments,  and  left  works  on  "  Topog- 
rapliy"  and  "Indian  language,"  valhable  and 
interesting.  "A  sketch  of  the  Creek  country" 
from  his  pen  lias  been  printed  by  the  Georgia 
Historical  Society  at  the  private  expense  of  Wm. 
B.  Hodgson. 

Colonel  Joseph  Hawkins  was  a  son  of  Phile- 
mon and  hrotlier  of  above.  In  1782-83  and 
1812-13  be  was  in  the  Legislature  ;  educated,  as 
we  have  stated,  at  Princeton.  His  namesake 
(son  of  Colonel  John  Hawkins)  was  in  1825 
Comptroller  of  the  State.  General  Micajah 
Thomas  Hawkins,  a  son  of  Colonel  John  Haw- 
kins, was  in  the  Senate  of  the  State  in  1823  and 
in  1827,  and  a  member  of  Congress  from  1831 
to  1841.  He  served  again  in  the  Legislature 
of  1846.  General  John  H.  Hawdvins  entered  the 
Legislature  in  1809,  and  served  in  the  Senate 
of  1830-31 ,  and  in  the  House  of  1835-36.  Pliile- 
mon,  second  son  of  Philemon,  was  in  the  Leg- 
islature of  1803-6,  1807-8,  1810-11,  1817-18. 
Governor  William  Hawdvins,  son  of  Philemon 
Hawkins,  jr.,  was  in  the  Legislature  of  1804-5, 
and  elected  Governor  in  1811;  died  in  1812. 
For  Sarah  Hawkins,  who  married  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Polk,  see  sketches  p.  201 ,  and  of  their  sons, 
General  Lucius  J.  Polk,  see  p.  202,  and  Bishop 
Polk,  see  p.  284. 

James  G.  Brehon,  who  was  a  surgeon  of  the 
Revolution,  died  at  his  residence  in  Warrenton 
on  April  8,  1819,  at  an  advanced  age.  He  was 
a  native  of  Ireland,  where  he  had   received   a 


Warren  county. 


453 


liberal  education.  He  emigrated  to  America 
and  settled  for  a  time  in  Maryland.  In  the 
records  of  the  committee  of  safety  of  Maryland, 
October,  1776,  is  an  order  for  Dr.  Brehon  to 
deliver  up  to  Timothy  Bowers  all  the  books  on 
physic,  or  any  other  kind  in  his  possession  taken 
on  hoard  of  any  of  the  captured  vessels  at  St. 
George  Island.  (Force's  Am.  Arch.,  vol.  2, 
654.)  He  removed  to  Warrenton  and  began  to 
practice,  hut  the  war  raged  and  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  surgeon  in  the  navy,  and  served  at 
different  posts  to  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he 
returned  to  his  profession.  He  was  distinguislied 
for  his  skill  as  a  surgeon  and  liis  learned  scien- 
tific researches.  He  was  celebrated  for  gener- 
ous hospitality  and  liis  unrivaled  colloquial 
powers.  (See  Dr.  Toner  on  the  Revolutionary 
Surgeons.) 

Nathaniel  Macon,  born  Dec.  17,  1758,  died 
June  29, 1837  ;  was  born,  lived  and  died  in  War- 
ren County.  To  attempt  to  mention  all  the  ser- 
Arices  of  this  patriot,  from  his  entrance  in  public 
life  as  a  soldier  of  tlie  Revolution  to  its  close  as 
Senator  in  Congress,  (1827,)  would  comprise  the 
history  of  our  Republic  at  important  and  interest- 
ing epochs,  but  neither  our  plan  or  abilities  will 
permit  this  attempt.  We  jjropose  to  confine  our- 
selves to  facts  and  dates,  leaving  to  tlie  historian 
to  delineate  and  present  his  character,  a  char- 
acter so  unique  yet  so  perfect,  so  grand  and 
yet  so  simple,  so  eccentric  and  yet  so  unselfish 
and  pure. 

His  ancestors  were  from  Virginia  ;  he  was 
sent  to  Princeton  College,  wliere  he  i)ursued  witli 
diligence  his  studies  till  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution closed  that  institution.  He  returned 
home  and  entered  the  army  as  a  private  soldier 
in  a  company  commanded  by  his  brother,  wliere 
he  served  for  some  years.  This  step  was 
marked  by  an  idiosyncrasy  so  peculiar  to  his 
whole  life,  and  so  different  from  the  ordinary 
conduct  of  men.  He  not  only  refused  rank 
which  was  oj)en  to  him,  but  refused  any  com- 
pensation for  his  service.  He  marched  with  his 
company  to  South  Carolina,  then  the  theater  of 
war,  and  had  bis  lull  share  of  all  the  hardships 
and  disasters  of  that  terrible  campaign.  He 
was  present  at  the  fall  of  Fort  Moultrie,  the 
surrender  of  Charleston,  the  defeat  of  Camden, 
and  the  rapid  retreat  of  Greene  across  the  upper 
part  of  North  Carolina.  He  was  in  camp  on 
the  banks  of  the  Yadkin  when  a  summons  came 
to  Mr.  Macon,  from  the  Governor  of  North 
Carolina,  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  General 
Assembly  to  which  he  had  been  elected  by  the 
people    of  Warren  County  without  his  knowl- 


edge and  in  his  absence  ;  he  declined  to  go. 
This  incident  came  to  the  knowledge  of  General 
Greene,  who  sent  for  the  young  man  and  asked 
him  the  reason  of  this  unexpected  course — this 
jDreference  of  a  camp  destitute  of  every  comfort, 
and  with  gloomy  prospects,  to  a  comfortable 
seat  in  the  Legislature.  Mr.  Macon,  in  bis 
sententious  way,  said  "  his  country  needed  the 
services  of  all  her  sons — that  he  had  seen  the 
faces  of  the  British  many  times,  and  as  yet 
never  saw  their  backs,  and  he  meant  to  stay  in 
the  army  until  he  did."  Greene  instantly  saw 
the  material  of  which  the  man  was  made — de- 
voted patriotism — and  determined  to  utilize  it. 
He  told  him  "  that  he  could  do  more  good  as  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  than  as  a  soldier, 
and  that  in  the  army  he  was  but  one  man,  but 
in  the  Legislature  lie  might  urge  many  to  fur- 
nish supplies  by  showing  the  utter  destitution 
and  distress  he  had  seen  ;  that  it  was  his  duty 
to  go."  Only  under  such  orders  and  such  high 
promptings  did  he  leave  the  army,  and  by  his 
influence  contributed  to  obtain  supplies  which 
enabled  Greene  to  face  Cornwallis  at  Guilford 
Court  House,  fight  him,  and  drive  him  from  the 
South  then  and  forever,  for  this  tbrced  the 
British  to  retreat  upon  Wilmington,  and  then 
followed  Yorktown.  The  military  career  of  Mr. 
Macon  here  ended,  and  his  political  life,  so  long 
and  so  successful,  began.  He  was  elected  the 
first  Senator  in  1780,  from  the  County  of 
Warren,  and  served  continuously  until  1785. 
From  this  time  he  devoted  himself  to  his  farm 
and  family  until  1791,  when  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  2d  Congress,  in  which  he  was 
continued  until  1815,  when  he  was  chosen 
Senator  in  place  of  Francis  Locke,  resigned, 
and  was  continued  by  repeated  elections  until 
1828,  wlien  he  resigned  his  office  as  Senator  in 
Congress,  as  trustee  of  the  University,  and  as 
a  justice  of  the  peace  in  a  laconic  note  of  two 
lines.  During  this  service  he  was  elected 
Speaker  of  the  House  1801  to  1806,  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Senate  in  1825-26-27.  At  one  time, 
1804,  the  State  of  North  Carolina  gave  a  Presi- 
dent to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  in 
Governor  Jesse  Franklin,  and  a  Speaker  of 
the  House  in  Nathaniel  Macon.  His  political 
life  thus  continued  over  forty  years  by  free  elec- 
tions of  the  people  and  the  Legislature.  He 
was  a  Representative  in  Congress  under  Wash- 
ington, Adams,  Jefferson  and  Madison,  and 
Senator  under  Madison,  Monroe  and  John 
Quiucy  Adams.  Although  offered  again  and 
again  high  executive  office,  he  never  accepted 
any  office  exce])t  from  the  people   or  their  im- 


4S4 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


mediate  representatives,  the  Legislature.  He 
venerated  Washington  ;  he  had  an  affectionate 
regard  for  Madison  and  Monroe,  but  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son was  to  him  his  3Iagnus  Apollo  of  politics. 
Pie  was  a  devoted  friend  of  Jackson  and  his 
constant  supporter.  His  last  public  office  (1836) 
was  as  elector  in  the  support  of  Van  Buren  for 
President.  He  often  spoke  in  Congress,  always 
sententious,  decided  and  to  the  point.  It  is 
regretted  that  in  his  day  few  short-hand  re- 
porters or  that  no  Congressional  Record  existed, 
but  Mr  Benton  has  recorded  that  "  he  spoke 
more  good  sense  while  getting  in  his  chair  and 
getting  out  of  it,  than  many  delivered  in  long 
and  elaborate  speeches."  He  allowed  no  re- 
porter to  amplify  or  condense  liis  remarks.  He 
was  opposed  to  all  nepotism,  and  in  his  long 
public  career  of  forty  years  in  Congress  he 
never  once  recommended  any  relative  of  his 
to  public  ofSce.  What  a  contrast  with  modern 
times.  He  never  attended  a  convention  or  cau- 
cus, for  he  said  he  trusted  them  once  and  then 
they  cheated  him.  He  was  a  hard-money  man, 
as  the  only  constitutional  currency.  He  said 
that  this  was  right,  for  he  had  seen  the  evils  of 
paper  money,  and  meant  to  save  the  people 
from  it.  He  was  opposed  to  all  pensions  to 
officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Revolution,  and  re- 
fused any  pension  for  himself,  although  entitled 
to  one,  for  he  urged' that  all  had  been  rewarded 
by  the  establishment  of  independence  and  free- 
dom, and  that  was  sufficient  in  itself.  On  this 
principle  he  voted  against  the  bill  for  Lafayette's 
benefit.  On  the  rights  of  the  States  to  secede 
he  addressed  the  following  letter  toS.  P.  Carson, 
dated — 

"  Buck  Springs,  February  9,  1833. 

"  Sir  :  I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  24th 
ulto. 

"There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  United 
States  are  in  a  deplorable  situation,  and  that 
the  publication  of  the  opinion  you  desire  would 
be  useless.  My  opinion  has  never  been  a  secret, 
and  I  have  always  stated  it  to  those  who  wanted 
to  know  it.  In  the  year  1824,  the  Constitution 
was  buried.  The  Senators  who  were  then  pre- 
sent will,  it  is  believed,  recollect  the  fact,  and 
was  never  afterward  quoted  by  me  while  I  con- 
tinued in  the  Senate.  The  opinions  of  General 
Washington,  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Grovernor  Clinton 
were  known  but  not  resjiected.  I  never  believed 
that  a  State  could  nullify  and  remain  in  the 
Union,  hut  always  believed  that  a  State  could 
secede  luhen  she  pleased,  provided  she  would  pay 
her  proportion  of  the  public  debt. 


"  This  right  I  have  considered  the  best  guard 
to  public  liberty  and  the  public  justice  that 
could  be  desired,  and  it  ought  to  have  prevented 
what  is  now  felt  in  the  South — oppression. 

"  A  government  of  opinion  established  by 
sovereign  States  cannot  be  maintained  by  force. 
The  use  of  force  makes  enemies,  and  enemies 
cannot  live  in  peace. 

"  Nathaniel  Macon." 

His  private  character  was  but  a  reflex  of  his 
public  career.  He  was  exact,  just  and  cautious, 
not  wealthy,  he  did  not  covet  riches,  but  lived 
independently  and  within  his  means.  Punctual 
in  all  his  obligations  he  paid  as  he  went,  avoid- 
ing all  suretyship  and  debt.  When  in  his  last 
illness  and  he  knew,  as  he  had  been  informed 
by  his  physician,  that  it  was  fatal,  he  asked  for 
his  bill  of  the  physician  and  paid  it<,  a7id  so  died 
not  oiving  a  cent  to  any  man.  His  house,  plain 
and  simple,  always  had  a  welcome  for  all.  In 
j)erson  he  was  portly,  of  strongly  marked  fea- 
tures, and  of  pleasant  address. 

No  portrait  it  is  believed  of  him  is  extant,  for 
he  would  never  allow  one  to  be  taken.  On  one 
occasion  while  in  the  discharge  of  some  public 
duty,  an  artist  attempted  to  take  his  likeness. 
When  it  was  discovered,  Mr.  Macon  was  indig- 
nant and  threatened  to  prosecute  the  offender. 
His  chirography  was  like  his  character,  simple, 
plain  and  determined,  without  ornament  or  af- 
fectation. 

He  was  devoted  to  agriculture,  and  often  in 
the  recess  of  Congress  worked  with  his  hands  in 
gathering  his  crops.  In  his  dress  he  was  plain 
but  always  neat.  He  wore  a  suit  all  of  the 
same  material,  of  superfine  navy  blue,  in  the 
fashion  of  the  olden  time  ;  a  hat  made  of  a  coon 
skin,  broad  brimmed,  with  fair-topped  boots 
outside  of  the  pantaloons,  for  he  said  that 
leather  was  stronger  than  cloth.  In  religion 
he  inclined  to  "  the  Baptist  persuasion,"  and 
he  was  an  earnest  and  constant  student  of  the 
Bible.  He  married  Hannah  Plummer,  and  had 
two  daughters,  one  of  whom  married  William 
Martin,  and  the  other  William  Eaton  ;  he  died 
at  home  suddenly,  June  29,  1837.  He  had 
selected  his  burial  ])lace  many  years  before  his 
death,  a  spot  of  land  barren  and  stony,  and  not 
likely  ever  to  be  cultivated  ;  and  employed  two 
of  his  neighbors  to  make  his  coffin  of  the 
plainest  material,  so  it  could  he  paid  for  before 
it  was  used.     Such  was  Nathaniel  Macon. 

James  Turner,  born  1766,  died  1824,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  born  in  Southampton  County. 
His  father,  Thomas  Turner,  moved  to  Warren 


WAREEN  COUNTY. 


455 


County,  then  Bute,  when  his  son  was  very 
young.  His  advantages  in  education  were  but 
few.  He  early  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  inde- 
pendence, and  was  a  private  in  the  same  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Macon.  He  entered  public  life 
as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons  in  1798  ; 
re-elected  in  1799  and  1800  ;  and  elected  to  the 
Senate  in  1801-2  ;  in  the  latter  session,  1802,  he 
was  elected  Governor  of  the  State.  In  1805  he 
was  elected  one  of  the  Senators  in  Congress,  and 
served  until  1816,  when  he  resigned.  He  was 
firm  in  his  support  of  the  war  measures  of  the 
Government,  and  in  this  he  differed  from  his 
colleague.  Governor  Stone.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  personal  worth,  a  faithful  representative 
and  a  sincere  friend.  He  died  August  15,  1824. 
He  was  thrice  married  :  1.  To  Mary  Anderson, 
of  Warrenton,  in  1793,  by  whom  he  had  four 
ciiildren:  Thomas,  Daniel,  Rebecca,  who  mar- 
ried Hon.  George  E.  Badger,  and  Mary,  there 
was  one  daughter,  probably  Mary,  who  married 
Dr.  Pope,  of  Warrenton  ;  2.  Mrs.  Anne  Coch- 
ran ;  3.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Johnson,  who  survived 
him,  leaving  two  daughters,  Sally  P.  (wife  of 
Hon.  Mark  Alexander,  of  Mecklenburg  County, 
Virginia)  and  Ann,  wife  of  Henry  Coleman,  of 
Virginia. 

His  son,  Daniel  Turner,  was  born  in  War- 
ren County,  1796.  He  was  educated  at  West 
Point ;  in  1814  was  appointed  a  lieutenant  of 
artillery.  He  was  stationed  on  Long  Island, 
and  aided  General  Swift  in  superintending 
the  defenses  of  New  York  harbor.  He  then 
was  ordered  to  Plattsburg  under  General  Ma- 
comb. The  war  being  over  he  resigned  in  1815. 
In  1819-23  be  was  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  tlie 
20th  Congress,  (1825-27,)  and  was  succeeded  by 
Robert  Potter.  He  for  a  time  was  tlie  principal 
of  the  Warrenton  Academy,  distinguished  alike 
for  liis  learning  and  amiability.  He  was  ap- 
pointed navy  agent  at  Mare's  Island,  Califor- 
nia, where  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  mar- 
ried a  daugliter  of  Francis  S.  Key,  of  Washing- 
ton City,  distinguished  as  a  lawyer  and  the 
author  of  our  national  song,  "The  Star-Span- 
glcd  Banner." 

Kemp  Plummcr,  long  a  distinguished  resi- 
dent of  Warren  County,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, born  1769.  He  read  hiw  with  Chancellor 
Wytlie  and  settled  in  Warrenton.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  in  1794  in  the  Com- 
mons, and  in  1815-16  was  elected  to  the  Senate. 
He  married  Susan  Martin,  by  whom  he  had  a 
large  family.  One  of  his  daughters  was  _  the 
wife  of  Hon.  William  H.  Battle,  late  of  Chapel 


Hill,  and  the  mother  of  Hon.  Kemp  Plummer 
Battle. 

John  Hall,  born  1767,  died  January,  1833, 
resided  and  died  in  this  County.  He  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  born  at  Waynesboro',  the 
son  of  Edward  and  Eleanor  Hall,  nee  Stuart. 
His  father  came  from  Ireland,  settled  first  in 
Pennsylvania  and  moved  to  Virginia  in  1736  ; 
he  was  in  moderate  circumstances.  The  mother's 
family  were  of  wealth  and  distinction.  Judge 
Archibald  Stuart  and  Alexander  H.  H.  Stuart, 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  under  Fillmore,  were 
among  its  members. 

Judge  Hall  was  educated  at  William  and 
Mary  College,  where  he  was  fellow-student  of 
the  Right  Reverend  John  Starke  Ravenscroft. 
He  studied  law  at  Staunton,  Virginia,  under  his 
relative.  Judge  Stuart.  In  1792  he  settled  in 
Warrenton,  North  Carolina,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death.  His  correct  and  studious  habits 
and  his  extensive  learning  were  duly  appre- 
ciated, and  won  for  him  the  esteem  and  respect 
of  all  who  knew  him.  His  merits  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  Legislature,  and  in  1800  elected 
him  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Superior  Courts, 
upon  the  adoption  of  the  present  Superior  Court 
system  in  1806,  and  he  rode  the  circuit  regu- 
larly until  1818,  when  on  December  12  of  that 
year  he  was  elected  with  Leonard  Henderson 
and  John  L  Taylor  to  the  Supreme  Court  bench, 
which  position  be  held  until  a  painlul  and  dis- 
tressing malady  compelled  him  to  resign  (in 
December,  1832)  and  caused  his  death  soon 
after;  this  occurred  at  his  residence  in  Warren- 
ton, January  29,  1833.  His  biographer  and 
pupil  (William  Eaton,  jr.,  Esq.,)  from  wliose 
admirable  memoir  of  Judge  Hall  much  of  this 
brief  skefcli  has  been  collated,  states  of  him : 
"Although  not  a  man  of  showy  or  brilliant  en- 
dowments, he  had  a  sound  judgment  and  varied 
and  extensive  learning.  In  uprightness,  im- 
partiality and  independence  ;  in  tlie  patient  and 
laborious  duties  of  his  liigh  office  ;  in  kindness 
and  courtesy,  lie  liad  no  superior  in  North  Caro- 
lina— a  State  tliat  lias  produced  so  many  jurists 
of  rare  judicial  excellence."  Although  in  jio- 
litical  feeling  he  was  of  tlie  Jeifersonian  school, 
he  had  too  correct  a  sense  of  tlie  proprieties  of  his 
position  to  be  active  in  political  contests,  and 
was  free  from  all  partisan  or  political  influences. 
In  1829  he  was,  while  on  the  bencli,  elected  one 
of  the  electors  on  the  Jackson  ticket.  He  was 
an  active  and  bright  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  in  1804  presided  as  Grand  Mas- 
ter of  the  order  in  the  State.  In  ])rivate  life 
he  was  simple  and  unaflectcd,  frank  and   sin- 


456 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


cere,  of  unaffected  modesty,  humane  and  benevo- 
lent. He  was  prompt  and  punctual  in  the  pay- 
ment of  his  debts,  la  person  he  was  considerably 
above  the  middle  size,  agreeable  features,  florid 
complexion  and  a  fixce  indicative  of  amiability 
and  candor.  He  died  a  communicant  of  the 
Episcopal  Cliurch,  the  sacrament  of  which  was 
administered  to  him  in  his  own  chamber  shortly 
before  his  death  by  Kev.  Joseph  H.  Saunders, 
then  rector  of  Emanuel  Church  at  Warrenton. 
He  married  Mary  Weldon,  who  died  August, 
1852,  leaving  eight  children.  Among  tliese 
was  Edward,  who  was  born  1795.  He  was  an 
educated  gentleman  ;  graduated  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  North  Carolina  in  same  class  of  1815 
with  F.  L.  Ilawks,  Willie  P.  Mangum,  and  R. 
D.  Spaight.  He  studied  law  and  became  so 
devoted  to  his  ])rofession  that  in  1841  he  was 
appointed  judge  of  tlie  Superior  Courts.  Very 
few  of  his  opinions  were  overruled,  and  he  was 
considered  one  of  the  most  learned  judges  of  the 
State.  For  many  years  preceding  his  death  he 
retired  from  all  business.  He  was  a  gentleman 
of  gieat  purity  of  cliaracter  and  integrity.  He 
died  in  November,  1877,  in  the  eighty-second 
year  of  his  age,  unmarried. 

Blake  Baker  resided  and  represented  Warren 
County  in  tlie  House  of  Commons  in  1807.  He 
had  previously  been  the  Attorney-General  of 
the  State  (1794  to  1803)  and  in  1808  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  judges  of  the  Superior  Courts 
by  the  Governor ;  not  being  elected  by  the 
Legislature  liis  commission  expired  in  the  same 
year.  He  died  in  1818.  He  married  Elizabeth, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  Christopher  Clark,  of 
Bertie  County,  the  aunt  of  Governor  Henry  T. 
Clark,  but  had  no  issue. 

William  Miller  represented  this  County  in 
1810  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and  from  1811 
to  1814,  and  had  for  his  colleague  William  R. 
Johnson,  distinguished  for  his  success  with  race 
horses,  to  which  amusement  the  people  of  War- 
ren are  still  much  addicted.  In  the  year  1814  Mr. 
Miller  was  elected  Governor  of  the  State,  and 
served  till  1817.  His  administration  was  during 
the  war  with  England,  and  Governor  Miller  nobly 
sustained  all  the  war  measures  of  Mr.  Madison 
and  promptly  and  efficiently  aided  in  its  vigor- 
ous prosecution.  In  March,  1825,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  President  charge  d'affaires  to 
Guatemala,  Central  America,  and  died  while  on 
that  mission. 

Weldon  Nathaniel  Edwards,  born  1788,  died 
1873,  was  long  a  resident  and  representative  of 
this  County.  He  was  n  native  of  Northampton, 
born  about  two  miles  from  Gaston  ;  he  read  law 


with  Judge  Hall.  He  succeeded  Governor  Mil- 
ler in  1814  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1815.  In  1816  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  15th  Congress,  succeeding 
Mr.  Macon,  who  had  been  elected  to  the 
Senate  and  served  until  the  18th  Congress, 
1825-27,  when  he  declined  a  re-election  to 
Congress,  and  was  succeeded  by  Daniel  Tur- 
ner. He  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the 
State  in  1833,  and  sei'ved  till  1844.  He  was  a 
delegate  in  1835,  with  Mr.  Macon,  to  the  con- 
vention to  amend  the  State  Constitution.  In 
1850-52  he  was  elected  again,  and  chosen  to 
preside  over  the  Senate.  In  1861  he  was  elected 
to  and  was  chosen  President  of  the  convention 
which  met  at  Raleigh  on  May  20,  1861.  This 
body  passed  the  ordinance  of  secession  of 
North  Carolina  from  the  Union,  and  it  closed 
the  political  career  of  Mr.  Edwards,  which  in 
life  to  him  had  been  so  full  of  promise  and  en- 
joyment, and  which  closed  under  circumstances 
of  sorrow  and  melancholy.  The  war  and  its 
sad  effects  had  impaired  his  large  estate,  the 
desolation  of  his  section  and  losses  of  his  friends 
pressed  deeply  upon  his  generous  and  humane 
disposition.  He  died  December  18,  1873.  He 
married,  in  1823,  Lucy  Norfleet,  of  Halifax, 
with  whom  he  lived  for  more  than  fifty  years  in 
quiet  and  unbroken  felicity.* 

There  are  few  families  that  liave  produced 
members  who  have  served  their  country  with 
more  integrity  and  ability  than  the  Bragg  fam- 
ily. The  father,  Thomas  Bragg,  was  a  citizen 
and  native  of  Warren  County.  He  was  indus- 
trious and  intelligent,  a  house  carpenter  by 
trade.  It  was  while  he  was  engaged  in  repair- 
ing the  old  State  House  that  it  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  the  elaborate  and  matchless  statue  of 
Washington,  made  in  Italy  by  Canova,  being 
lost  in  the  flames. f  His  wife  was  a  lady  of  ex- 
traordinary energy  and  intelligence,  who  im- 
parted to  her  children  the  same  decided  traits  of 
character  that  she  possessed.  This  accords  with 
the  remark  of  Dr.  Rush  in  his  work  "  On  the 
Mind,"  that  he  "  never  read  of  a  great  man 
who  did  not  have  an  active  and  intelligent 
mother,"  verifying  the  trite  adage,  "The 
hand  that  rocks  the  cradle  rules  tlie  world." 
Dickens  says,  "  The  virtues  of  mothers  are  vis- 


*  Althonn'h  naturally  depressed  by  tlie  sulTerings  of  his 
people,  yet  liis  last  days  were  spent  in  peace  and  plenty^ 
liis  estate  was  worth  near  $100,000.— Ed. 

f  An  appropriation  was  made  to  rebuild  the  Ca|iitol  at 
a  cost  of  about  $300,000.  The  coinnn"ssioners  for  re- 
building were  Samuel  F.  Patterson,  then  Treasurer  of 
the  State;  Duncan  Cameron,  Alfred  Jones,  Charles 
Manly  and  Beverly  Daniel. 


WAEREN  COUNTY. 


457 


ited  on  their  children,  as  well  as  the  sins  of  the 
fathers." 

Three  sons  were  born  to  this  couple  in  War- 
ren County,  N.  C:  John,  Braxton  and  Thomas. 

John  Bragg,  born  1808,  died  1878,  was  born 
in  Warrenton.  His  father,  though  in  moderate 
circumstances,  afforded  him  every  advantage  of 
education.  He  was  sent  to  the  best  schools  in 
the  country,  and  to  the  University,  where  he 
graduated  in  the  same  class  of  1824  with  Will- 
iam A.  Graham,  Matthias  E.  Manly,  David 
Outlaw  and  others.  Many  of  these  subsequently 
attained  the  highest  positions  in  the  State,  as 
these  sketches  prove.  Ho  studied  law  with  Hon. 
Edward  Hall,  son  of  Judge  John  Hall,  and 
f)racticed  with  great  success  for  five  years.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons 
in  1830,  and  by  successive  elections  until  1835. 
In  the  latter  year  he  was  appointed  by  General 
Jackson  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Visitors  of 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point.  Soon  after  tliis  he  removed  to  Mobile, 
Ala.  During  the  Presidential  canvass  of  1836 
he  was  associate  editor  of  the  Mobile  liegisler. 
As  a  polemical  writer,  he  possessed  great  power, 
and  acquired  influence  and  reputation  as  a  jour- 
nalist. So  competent  an  authority  as  Colonel 
Forsyth  pronounced  him  ' '  without  any  superior 
as  a  political  writer  in  the  State  of  Alabama." 
In  1837  and  until  1840  lie  was  the  attorney  for 
the  Bank  of  Mobile,  and  in  1842  he  was  ap- 
])ointed,  by  Governor  Fitzpatrick,  judge  of  the 
Sixth  Judicial  Circuit ;  afterward  he  was  elected 
to  this  position  by  the  Legislature  over  Gen. 
George  W.  Crabb.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  office  (six  years)  lie  was  unanimously  re- 
elected by  the  same  body.  During  tiie  time, 
however,  the  election  of  judges  was  transferred 
from  the  Legislature  to  the  people.  Although 
it  was  well  knowu  that  Judge  Bragg  was  decid- 
edly averse  to  the  innovation,  and  stood  aloof 
from  the  canvass,  the  people  elected  liim  by  a 
large  majority  over  Aaron  B.  Cooper,  of  Monroe. 

As  a  judge,  he  was  considered  austere  and  un- 
bending. Rigidly  upright  in  his  own  conduct, 
he  was  unsparing  to  any  attempt  at  fraud  or 
chicanery.  His  virtues  were  of  the  Roman 
type. 

In  1851  the  Democratic  party  had  become 
sadly  disorganized  in  the  Mobile  district,  and  in 
order  to  harmonize  the  contending  factions, 
which  his  non-interference  in  active  politics  en- 
abled him  to  effect,  he  consented  to  be  a  candi- 
date for  Congress,  and  was  elected  by  a  majority 
of  nearly  2,000  votes  over  Hon.  C.  C.  Langdon. 
He  served  during  only  one  session  in  Congress, 


positively  declining  a  re-election.  He  felt  that 
tliere  was  such  a  decadence  of  public  integrity 
and  personal  virtue  at  Washington,  as  com- 
pared with  the  days  of  Macon,  who  was  his 
model  of  a  statesman,  that  "  the  post  of  honor 
was  a  private  station." 

Retiring  from  all  professional  as  well  as  polit- 
ical pursuits,  he  did  not  appear  again  in  public 
affairs  till  his  election  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1861,  as  the  representative  from 
Mobile  County.  Disqualified  by  age  and  former 
pursuits  from  military  service,  he  remained  on 
his  farm  in  Lowndes  County  during  the  war. 
There  (April  12,  1865)  he  was  subjected  to  the 
grossest  [lersonal  indignities,  his  farm  wantonly 
destroyed,  and  his  dwelling  burned  over  the 
heads  of  his  wife  and  children  by  the  ti'oops  of 
General  Wilson.  He  moved  to  Mobile,  where 
he  died  on  August  10,  1878. 

He  married  a  sister  of  Dr.  William  R.  Hall,  of 
Lowndes  County,  Ala.  His  brother.  Captain 
William  Bragg,  of  Wilcox  County,  died  in  the 
Confederate  army.  His  distinguished  brother, 
Tiiomas  Bragg,  (born  November  9,  1810,  died 
January  21,  1872,)  was  a  native  of  Warren 
County,  son  of  Tliomas  and  Margaret  Bragg. 
His  education  began  at  the  Warrenton  Acad- 
emy, Vith  such  teachers  as  Geo.  W.  Freeman, 
afterward  Bishop  of  Arkansas,  and  Bishoji  Otcy, 
of  Tennessee,  and  was  completed  at  the  Jlili- 
tary  Academy  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  under 
Cajitain  Allen  Partridge,  where  he  remained 
nearly  three  years.  He  then  commenced  tlie 
study  of  tlie  law  under  Judge  Jolin  Hall,  and 
after  obtaining  his  license  he  settled  in  Jack- 
son, Northampton  County,  N.  C,  wliere  lie  prac- 
ticed liis  profession  with  brilliant  success.  In 
1842  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  wlierc  he  took  a  high  jiosition,  and 
was  the  chairman  of  the  Judicially  Committee. 
In  1854  he  was  elected  Governor  of  the  State  by 
the  Democratic  party,  over  that  veteran  poli- 
tician. Gen.  Alfred  Dockery,and  was  re-elected, 
in  1856,  over  tliat  excellent  and  able  statesman, 
John  A.  Gilmer.  In  1858-59  lie  was  elected 
Senator  in  Congress,  which  lie  resigned  in  1861, 
when  liis  State  withdrew  from  tlie  Union. 

On  February  22,  1862,  when  the  Confederate 
Government  was  organized  at  Richmond.  Mr. 
Davis  tendered  Governor  Bragg  the  position  of 
Attorney-General.  This  high  duty  he  performed 
with  great  ability  until  1863,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Hon.  George  Davis.  He  returned  to 
his  profession  ;  but  the  vicissitudes  of  the  war 
made  a  deep  impression  on  his  mind.  In  the 
summer  of  1870,  when  civil  liberty  and  private 


458 


WHE ELBE'S  EEMINISOENOES. 


rights  were  menacetl  by  lawless  power  on  the 
one  hand,  and  "a  wild  species  of  justice  "  on 
the  other,  his  efforts  were  unremitting  in  the 
support  of  justice  and  order.  He,  with  others, 
addressed  the  following  note  to  Judge  Bond, 
then  holding  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  at 
Ealeigh  : 

"  Ealeigh,  September  30,  1871. 
"Hon.H.  L.BoND,  Judge  of  U.  S.  Circuit  Court. 
"  Sir:   We  have  the  honor,  in  the  interest  of 
the  peace  of  the  people  of  North  Carolina,   to 
address  you  this  note. 

"The  fact  that  a  secret,  unlawful  organization, 
called  '  tlie  Ku  Klux  or  Invisible  Empire,'  ex- 
ists in  certain  parts  of  the  State  has  been  mani- 
fested in  the  recent  trials  before  the  court  in 
which  you  preside.  We  condemn  without  res- 
ervation all  such  organizations.  We  denounce 
them  as  dangerous  to  all  good  government,  and 
we  regard  it  as  the  eminent  duty  of  all  good  citi- 
zens to  suppress  them.  No  right-minded  man 
in  North  Carolina  can  palliate  or  deny  the  crimes 
committed  by  these  organizations  ;  but  we  think 
if  the  further  prosecution  of  the  persons  charged 
with  these  offenses  were  continued  until  Novem- 
ber term,  it  would  enable  us  to  enlist  all  law- 
loving  citizens  of  the  State  to  make  an  energetic 
and  effectual  effort  for  the  restoration  of  good 
.order.  We  assui-e  you  that  we  believe  before 
the  November  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  that 
this  unlawful  organization  will  be  effectually 
suppressed. 

"  In  presenting  these  considerations  to  your 
honor,  we  declare  that  it  is  our  duty  and  pur- 
pose to  exert  all  the  influence  we  possess  and  all 
the  means  in  our  power  to  absolutely  suppress 
the  organization,  and  to  secure  a  lasting  and 
permanent  peace  to  the  State.  The  laws  of  the 
country  must  and  shall  be  vindicated.  We  are 
satisfied,  and  give  the  assurance,  tliat  the  peo- 
ple of  North  Carolina  will  unite  in  averting  and 
forever  obliterating  an  evil  which  can  bring 
nothing  but  calamity  to  the  State.  In  the  name 
of  a  just  and  honorable  people,  and  by  all  the 
considerations  which  appeal  to  good  men,  we 
solemnly  protest  that  these  violations  of  law 
and  public  justice  must  and  shall  cease. 

"  We  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc., 
"Thomas  Bragg,  Geo.  V.  Strong,  Daniel  G. 
FowLE,  Jas.  H.  Batchelor,  B.  F.  Moore, 
Wm.  M.  Shipp,  M.  W.  Eansom,  Will.  H. 
Battle,  E.  H.  Battle,  jr.,  and  D.  M.  Bar- 
ringer." 

In  a  reply,  dated  October  2,  1871,  Judge 
Bond  stated  that  he  was  unable  to  comply  with 
this  modest  and  reasonable  request. 


The  last  public  service  of  Governor  Bragg 
was  his  connection  as  counsel  for  the  managers 
in  the  im2:)eachment  of  Governor  Holden,  which 
has  already  been  referred  to.     (Page  441.) 

From  the  hour  of  the  arrest  of  private  citi- 
zens in  Alamance  and  Caswell  Counties  to  the 
conviction  of  Holden,  the  mind  of  Governor 
Bragg' was  never  free  from  deep  anxiety,  and 
from  the  grave  responsibilities  resting  on  him  as 
the  leading  and  great  tribune,  guarding  tlie 
rights  and  liberties  of  the  people.  So  heavy 
and  severe  were  his  labors  that  when  he  left  the 
impeachment  chamber  he  went  an  invalid  to  his 
sick  room,  a  broken-down,  aiHicted  man.  Tlie 
silver  cord  of  his  life  had  been  broken  ;  the 
health-giving  influences  of  mineral  springs  and 
medicine  had  lost  all  their  power.  His  life  liad 
now  come  to  its  end.  Surrounded  by  his  af- 
flicted and  disconsolate  family,  in  full  possession 
of  his  vigorous  intellect,  and  in  a  calm  reliance 
on  the  rewards  promised  to  an  honest,  useful 
and  well-spent  life,  Gov.  Thomas  Bragg  de- 
parted this  life  at  Ealeigh,  January  21,  1872. 

"Call  no  man  good  till  he  dies,"  said  the 
illustrious  ancient ;  and  now  that  death  has 
closed  the  scenes  of  his  long,  useful  and  event- 
ful life,  we  can,  without  fear  of  reversal,  pro- 
nounce Governor  Bragg  worthy  of  the  esteemand 
reverence  with  which  his  memory  is  cherished 
by  a  grateful  community.  He  was  a  good  as 
well  as  a  great  man. 

A  correspondent,  in  one  of  the  papers  of  the 
day,  has  recorded  that  he  witnessed  "  the  last 
of  earth  "  with  this  distinguished  man.  He  says  : 
"Holding  his  hand  with  affection,  I  saw  the 
last  evidences  of  life  slowly  pass  away  from  him. 
Never  shall  I  forget  the  calmness  and  composure 
with  which,  a  few  moments  before  he  died,  he 
uttered  these  words  :  "I  have  no  doubt  that  I 
have  my  sins  to  answer  for;  all  men  must  so  ac- 
count. I  have  endeavored  to  lead  an  exemplary 
life  ;  I  have  never  seen  the  time  that  I  felt  I 
could  be  persuaded,  through  favor,  affection,  re- 
ward, or  the  hope  of  reward,  to  do  otherwise 
than  my  conscience  would  dictate  to  me,  as  right 
and  proper.  The  future  has  been,  and  is  now, 
a  deep,  dark  mystery." 

Governor  Bragg  needs  no  eulogy.  Tlie  peo- 
ple hold   his  memory   in  respectful  reverence. 

He  married  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  and  left  a 
large  family. 

"  Green  be  the  turf  above  thee, 
Friend  of  my  better  days  ! 
None  knew  thee  but  to  love  thee ; 
None  named  thee  but  to  praise." 

— Hallech  on  the  death  of  Drake. 


WARREN  COUNTY. 


459 


Braxton  Bragg,  (born  1815,  died  1876,)  son 
of  Thomas  and  Margaret  Bragg,  was  born  intliis 
County. 

After  proper  early  education,  he  was  ap- 
pointed, in  1833,  a  cadet  at  the  U.  S.  Military 
Academy  from  the  Warren  district.  Gen.  Mica- 
jab  T.  Hawkins  being  then  member  of  Congress. 
He  graduated  in  1837,  and  was  appointed  a  lieu- 
tenant of  the  Third  Artillery.  In  1839  to  1843 
he  served  in  Florida  in  the  war  with  the  Semi- 
noles.  He  was  breveted  captain  for  gallant  con- 
duct in  Mexico  at  the  defense  of  Fort  Brown, 
May  9,  1846,  and  major,  for  gallantry  at  Mon- 
terey, September  23,  1846^  breveted  lieutenant- 
colonel  for  Buena  Vista  1847,  and  appointed 
major  of  First  Cavalry  March  3,  1855.  He  re- 
signed January  3, 1856,  and  resided  on  his  plan- 
tation, at  Thibodeaux  until  our  civil  war  be- 
gan. He  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general 
(RIarch,  1861)  in  the -Confederate  army,  and  as- 
signed to  command  at  Pensacola.  In  February, 
1862,  he  was  was  made  a  major-general,  and 
joined  the  army  of  the  Mississippi  in  command 
of  the  Second  Corps,  and  bore  an  important  part 
in  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  He  was  made  general 
in  place  of  A.  S.  Johnson,  and  succeeded  Beaure- 
gard in  command  of  that  army  after  that  battle. 
In  August  he  entered  Kentucky,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  retire  after  the  battle  of  Perryville, 
October  9,  1862.  He  was  then  relieved  from 
this  command,  but  was  soon  restored,  and  took 
command  of  the  army  opposed  to  Rosecrans. 
After  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro',  December  31, 
1862,  where  he  gained  partial  success,  he  was 
compelled  to  retire.  On  September  19,  18G3, 
he  defeated  Rosecrans  at  Chickamauga,  and  on 
November  25,  1863,  he  was  defeated  by  General 
Grant  at  Missionary  Ridge,  and  again  was  re- 
lieved of  his  command.  At  Wilmington  he  was 
again  placed  in  command,  just  before  its  capture 
bj  the  Unioi)  forces.  After  the  war  he  led  a  quiet 
life,  and  died  very  suddenly,  (falling  dead  in  the 
street,)  from  a  disease  of  the  heart,  at  Galveston, 
on  September  27,  1876.  Thus  ended  the  last  of 
tliis  triumvirate  of  genius,  of  worth  and  talent. 

The  memory  of  Gen.  Thomas  J.  Green  should 
be  guarded  well  and  protected  in  love.  He,  gen- 
erous to  a  fault,  noble  and  grand,  fiery  and  im- 
pulsive, heard  the  Texan  cry  for  freedom,  left  a 
home  of  luxury,  sought  the  field  where  blood 
like  water  flowed,  unsheathed  his  sword  in  de- 
fense of  a  stranger's  land,  and  bravely  fought 
for  unknown  homes.  The  cry  of  the  oppressed 
reached  his  ears  and  was  echoed  in  his  unselfish 
heart — that  heart  gave  its  first  beat  of  life  'neath 
Warren's  sky — bravely  and  nobly  he  fought,  his 


blood  stained  the  plains  and  broad  prairies  of 
Texas  land  ;  the  "  Lone  Star  State  "  was  saved 
from  Mexican  persecution,  and  his  chivalric  na- 
ture was  satisfied.  Years  passed,  but  Warren's 
memory  remained  still  fresh  in  his  mind,  he  re- 
turned, settled,  and  many  )'et  there  are  who  re- 
member with  pleasure  how  Esmeralda's  door, 
whether  touched  by  the  hands  of  rich  or  poor, 
ever  swung  upon  the  hinges  of  hospitality.  But 
he,  too,  who  had  aided  so  much  to  build  the 
temple  of  fame,  passed  away  just  as  the  blood- 
bespattered  flag  of  our  land  was  unfurled  for  its 
last  mighty  effort  in  the  southern  heavens,  but 
in  passing  away  his  noble  heart  beat  with  a 
quickened  pulse  of  pride,  for  he  knew  that  Ids 
only  son,  shrouded  in  the  patriotic  mantlcof  his 
sire,  was  battling  for  Warren,  Carolina  and  the 
South. 

From  the  graceful  pen  of  E.  A.  Oldham,  of 
the  Neiv  South,  we  find  that  Wharton  J.  Green 
is  of  an  old  Warren  County  stock,  his  ancestors 
being  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  that  County, 
then  a  part  of  old  Bute.  Losing  his  mother  at 
four  years  of  age,  his  father,  Gen.  Thomas  J. 
Green,  placed  him  with  a  maternal  uncle  while 
he  went  off  to  engage  in  the  struggle  for  Texan 
independence,  just  then  beginning.  The  latter 
was  forthwith  commissioned  a  Brigadier-General 
by  the  Congress  of  the  young  republicand  directed 
to  return  to  New  Orleans  and  raise  a  brisrade 

O 

for  active  service.  This  he  speedily  accom- 
plished, consuming  in  the  effort  almost  his  en- 
tire private  means.  Returning  to  Texas  on  the 
day  that  Santa  Anna,  who  had  been  captured  at 
San  Jacinto,  was  to  have  sailed  for  Vera  Cruz, 
General  Green  assumed  the  responsibility  of 
bringing  him  ashore  and  detaining  him  a  pris- 
oner of  war — an  act  which  was  approved  by  the 
succeeding  Congress. 

Subsequently  he  was  captured  with  the  ill- 
fated  Mier  expedition,  every  tenth  man  of 
which  was  shot  in  cold  blood,  by  order  of  his 
former  captive,  the  then  tyrant  of  Mexico. 
After  twelve  months'  confinement  in  the  Castle 
of  Perote  he  and  seven  others  effected  tlieir  es- 
cape by  drilling  a  hole  through  an  eight  foot 
wall.  On  his  arrival  in  Texas  he  wrote  and 
published  an  account  of  the  expedition.  Upon 
the  annexation  of  Texas,  General  Green  re- 
turned to  his  native  County,  where  he  lived  and 
died. 

Naturally  of  an  adventurous  disposition,  he 
helj-.ed  to  settle  three  different  States,  and  was 
during  his  life  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
five,  including  the  first  one  of  California.  Foote 
in  his  history  of  Texas  says  of  him,  that  he  did 


460 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


more  toward  achieving  tlie  independence  of  that 
Republic  than  any  other  wiio  figured  in  the 
revolution. 

His  onlj'  son  partook  of  his  roving  nature  in 
his  younger  days-,  and  tried  various  schools  in 
different  States,  including  Lovejoy's  Academy, 
at  Raleigh  ;  Georgetown  College ;  a  preparatory 
course  for  Harvard,  in  Boston ;  West  Point 
Military  Academy  ;  University  of  Virginia,  and 
Cumberland  University. 

On  his  marriage  in  18.58,  he  devoted  a  year 
to  foreign  travel.  Returning  in  1859,  lie  set- 
tled on  his  farm  on  Shocco  creek,  Warren  County. 
Although  educated  for  the  law  his  predilection 
for  country  life  and  agricultural  pursuits  in- 
duced him  to  abandon  it  shortly  after  obtaining 
his  license.  Nurtured  in  the  school  of  State's 
rights,  with  the  resolutions  of  '98  as  his  vade- 
7rtec?wwand  Mr.  Calhoun  his  political  high  j)riest, 
and  believing  as  fervently  as  he  did  in  his  own 
existence  that  the  only  hope  for  the  perma- 
nency of  our  system  of  government  lay  in  the 
strictest  construction  of  the  Constitution,  it  was 
but  natural  that  he  should  have  espoused  with 
ardor  the  cause  of  his  State  when  the  right  to 
resume  delegated  powers  came  to  be  settled  by 
the  arbitrament  of  arms. 

When  it  became  known  in  the  beginning  of 
18(il  that  the  Federal  Government  had  deter- 
mined to  reinforce  and  victual  the  beleagured 
garrison  of  Fort  Sumter,  he  hurried  to  Charles- 
ton to  tender  his  services  to  the  Governor  of 
South  Carolina,  and  arrived  in  time  to  hear  the 
first  gun  of  the  mighty  struggle  which  it  ush- 
ered in.  Returning  home,  he  volunteered  in 
the  Warren  Guards,  which  was  one  of  the  three 
first  companies  to  reach  the  State  encampment 
at  Raleigh.  It  was  shortly  afterward  assigned 
to  the  (2d)  twelfth  regiment,  which  was  the 
second  to  leave  the  State  and  report  for  duty  in 
Virginia.  While  in  camp  at  Norfolk  he  was, 
without  solicitation  on  his  part,  authorized  by 
the  War  Department  to  raise  a  regiment  of  his 
own  to  be  attached  to  Wise's  Legion.  Before 
his  two  last  companies  arrived  in  camp,  hearing 
of  the  fall  of  Hatteras,  and  feeling  assured  that 
Roanoke  Island  would  be  taken  because  it  should 
be  the  next  point  of  attack,  he  was  permitted 
on  his  own  application  to  proceed  thither,  thereby 
losing  rank,  inasmuch  as  he  had  to  take  that 
of  lieutenant-colonel  commanding,  the  regi- 
ment not  being  complete  so  as  to  permit  him  to 
take  the  grade  above. 

He  reached  the  Island  on  February  8,  1862, 
the  morning  of  the  day  of  surrender  and  after 
it  had  been  virtually  decided  on.     Protesting 


against  its  being  done,  he  was  sent  forward 
with  his  command  (the  2d  North  Carolina  Bat- 
talion) to  intercept  the  Federal  advance,  the 
officer  in  command  promising  to  reform  the 
other  commands  and  come  to  his  assistance. 
They  met  and  repulsed  Burnside's  advanced 
regiments,  and  were  in  line  of  battle  when  a 
white  flag  passed  them  from  the  rear  in  token 
of  surrender. 

Subsequently  he  was  wounded  during  the 
siege  of  Washington,  North  Carolina,  and 
afterward  wounded  and  captured  at  Gettys- 
burg. He  was  detained  a  prisoner  at  John- 
son's Island  until  within  a  week  of  the  sur- 
render. Probably  no  man  in  the  South  felt 
more  keenly  the  final  blow,  for  none  was  more 
conscientiously  devoted  to  the  cause  or  more 
sanguine  of  its  successful  issue.  Nevertheless, 
recognizing  "The  Nation"  as  an  established 
fact  after  Appomattox,  lie  in  common  with  others 
similarly  minded  bowed  to  the  inevitable.  His 
only  ambition  since  lias  been  to  see  his  State 
resume  her  place  at  the  council  board  of  States, 
the  recognized  peer  of  any  under  the  altered 
condition  of  affairs,  as  she  certainly  was  of  all 
before  the  change  took  place.  He  is  essentially 
"a  new  man,"  never  having  held  a  civil  posi- 
tion of  an}^  kind.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Democratic  national  convention  in  New  York, 
in  1868  ;  to  a  similar  convention  in  St.  Louis, 
and  elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket  of  1868. 
All  his  life,  however,  he  has  been  a  close  student 
of  passing  events,  and  his  reading  confined  al- 
most exclusively  to  history  and  governmental 
polity.  His  political  articles  have  appeared 
from  time  to  time  in  luany  of  the  leading  papers 
of  the  day,  and  indicate  an  aggressive  tone  of 
thought.  The  defense  and  advancement  of  his 
State  and  section  is  evidently  the  controlling 
impulse  in  all  he  writes. 

He  was  nominated  for  Congress,  in  the  2d 
district  some  six  years  ago  against  Governor 
Brogden,  the  Republican  candidate,  and  con- 
sented to  run  only  to  keep  his  own  party 
together,  being  fully  conscious  of  the  hopeless- 
ness of  success. 

Although  a  pronounced  partisan,  he  is  re- 
served, diffident  and  retiring  in  his  nature  ; 
ever  fearful  of  giving  unintentional  oiiense  and 
perhaps  a  little  too  sensitive  in  taking  it.  Four 
years  ago  he  purchased  the  famous  "Tokay 
Vineyard,"  near  Fayetteville,  where  he  and  his 
family  now  reside.  Naturally  one  of  the  love- 
liest spots  in  the  State,  it  has,  under  the  en- 
thusiastic efforts  of  its  proprietor,  been  very 
materially  beautified  and  improved.     It  is  said 


WATAUGA  COUNTY. 


461 


to  be  the  largest  single  vineyard  in  the  South, 
if  not  this  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  While 
opposed  to  prohibitory  legislation  on  principle, 
he  is  nevertheless  a  friend  of  temperance,  and 
believing  that  that  cause  can  be  best  subserved 
by  the  work  in  which  he  is  engaged,  he  is  a 
vire  grower  through  convictions  of  its  moraliz- 
ing influence  as  well  as  those  of  self  interest. 

He  received  the  nomination  for  Congress  from 
this,  the  third,  district,  at  the  hands  of  the 
Warsaw  convention  on  the  96th  ballot  and  on 
the  third  after  his  name  had  been  presented. 
He  made  an  active  and  effective  campaign,  and 
will  we  believe  make  an  active  and  efficient 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  (48th 
Congress.)  He  was  renominated  and  elected  to 
the  49th  Congress. 


The  Joneses  of  Warren  are  well  known.  Mr. 
Macon's  mother  was  a  Jones. 

Edward  Jones  was  the  progenitor  of  a  numer- 
ous offspring. 

Robert  H.  Jones  was  distinguished  as  a  law- 
yer and  statesman.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  in  1816-17-18,  and  1823-26-27. 
He  was  appointed  U.  S.  District  Attorney  by 
Mr.  Jefferson,  and  Attorney-General  of  the 
State,  1828.  His  brother,  Edward,  was  the 
father  of  Joseph  Sewall  Jones,  the  author  of 
"The  Defense  of  North  Carolina ;"  another,  Hill, 
was  a  Methodist  preacher.  His  brother,  on  the 
paternal  side,  William  J.  Jones,  was  a  man 
of  excellent  sense  and  of  much  popularity.  He 
represented  the  County  in  1827-28,  and  was  the 
first  sheriff  elected  by  the  peoj^le. 


CHAPTER  L. 


WATAUGA    COUNTY. 


Watauga  County,  in  its  capital  or  County 
town,  preserves  tlie  name  of  Daniel  Boone, 
(born  August  22,  1734,  died,  1820.)  He  was  a 
native  of  Berks  County,  Pa.  His  father  came 
to  North  Carolina  while  Daniel  was  a  small 
boy,  and  settled  in  the  Porks  of  the  Yadkin. 
Here  the  scenes  of  his  youth  and  of  his  early 
manhood  were  passed. 

In  1769  Boone,  accompanied  by  bold  and  ad- 
venturous spirits,  left  home  for  the  dark  and 
bloody  ground  of  Kentucky,  and  from  that  date 
to  1771  was  with  them  e.xjiloring  the  I'ich  and 
lovely  regions,  although  constantly  exposed  to 
the  attacks  of  the  Indians.  In  1774  he  con- 
ducted a  party  to  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  and  built 
a  fort  where  Boonsboro'  now  stands  ;  here  he  re- 
pulsed at  various  times  the  attacks  of  the  sav- 
ages. In  December,  1775,  a  furious  assault  was 
made  by  which  Boone  lost  one  man  and  another 
wounded  ;  but  the  Indians  were  repulsed  with 
great  slaughter,  and  appeared  to  be  reconciled. 
This  caused  the  whites  to  be  less  guarded.  On 
July  14,  1776,  as  tliree  young  ladies  (two  of 
them  daughters  of  Colonel  Calloway  and  one  of 
them  a  daughter  ot  Colonel  Boone)  were  stroll- 
ing in  the  woods,  they  were  captured  by  the  In- 
dians. At  the  time  Boone  was  off  hunting,  but 
when  he  returned,  without  any  aid  or  waiting 


to  collect  a  force,  he  followed  the  trail  of  the 
Indians,  and  came  in  sight  of  them,  and  by  his 
unerring  rifle  killed  two,  recovered  the  girls  and 
returned  to  the  fort  in  safety.  One  of  these  mar- 
ried Samuel  Henderson,  the  brother  of  Judge 
Henderson  and  Pleasant  Henderson.  This  ro- 
mantic incident  obtained  more  notoriety  by  its 
mention  in  "The  Last  of  the  Mohicans,"  by 
James  Fennimore  Cooper. 

In  1778,  while  engaged  in  making  salt  at  the 
Licking  River,  he  was  captured  and  taken  to 
Detroit.  He  was  ado]ited  into  an  Indian  family, 
and  hearing  an  attack  was  to  be  made  on  the 
fort  at  Boonsboro',  he  made  his  escape,  and 
reached  the  fort,  160  miles  distant,  in  four  days, 
during  which  he  had  but  one  meal.  He  found 
the  fort  in  a  bad  condition  and  put  everybody 
to  work  to  repair  it.  The  Indians,  finding  Boone 
had  escaped,  jiostponed  the  attack. 

On  August  8  a  large  force  appeared  before 
Boonsboro'  and  demanded  its  surrender.  The 
assailants  were  four  hundred  and  forty-four  In- 
dians and  eleven  Frenchmen,  commanded  by 
Captain  Duquesne.  Boone  requested  a  parley 
of  three  days,  at  the  end  of  which  he  informed 
the  French  commander  he  would  defend  the 
fort  to  the  last  extremity.  A  treaty  was  agreed 
upon.     After  signing  it  he  was  informed  that  it 


462 


WHEELER'S  REMmiSCENCES. 


was  a  custom  to  shake  hands,  and  the  moment 
the  savages  took  hold  of  each  white  man's  hand 
they  endeavored  to  hold  him  fast.  Boone  felt 
the  sinewy  grasp,  and  his  companions  were  be- 
trayed into  a  like  perilous  position.  Now  arose 
a  mighty  struggle,  a  contest  for  life — 

"Now  gallant  Boone,  now  hold  thy  own, 
No  maiden's  arm  is  'round  tliee  tlirown  ; 
That  iron  grasp  thy  frame  wonld  feel 
Throngh  bars  of  brass  and  triple  steel." 

Fortune  favors  at  this  moment  of  peril  her 
gallant  son,  and  the  knife  of  Boone  found  a 
bloody  shcatli  in  his  adversary's  bosom  ;  his 
men  and  himself  escaped  to  the  fort.  The  In- 
dians were  compelled  to  raise  the  siege  after  a 
heavy  loss  and  retired.  Such  was  the  life  that 
Boone  led  until  the  defeat  of  the  Indians  by 
Wayne,  in  1792,  which  brought  peace  to  this 
lovely  section.  Boone,  when  this  new  territory 
came  into  the  Union,  by  carelessness  on  his  part, 
and  cunning  and  chicanery  of  others,  lost  his 
possessions  in  Kentucky.  This  hedid  not  much 
regret,  as  he  said  the  country  had  become  too 
crowded,  and  "he  wanted  more  room."  He 
went  to  Missouri,  where  he  lost  his  wife,  in 
1813,  and  he  returned  to  the  house  of  his  son,* 
Major  Nathan  Boone.  In  1810  he  went  to  live 
with  his  son-in-law,  Flanders  Calloway,  and 
died  at  Chariton,  Missouri,  September  26,  1820. 
(Drake's  Dictionary  of  "American  Biography  of 
Men  of  the  Times,"  1876.) 

The  character  of  Boone  represents  the  type  of 
the  men  in  the  early  age  of  our  Republic, 
brave,  enterprising,  noble  and  generous  ;  nor  is 
his  character  confined  to  our"  own  country  ;  it 
has  been  celebrated  in  the  exquisite  lines  of 
Byron. 

"  Of  all  men 
Who  passes  for  life  and  death,  most  Incky 
Is  Daniel  Boone,  backwoodsman  of  Kentucky. 
Crime  came  not  near  him.     She  is  not  tlie  child 
Of  solitude.     Health  shrank  not  from  him, 
For  her  home  is  in  the  rarely-trodden  wild." 

"■  And  tall  and  swift  of  foot  were  they 

Be3'ond  your  dwarfing  city's  pale  abortions. 
Because  their  thoughts  had  never  been  the  prey 

Of  care  or  gain.  The  green  woods  were  their  portions. 
Motion  was  in  their  days,  not  in  their  slumbers, 

And  cheerfulness  the  handmaid  of  tlieir  toil ; 
Nor  yet  too  many  or  two  few  tlieir  nnmbers  ; 

Corruption  could  not  make  their  hearts  her  soil. 
Serene,  not  sullen  ;  even  the  solitudes 

Of  this  unsighing  people  of  the  woods." 

— Don  Juan,  viii,  Ivi. 

John  Sevier,  born  September  23,  1745,  died 


*  Major  Nathan  Boone  was  afterward  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  in  the  United  States  army,  and  died  at  Spring- 
field, Miss.,  January,  1857,  aged  75. 


September  24,  1815,  was  a  contemporary  of 
Boone  and  possessed  many  similar  traits  of  char- 
acter with  that  daring,  distinguished  and  en- 
terprising patriot.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
1st  Congress  (1790)  from  North  Carolina,  from 
a  portion  of  territory  formed  that  year  into  the 
State  of  Tennessee. 

G-eneral  Sevier  descended  from  an  ancient 
family  in  France  whose  name  was  Xavier,  and 
his  own  uniform,  bold  and  unique  signature  is 
something  like  that  chirography.  The  chiro- 
graphy  is  a  beautiful  and  curious  sjjecimen.  His 
father,  Valentine  Xavier,  was  born  in  London, 
and  emigrated  to  America  in  the  first  part  of 
the  last  century — settled  on  the  Shenandoah, 
in  Virginia,  where  John  Sevier  was  born  about 
1744. 

When  but  a  young'  man  he  married  Miss 
Sarah  Hawkins,  by  whom  he  had  six  children. 

She  was  delicate,  and  never  moved  from  East- 
ern Virginia,  but  died  there  soon  after  the  birth 
of  her  sixth  child. 

During  Sevier's  visit  to  his  family  in  1773, 
Lord  Dunmore,  the  G-overnor  of  Virginia,  then 
fitting  out  an  expedition  against  the  Shawnees 
and  otlier  tribes  north  of  the  Ohio  river,  pre- 
sented to  Sevier  the  commission  of  captain,  to 
command  a  company  raised  under  his  own  eye 
and  care  in  the  County  of  Dunmore.  This  ex- 
pedition ended  with  the  perilous  and  fearful 
battle  of  Point  Pleasant^  where  James  Robert- 
son and  Valentine  Sevier  entitled  themselves  to 
much  honor  and  distinction. 

The  settlers  on  the  Holston,  Watauga,  and 
Nolachucka  were  beyond  the  influence  and  power 
of  the  State  laws  and  executive  officers  of  North 
Carolina,  and  therefore,  as  wise  men,  who  knew 
the  advantage  of  laws  and  officers,  acknowledged 
as  authoritative,  they,  in  1772,  adopted  a  form 
of  government  called  the  "Watauga  Govern- 
ment," and  tliey  elected  John  Sevier  as  one  of 
four  delegates  to  a  convention  at  Halifax,  North 
Carolina.  He  attended  a  session  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  in  1777  procured  the  establish- 
ment of  a  district  and  the  extension  of  State 
laws,  establishment  of  courts,  &c.  Tlie  patriotic 
sentiments  of  the  man  were  avowed  in  the  selec- 
tion of  the  name  for  this  district  where  he  had 
cast  his  lot,  and  where  were  the  bold  and  hardy 
pioneers  with  whom  he  was  associated.  This 
was  "Washington  District,''  North  Carolina. 
The  people  had  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  their 
inchoate  and  infant  government  of  Watatiga 
from  1772  to  this  date,  and  had  accomplished 
many  things  worthy  of  note.  They  opened 
paths  across  the  mountains,  felled  the  forests, 


WATAUGA  COUNTY. 


463 


opened  fields^  built  forts  and  houses,  "subdued 
the  earth,"  and  began  rapidly  to  "replenish 
it,"  for  "  they  married,  and  were  given  in  mar- 
riage ;"  and  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  some 
years  afterward,  deemed  a  good  opportunity 
presented  for  her  to  gain  the  credit  of  an  act  of 
"supererogation,"  and  passed  laws  to  confirm 
marriages  and  other  deeds  and  doings  of  these 
wayward  "children  in  the  woods." 

July  21,  1Y76,  "  Old  Abraham,"  in  com- 
mand of  a  band  of  Cherokees  from  Chilhowee 
mountains,  attacked  the  Watauga  fort,  com- 
manded by  Sevier  and  Robertson  ;  and,  as  the 
best  feat  performed,  he  chased  the  "lovely 
Catliarine  to  the  captain's  arms  ;"  and  we  have 
heard  her  say  she  used  to  feel  ready  to  have^ 
another  such  a  race  and  leap  over  the  pickets 
to  enjoy  another  such  an  introduction. 

On  this  same  day  was  fought  the  battle  of 
the  Flats.  Other  skirmishes  occurred  here  and 
there  at  different  times. 

Captain  Sevier  was  actively  engaged  in  the 
expedition  of  Colonel  Christian^  ordered  out  by 
Vii'ginia,  and  joined  the  Virginia  troops  at 
"  Double  Springs,"  and  he  neglected  no  oppor- 
tunity to  pursue  the  Indians  or  chastise  them 
ibr  any  of  their  insults  or  outrages.  He  promptly 
united  witli  others,  without  envy,  or  jealousy, 
or  reservation,  and  he  as  readily  fitted  out  expe- 
ditions from  his  own  neighborhood  and  with 
his  own  means,  without  boasting,  without  fear, 
and  with  never  a  failure.  In  1777  he  was  made 
lieutenant-colonel. 

In  1778  it  is  probable  that  his  first  wife  died, 
for  on  August  14,  1779,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Catliarine  Sherrill,  of  whom  it  is  truly  and 
liandsomely  said,  "she  could  outrun,  outjump, 
walk  more  erect,  and  ride  more  gracefully  and 
skillfully  than  any  other  female  in  all  tlie 
mountains  round  aljout  or  on  the  continent  at 
large." 

In  1779  Captain  Sevier  raised  troops,  entered 
tlie  Indian  territory,  burned  tlieir  towns,  made 
prisoners,  and  fought  the  successful  battle  of 
"Boyd's  Creek." 

A  few  days  after  the  battle  of  Boyd's  Creek, 
Colonel  Sevier  was  joined  by  Colonel  Arthur 
Campbell  with  a  Virginia  regiment,  and  by 
Colonel  Isaac  Shelby  with  his  troops  from  Sulli- 
van County,  North  Carolina,  and  afterward  these 
tliree  colonels  in  harmony  scoured  the  Cherokee 
country,  scattered  hostile  bands,  destroyed  the 
homes  of  the  Indians,  and  then  returned  to 
their  own  in  better  security  and  some  more  con- 
fidence of  peace. 

The  critical  year  of  the  American  Revolution 


was  1780,  certainly  so  as  regarded  the  Southern 
States.  Charleston  surrendered.  Gates  defeated, 
reverses  here  and  there  ;  money  exhausted,  pro- 
visions, clothing  and  ammunition  scarce,  many 
hearts  tainting,  fearful  and  desponding — taking 
shelter  under  British  protection-certificates. 

The  tories  were  numerous^  desperate  and 
daring.  The  British  in  possession  of  South 
Carolina,  Georgia  and  parts  of  North  Carolina 
and  Virginia,  the  hopes  of  the  patriots  were 
feeble,  and  the  sun  of  independence  well  nigh 
obscured.  But  soon  it  beamed  forth  on  the 
heights  of  King's  Mountain,  (October  7,  1780,) 
which  achievement  has  been  frequently  referred 
to  in  these  pages.  Sevier  had  liis  full  share  of 
the  dangers,  and  lias  received  full  credit  for  the 
same — a  sword  and  a  vote  of  thanks  were  ex- 
tended to  him  by  the  Legislature  of  North 
Carolina.  He  rendered  other  important  mili- 
tary services  at  Musgrove's  Mill  and  other  places 
against  the  British  and  tories,  and  afterward 
in  defending  the  frontiers  against  the  ravages 
of  the  Indians,  and  in  1781  he  conducted  sev- 
eral expeditions  to  the  Chicamauga  towns. 
Peace  being  made  with  England,  yet  no  peace 
came  to  this  section  ;  for  in  1784  "  the  State  of 
Franklin"  mingled  in  the  seething  cauldron  of 
political  excitement,  and  Sevier  set  up  a  gov- 
ernment independent  of  the  State  of  Nortli 
Carolina.  Our  space  and  limits  do  not  allow 
us  to  give  the  history  of  this  very  interesting 
epoch  in  the  life  of  Sevier.  In  1788  he  was 
arrested  and  imprisoned  in  the  jail  at  Morgan- 
ton.  The  mild  measures  of  tlie  old  mother 
State  toward  her  young  and  wayward  daughter, 
granting  pardons  to  individuals,  and  yielding 
up  a  section  already  beyond  her  control,  in- 
duced Sevier  and  his  ])arty  to  come  into  meas- 
ures of  compromise.  The  County  was  ceded  to 
the  United  States,  and  organized  as  "  the  Ter- 
ritory south  of  the  Ohio  river."  The  proba- 
tionary territorial  .stage  was  passed  througli  ; 
Tennessee  was  created  a  State,  and  John  Sevier 
(1796-1801)  was  chosen  Governor,  and  after- 
ward from  1803-9.  In  1811  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  Con<j;ress  from  Tennessee,  with  Felix 
Grundy  and  John  Rhea  as  colleagues,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1813.  In  1815  he  was  persuaded 
by  Mr.  Madison  to  accept  the  appointment  of 
commissioner  to  adjust  the  difficulties  with  the 
Creek  Indians.  This  duty,  considering  his 
age  and  health,  was  too  severe,  and  while  en- 
gaged in  its  services  he  was  taken  sick  at  an 
encampment  on  the  east  side  of  the  Tallapoosa 
river,  near  Decatur,  Georgia,  where  on  Septem- 
tember  24,  1815,  he  died. 


464 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


WAYNE    COUNTY. 


Goldsboro',  the  capital  of  Wayne,  is  situ- 
ated near  the  center  of  the  County,  about 
a  mile  from  the  Neuse  river.  The  land 
on  which  the  town  is  located  was  originally 
owned  by  Arnold  Borden,  Lemuel  H.  Whit- 
field, Wright  Langstoneand  James  Rhodes,  and 
called  in  token  of  regard  after  M.  T.  Gfoldsboro', 
the  assistant  engineer  of  the  Wilmington  and 
Weldon  Railroad.  On  February  23,  1839,  the 
first  train  reached  Goldsboro'.  Tlie  first  build- 
ing erected  in  the  village  was  by  Mr.  Borden 
for  a  hotel.  In  1848  the  County  seat,  wliich 
was  at  Waynesboro',  was  moved  to  Goldsboro'. 

EzekielSlocumb  was  a  native  of  Wayne  County, 
and  rendered  important  service  to  his  countrj'- 
in  the  Revolutionary  struggle.  He  was  at  tlie  bat- 
tle of  Moore's  Creek  Bridge,  February  27, 111C>, 
the  earliest  battle  iu  the  Revolution  in  the  South, 
and  he  would  say  his  wife,  too,  was  there.  Her 
heroic  and  romantic  conduct  is  noticed  in  Mrs. 
Eilett's  "Women  of  the  Revolution,"  and  also 
in  Wheeler's  History  of  North  Carolina,  II, 
457.  She  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
women  of  her  day.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Hooks,  sister  of  Hon.  Charles  Hooks,  who  was 
a  member  of  Congress  in  1816,  1819-25  from 
the  Wilmington  district,  and  who  moved  to 
Alabanui.  Slie  was  born  in  Bertie  County  in 
1760.  During  her  husband^s  absence  in  tlie 
army  she  took  the  entire  Qharge  of  liis  farm, 
and  she  used  to  say  she  di4  all  the  work  a  man 
ever  did  except  mauling  rails, -and  to  do  away 
with  that  exception  she  went  out  "  one  day  and 
mauled. a  few." 

Mr.  Slocumb  was  an  officer  in  the  battle  of 
Camden,  (August  16,  1780,)  where  General 
Gates  was  defeated  by  Lord  Cornwallis.  On 
the  march  of  the  British  Army  in  1781,  after 
the  battle  of  Guilford,  from  Wilmington  to  Vir- 
ginia, his  farm  was  visited  and  ravaged  by  the 
troops,  and  Slocumb,  in  attempting  to  protect 
his  friends  and  family,  had  many  narrow  es- 
capes. He,  with  the  aid  of  Major  Williams, 
raised  a  troop  of  about  two  hundred  men  and 
ibllowed  the  royal  army,  succeeded  in  cutting 
off  their  foraging  parties,  and  greatly  harrassed 
the  enemy  until  they  crossed  the  Roanoke, 
when,  with  his  troop,  he  joined  La  Fayette,  and 
was  at  Yorktown  October  19,  1781.     Then  he 


resigned  and  returned  to  his  home  blessed  with 
the  esteem  of  his  brother  officers  and  the  re- 
spect of  his  fellow-citizeus.  The  latter  so  ap- 
preciated his  services  that  they  tendered  him 
every  position  of  honor  and  trust  in  their  gift. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons  in 
1808,  also  1812-18.  Their  son  Jesse  was 
elected  a  member  of  Congress  1809-21,  and 
died  while  a  member,  December  20,  1820,  and 
'was  succeeded  by  William  S.  Blackledge,  of  New 
Berne. 

In  the  Congressional  Cemetery  at  Washing- 
ton are  cenotaphs  erected  to  members  of  Con- 
gress who  died  before  their  terms  of  ofiice  ex- 
pired. We  copy  from  one  of  these  as  follows  : 
"In  memory  of  Hon.  Jesse  Slocumb,  a  Repre- 
sentative of  the  United  States  from  the  State  of  a^^ 
North  Carolina,  died  December  20,  1820,  aged  ^^ 
forty  years."  '^ 

A  biographical  and  historical  account  of  the 
Slocum  and  Slocumb  families  of  America  was 
published  by  the  author,  Charles  E.  Slocum,  M. 
D.,  Ph.  D.,  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  in  1880. 
The  work  is  well  executed,  handsomely  printed, 
illustrated  with  portraits  and  the  family  arms  in 
colors.  The  Hon.  Edward  Salter,  (a  member 
of  the  Legislature  in  New  Jersey  in  1857-8-9, 
and  Speaker  in  1859,)  has  also  given  the  results 
of  his  investigation  into  the  history  of  the  Slo- 
cumb family.  He  says  that  the  family  iu 
America  is  supposed  to  have  been  Anthony  Slo- 
cum or  Slocome,  as  his  name  was  sometimes 
given,  who,  after  he  came  to  this  countrj^  set- 
tled at  Tauuton,  Massachusetts,  and  who  was 
one  of  the  first  purchasers  of  Dartmouth,  in  the 
same  State.  He  had  a  son,  Giles,  who  settled 
near  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  and  who  in  turn 
had  sons,  Giles,  born  March  27,  1647  ;  Nathan- 
iel, born  December  25,  1652,  and  John.  The 
last  two  settled  in  Monmouth,  New  Jersey, 
about  1667.  John  Slocum,  better  known  as 
Captain  John  Slocum,  became  quite  prominent 
in  the  country.  In  1683  he  was  appointed  by 
the  Colonial  Legislature  captain  of  the  militia, 
and  the  same  year  was  appointed  Chief  Ranger 
of  the  County.  The  duties  of  this  office  were 
to  keep  a  register  of  all  horses  and  cattle  in  the 
County,  and  to  visit  all  parts  of  the  County  to 
see  that  no  stolen  stock    was  bought  or   sold, 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


465 


and  he  was  authorized  to  employ  as  many  depu- 
ties as  he  thought  necessary.  Tradition  says 
he  was  one  of  the  three  men  who  first  owned 
the  land  at  and  in  tlie  vicinity  of  the  now  iiimed 
summer  resort,  Long  Branch.  .  His  hrotlier 
Nathaniel  lived  on  land  adjoining  his.  Cap- 
tain John  Slocum  married  Merihah,  daughter 
of  George  Parker,  of  Kliode  Island,  and  it  is 
said  died  without  issue,  but  descendants  of  his 
hrotlier  are  now  numerous,  and  living  where 
their  ancestors  settled  over  two  centuries  ago. 

In  Ward's  history  of  Shrewsbury,  Massachu- 
setts, the  genealogy  is  given  of  what  is  proba- 
bly a  branch  of  this  family,  who  spell  their 
name  Slocomb.  There  is  a  tradition  that  three 
brothers  decided  to  adopt  three  metliods  of  spell- 
ing the  name,  that  the  descendants  might  know 
from  which  one  they  de.'scended.  Among  the 
earlier  settlers  of  Virginia,  whose  names  are 
given  in  Holten's  List  of  Emigrants,  the  only 
one  which  a[iproaches  that  of  this  family  is 
Davey  Slowcome,  who  came  from  London,  1G36. 

In  England  an  ancient  faiully  of  landed  gen- 
try, in  Somersetshire,  were  the  Slocomhes,  and 
from  tjiem  it  is  probable  the  American  family 
descends.  Lanriian's  Biogra[)hical  Dictionary 
of  Congressmen  gives  the  name  of  the  Hon. 
Jesse,  ibrmerly  a  member  of  Congress  irom 
North  Carolina,  as  Slocum,  but  the  original 
records  of  Congress  show  that  he  himself  spelled 
it  Slocumb.  The  noted  general  in  the  late  war, 
one  of  Sherman's  division  commanders  in  his 
"  March  to  the  Sea,"  Henry  W.  Slocum,  born 
1827,  who  was  a  member  of  the  41st  and  42d  Con- 
gresses from  New  York,  spells  his  name  as  does 
the  New  Jersey  branch.  The  grandfather  of 
Hon.  Jesse  Slocumb  was  Joseph.  There  was  a 
person  of  this  name  admitted  freeman  at  New- 
port, Khode  Island,  1727,  after  which  his  name 
does  not  again  appear  there.  About  this  time, 
and  during  a  few  years  subsequent,  there  was 
quite  an  exodus  from  Rhode  Island,  New  Jer- 
sey and  Pennsylvania  to  Virginia,  the  Caroli- 
nas  and  Georgia,  and  it  is  probable  that  this 
Joseph  was  among  the  number.  He  had  two 
sons,  John,  Charles  and  Ezekiel ;  the  latter 
was  the  father  of  the  Hon.  Jesse. 

The  arms  and  crest  of  this  ancient  family  of 
Slocumbes,  as  described  in  both  Burke  and  Fair- 
bank's  "  Armories  of  Landed  Gentry"  areas 
follows  : 

"Arms:  On  a  fess  gu  helioe  three  griffins' 
heads  covped  sa. ,  as  many  sinister  wings  or. 

"  Crest :  A  griffin's  head  gu  belive  two  wings 
expanded  07\ ' ' 

The  derivation  of  the  name  is  probably  from 


combe,  generally  meaning  a  valley,  but  more 
literally  cut-shaped  depressions  in  hillsides ; 
and  sloe,  a  kind  of' wild  plum.  It  nuiy  have 
been  that  the  first  who  received  the  surname  of 
Slocumbe  owned  a  combe  or  valley  noted  for 
sloes,  or  lived  near  one  ;  or  perhaps  from  some 
noted  person  of  the  name  Combe,  an  ancient 
surname,  wearing  the  leaves  of  the  blackthorn 
or  sloe  as  a  badge  or  emblem,  as  the  Earl  of 
Anjou  wore  the  sprigs  of  broom  as  a  badge  or 
emblem  of  humility,  from  which  came  the  sur- 
name of  Broome  in  the  Plantaganet  royal  family 
of  England.  The  blackthorn,  or  sloe,  is  an 
emblem  of  difficulty,  and  a  sprig  of  it  worn  by 
the  first  Slocomhes  might  mean  "  Valley  men 
difficult  to  overcome,"  or  hard  to  conquer. 

In  Ireland  the  sloe  was  designated  by  the 
Irish  word  airne  (arny,)  and  from  this  comes 
the  surname  Arney,  and  it  is  often  found  at  the 
end  of  names  of  places,  as  in  Killarny,  meaning 
church  of  the  sloes  ;  Clonarny,  sloe  meadows  ; 
JMullarny,  mountain  of  sloes,  etc. 

Thomas  Puffin  was  born  in  Franklin  County, 
the  son  of  Henry  J.  G.  Puffin,  who  was  the  son 
of  Etheldred  Puffin  and  Mary,  daughter  of 
William  Haywood.  His  father  represented 
Franklin -County  in  the  Senate  in  1828.  Col- 
cmel  RuflQn  was  liberally  educated.  He  gradu- 
ated at  the  university  in  1841.  He  studied  law 
and  removed  to  Missouri  where  he  from  1844  to 
18-18  served  as  the  attorney  ibr  the  9th  judicial 
district.  He  returned  to  North  Car(dina  and 
was  elected  to  the  33d  Congress,  (1853-55,)  and 
was  continuously  re-elected  until  1861.  During 
the  37th,  38th  and  39th Congresses  (ISGl  to  1867) 
the  State  had  no  I'epresentatives  in  the  United 
States  Congress.  At  the  beginning  of  the  civil 
war  he  was  appointed  a  captain  in  tlie  1st  North 
Carolina  Cavalry,  commanded  by  Colonel  Pobt. 
Pansom,  and  behaved  with  great  gallantry  in 
the  many  battles  in  which  this  regiment  was 
engaged.  He  was  the  colonel  of  the  regiment; 
when  in  battle  near  Fairfax  Court  House  he 
was  severely  wounded,  from  the  effects  of  whicli 
he  died  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  in  October, 
1863. 

Samuel  Puffin  came  to  North  Carolina  from 
Virginia  in  1752.  High  sheriff  of  Edgecombe 
in  the  time  of  George  III ;  had  (1)  Lamon 
Puffin  and  (2)  Etheldred  Puffin,  lived  in  Edge- 
combe, afterward  Greene,  who  married  Mary 
Haywood,  issue  thereto  :  (a)  Samuel,  (b)  Sarah, 
(c)  Henry  John  Gray,  (d)  Charity  Ann,  (e) 
Peggy  Elizabeth  and  (f)  James. 

(b)  Sarah,  married  Henry  6i==^^S  Haywood  ; 
issue,  John  Haywaod  and  Samuel  P.  Haywood. 


466 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


John  married  Eebecca  Palmer ;  issue,  John, 
Rebecca,  Sarah  and  Susan .  Samuel  R. ,  married 
Eliza  Perry  ;  issue,  Allen,  Mary  and  others. 

(c)  Henry  John  Gray,  in  Legislature  from 
Greene  and  Franklin,  married  Mary  Tartt ; 
issue,  Peminah  Watson  Rufifin  ;  Lamon,  died 
in  C.  S.  A.  ;  Etheldred,  died  in  0.  S.  A.,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Kennedy ;  (issue,  Mary  Lee, 
married  to  John  E.  Woodward,  and  had  Thomas 
Ruffin  Woodward  and  John  E.  Woodward,) 
Sally  Blount  Ruffin,  Patrick  Henry,  Lal'ayette, 
Dr.  George  W.,  died  in  C.  S.  A.,  Thomas, 
member  of  U.  S.  and  C.  S.  Congress,  colonel 
1st  North  Carolina  Cavalry,  killed  at  Bristow 
Station  ;  Mary  Haywood,  married  Samuel  Ger- 
aldin  Williams  ;  issue,  Mary  L.  E.  Williams  ;. 
William  Haywood,  (who  married  Agnes  K. 
Chadwick ;  issue,  Samuel  Ruffin,  married 
Blanche  Forster,  and  had  James  Forster  Ruffin, 
Hanson  Chadwick  Ruffin,  William  Haywood, 
Thomas,  Susan  Drum  and  Mary  Tartt  Ruffin,) 
and  to  John  Gray  and  Mary  Tartt  Ruffin  was 
also  born  Samuel  Ruffin,  who  married  Anne 
Haywood,  daughter  of  William  H.  Haywood, 
Uuited  States  Senator. 

(d)  Charity  Ann,  married  to  —  Wood  ;  issue, 
Julius  Wood,  (married  Miss  McConico  ;  issue, 
tour  children,)  William  Haywood  Wood,  Frank 
Wood,  who  married  and  had  four  children  ;  (c) 
unmarried ;  (f)  James  Ruffin,  married  Miss 
Stanton,  and  had  Willie  and  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Gray  Little,  and  had  two  daughters.) 

Curtis  H.  Brogden,  born  December  6,  1816, 
was  born,  reared  and  resides  in  Wayne  County,' 
about  ten  miles  southwest  of  Goldsboro'.  His 
grandfather,  Thomas  Brogden,  was  of  English 
and  Scotch  origin,  who  came  from  Maryland 
and  settled  in  Wayne  County  before  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  He  was  noted  ibr  his  physical 
strength  and  activity,  and -also,  like  all  Irish- 
men, he  was  noted  for  his  genial  temper  and 
generosity.  He  literally  "carried  his  heart  in 
his  hand."  Having  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  he  afterward  married  a  Miss 
Pierce,  and  his  son.  Pierce  Brogden,  was  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  our  present  sketch  ;  an 
industrious,  hard-working  farmer  of  unblem- 
ished character.  He  married  the  daughter  of 
John  Beard,  an  Irishman,  who  possessed  all 
the  noblest  traits  of  Irish  character.  She  was 
a  most  exemplary.  Christian  woman,  and  to  her 
example  and  her  pious  influences  may  be  traced 
that  high  moral  character  for  which  her  son  has 
ever  been  distinguished.  For  this  son  of  her 
love  and  hopes  she  cherished  the  fondest  affec- 
tion.    She  encouraged  liis    love  of  books,  and 


lived  to  see  him  respected  for  his  virtues  and 
abilities,  and  the  honored  I'epresentative  of  the 
people.  His  early  days  were,  from  the  circum- 
stances of  his  family,  devoted  to  labor  on  a 
farm.  He  worked  every  summer  to  make  a 
support,  and  in  the  winter  after  the  crops  were 
stored  away  attended  school,  but  whether  in  the 
field  or  at  home,  he  never  neglected  his  books. 
When  he  had  attained  sufficient  education  he 
was  employed  to  teach  "an  old  field  school," 
which  duty  he  discharged  to  the  advantage  of 
his  pupils  and  great  acceptability  to  his  patrons. 
Whatever  he  attempted  he  "  did  with  all  his 
might,"  and  was  always  successful ;  while  his 
generous  disposition  and  his  genial  manner 
rendered  him  popular  and  caused  him  "  to  win 
golden  oiiinions  from  all  sorts  of  men."  His 
career  in  political  life  is  interesting  and  roman- 
tic. He  had  never  attended  a  militia  muster 
until  he  was  by  age  ordered  to  the  muster  field. 
The  second  time  he  attended  lie  was  made  cap- 
tain of  the  company,  and  soon  arose  by  suc- 
cessive promotions  in  the  service  to  be  major- 
general.  He  had  never  heard  a  political  speecli, 
or  seen  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature  until  the 
day  that  he  became,  by  the  wishes  of  the  people, 
a  candidate  himself,  on  July  4,  1838.  On  tliat 
day  he  ploughed  until  eight  o'clock,  rode  ten 
miles  to  the  Court  House,  mustered  three' hours 
in  the  field,  and  marched  to  tlie  Court  House 
where  the  candidates  for  the  Legislature  an- 
nounced themselves.  After  tire  others  had 
spoken  he  unexpectedly  to  every  one  announced 
himself  also  as  a  candidate  in  a  speech  which 
surprised  his  audience,  and  won  for  Jiim  a  tri- 
umphant election  by  the  largest  majority  ever 
given  in  the  County  for  any  candidate.  Wlien 
he  took  his  seat  in  the  House  he  was  the  young- 
est member  of  a  body  composed  of  such  men  as 
William  A.  Graham,  Michael  Hoke,  Kenneth 
Rayner,  Robert  B.  Gilliam,  David  S.  Reid, 
Hamilton  C.  Jones  and  others.  Among  "  these 
burning  and  shining  lights  "  he  was  not  ob-~ 
scure.  If  not  a  practiced  politician  he  was  an ' 
attentive  and  close  observer.  It  was  remarked 
of  him  that  he  learned  more  and  faster  than 
any  one  in  the  Assembly.  Wiien  he  spoke  he 
realized  Fielding's  advice^  "a  man  speaks  bet- 
ter when  he  knows  what  he  is  talking  about." 
Being  a  devoted  Democrat,  he  openly  expressed 
his  sentiments,  and  sometimes  encountered  op- 
position. 

On  a  notable  occasion  Hon.  Kenneth  Rayner 
undertook  to  measure  swords  with  him,  thinking 
to  disarm  him  witli  ease,  but  he  came  "  to  shear, 
and  got  shorn  himself." 


V 


.^^«'<. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 


467 


Such  was  the  prudence  and  sagacity  of  his 
course  that  for  ten  successive  sessions  he  was 
elected  from  Wayne  to  the  Legislature.  At  the 
session  of  1856-57  he  was  elected  Comptroller 
of  the  State,  and  was  re-elected  for  ten  years,  re- 
ceiving the  approbation  of  the  Legislature  and 
the  support  of  both  parties.  The  finance  com- 
mittees of  each  session  examined  his  accounts, 
and  invariably  complimented  his  fidelity,  accu- 
racy and  neatness.  In  1868  Governor  Brog- 
den  was  chosen  an  elector  on  the  Presidential 
ticket,  and  presided  over  the  Electoral  College, 
when  it  met  at  Raleigh  in  December,  and  cast 
the  vote  of  the  State  for  G-rant  and  Colfax.  The 
same  year  he  was  elected  a  trustee  of  the  Uni- 
versity, and  in  1869  a  State  director  in  the 
Wilmington  and  Weldon  Railroad. 

For  many  years  he  presided  as  one  of  the 
justices  of  Wayne  County  Court,  which  his  ac- 
quaintance with  the  fundamental  principles  of 
the  law  (for  he  had  read  law  and  received  a 
license  to  practice)  eminently  fitted  him. 

In  the  ''  North  Carolina  Manual,"  of  1874, p. 
364,  it  is  stated  that  William  Thompson  was 
State  Senator  from  Wayne  County  in  1852, 1854 
and  1856  ;  this  is  an  error,  as  the  "  Journals  "  of 
the  Senate  show  that  Governor  Brogden  was  the 
Senatorfrom  Wayne  during  the  years  mentioned. 

In  1869,  because  of  his  well  known  integrity  and 
ability,  he  was  appointed  collector  of  internal 
revenue  ;  but  as  he  never  had  received  any  office, 
save  Irom  the  peopleor  the  Legislature,  although 
the  place  was  a  lucrative  one,  he  declined  it.  He 
was  again  elected,  in  1868  and  1870,  to  the 
Senate,  and  served  until  1872,  when  he  was 
elected  by  the  people  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
the  State,  after  an  active  canvass,  by  a  majority 
of  2,000  votes.  On  July  14,  1874,  on  the  death 
of  Gov.  Todd  R.  Caldwell,  he  assumed  the  duties 
of  Governor  of  the  State.  His  course  as  Gov- 
ernor has  challenged  the  admiration  and  respect 
of  every  citizen  of  the  State.  Cautious  in  his  con- 
duct, firm  in  his  decisions,  liberal  to  his  friends, 
while  just  to  those  who  differed  from  him,  his 
administration  will  descend  in  history  as  an  ex- 
ample worthy  of  remembrance  by  all.  His  in- 
augural address  was  a  model  document. 

On  May  20,  1875,  he  delivered  an  address  at 
the  Centennial,  celebrated  in  Charlotte,  which 
was  highly  elequent,  poetic  and  patriotic.  And 
the  next  year,  as  Governor,  he  represented  the 
State  at  the  Centennial  celebration  in  Philadel- 
phia on  July  4,  1876. 

In  1876  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  45th 
Congress  over  Wharton  J.  Greene,  and  served 


on  the  important  committee  "  on  the  revision  of 
the  laws  regulating  the  counting  of  the  electoral 
votes  for  President  and  Vice-President,"  of 
which  Hon.  Milton  J.  Southard  was  chairman. 
This  question  should  be  settled,  or  at  some 
future  day  it  will  prove  the  rock  upon  which  our 
national  ship  of  State  will  be  seriously  injured, 
if  not  wrecked. 

After  his  term  in  Congress  had  expired, 
(March  4,  1879,)  Governor  Brogden  retired  to 
his  home  in  Wayne  in  possession  of  the  sincere 
regard  of  his  friends  and  the  high  respect  of 
all  parties. 

Governor  Brogden  has  never  married.  Poli- 
tics (like  painting  to  Michael  Angelo)  has  been 
too  jealous  a  mistress  to  allow  any  rival  in  his 
affections. 

The  example  presented  in  the  life  and  career 
of  Governor  Brogden  is  well  worth  the  study  of 
every  youth  of  our  nation.  From  the  plough 
he,  by  good  conduct,  reached  the  presidency  of 
the  Senate  and  the  Governorship  of  the  State, 
and  a  seat  in  Congress. 

William  T.  Dortcli  was  born  in  Nash  County  in 
1824,  now  resides  at  Goldsboro',  in  this. County. 
He  is  no  relation  to  William  B.  Dortch,  of  Ten- 
nessee. He  graduated  at  the  University  in  the 
same^lass  (1849)  with  Kemp.  P.  Battle,  Peter 
M.  Hale,  Charles  R.  Thomas  and  others.  Mr. 
Dortch  read  law  with  B.  F.  Moore,  and  prac- 
ticed with  such  success  that  he  is  the  acknowl- 
edged head  of  the  profession  in  his  section  of 
the  State.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
(House)  in  1858  and  1860,  and  was  Speaker  till 
September,  1861,  when  he  (with  George  Davis 
as  colleague)  was  chosen  Senator  fi'om  North 
Carolina  ;  and  again  1864,  with  William  A. 
Graham  as  a  colleague. 

Since  the  war  closed  he  has  pursued  his  pro- 
fession, yet  he  takes  a  great  interest  in  whatever 
concerns  the  honor  and  welfare  of  his  State.  He 
was  active  in  opposing  the  sale  of  the  Western 
Railroad  to  Messrs.  13est  &  Company ;  and  in 
the  Senate  (1880)  he  was  most  decided  and  ac- 
tive, but  he  was  overruled,  and  the  sale  has  been 
accomplished.  Time  will  prove  who  was  right. 
He  still  pursues  his  profession  in  partnership 
with  his  son,  Isaac  F.  Dortch,  (born  1849,)  who 
represented  theCountyof  Waynein  the  House  in 
1874,  the  Counties  of  Wayne  and  Duplin  in  the 
Senate  of  1876.  He  married  Lucy,  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  Thomas  Hogg.  Mr.  Dortch  is  clear  and 
cool  in  his  judgment,  slow  to  form  his  opinion, 
but  when  once  convinced  and  determined,  he  is 
as  firm  as  the  rock  of  Gibraltar. 


468 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


WILKES    COUNTY. 


Montfoi-d  Stokes  (born  1760,  died  1842,)  lived 
for  a  long  time  and  represented  this  County  in 
tlie  Legislature — in  the  Senate,  1826,  and  in  the 
Commons  in  1819-29  and  1830.  He  was  tlie  son 
of  Allen  Stokes,  born  in  Halifa.x  County.  His 
early  days  were  spent  on  the  ocean  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Josiah  Collins,  sr.,  sailing  out  of  the 
port  of  Edenton.  Leaving  the  merchant  service, 
he  entered  the  infant  navy  of  our  Revolution, 
and  served  under  Commodore  Stephen  Decatur, 
the  father  of  the  distinguished  commodore  of  the 
war  of  1812,  who  was  killed  by  Barron  in  a  duel 
in  1820.  During  one  of  his  cruises  his  vessel 
was  captured  by  the  British,  in  1776,  near  Nor- 
folk, and  he  was  confined  on  board  of  the  prison 
ship,  in  New  York  harbor,  where  his  sufferings 
were  intense.  After  the  war  he  abandoned  the 
sea  and  removed  to  Salisbury,  whei-e  for  many 
years  he  was  the  Clerk  of  the  Superior  Court, 
and  with  superior  abilities  he  discharged  his 
duties  with  great  satisfaction.  His  intelligence 
and  clerical  accomplishments  led  to  his  selection 
as  principal  clerk  of  the  Senate  ;  here  he  ac- 
quired such  powerful  influence  that  he  was 
elected  Senator  in  Congress  in  1815  and  until 
1823.  He  had  been  previously  elected  to  this 
distinguished  station  and  had  declined  it.  In 
1830  he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  over  Richard  Dobbs  Spaight, 
jr.  His  old  friend,  General  Jackson,  appointed 
him,  in  1831,  Indian  agent  in  Arkansas,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death  in  1842.  Governor 
Stokes  in  his  character  was  unquestionably  a 
man  of  genius,  learning  and  of  the  highest  cour- 
age. But  his  roving,  rollicksome disposition  pre- 
dominated over  his  better  qualities,  and  careless 
of  his  own  ;  he  was  greatly  harrassed  in  pecu- 
niary matters.  He  was  of  unquestioned  cour- 
age, and  "sudden  and  quick  in  quarrel."  He 
fought  a  duel,  near  Salisbury,  at  Mason's  old 
field,  with  Jesse  A.  Pearson,  to  whom  we  have 
already  alluded,  (page  401,)  and  was  severely 
wounded,  the  effects  of  which  he  carried  to  his 
grave. 

Governor  Stokes  was  twice  married:  first,  to 
Miss  Irwin,  in  Tarboro',  the  sister  of  the  gal- 
lant Captain  Henry  Irwin,  of  the  Second  North 
Carolina  Continental  troops,  who  fell  at  Ger- 
mantown  in  1777,  by  whom  he  had  one  daugh- 
ter, Mary  Adelaide,  who  married,  first,  Hugh 


Chambers,  of  Salisbury,  and,  second,  William 

B.  Lewis,  of  Nashville,  Tenn.  Mr.  Lewis  was 
one  of  the  auditors  of  the  Treasury  from  1827 
to  1837  under  Jackson,  and  whose  only  daugh- 
ter married,  about  1830,  Mons.  Pageot,  the 
French  Minister,  and  now  resides  in  Paris. 
Major  Lewis  died  1864.  Governor  Stokes  mar- 
ried a  second  time  Rachel,  a  daughter  of  Hugh 
Montgomery,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children, 
five  sons  and  five  daughters. 

I.  Hugh  M.,  well  educated,  graduated  at 
the  University  in  the  same  class  (1815)  with 
John  H.  Bryan,  Isaac  Croom,  Edward  Hall, 
Lemuel  Hatch,  F.  L.  Hawks,  Willie  P.  Man- 
gum,  Priestly  Mangura,  Hichard  Dobbs  Spaight, 
and  others.  Read  law  with  Judge  Murphey, 
succeeded  his  father  as  clerk  of  the  Superior 
Court  of  Rowan  for  two  years,  resigned  and 
settled  in  Wilkesboro'  and  practiced  law  ;  elected 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons  in  1819. 
Taught  school  Until  he  died. 

II.  David,  for  some  years  a  midshipman  in 
the  United  States  Navy,  was  dismissed  from  this 
service  and  entered  the  revenue  marine  service. 
He  married  in  Norfolk. 

III.  Rebecca  Camilla,  married   Major   Wm. 

C.  Emmett,  a  native  of  Maryland,  but  lived  in 
Tennessee,  at  Murfreesboro',  then  moved  to 
Nashville.  After  some  years,  removed  to  North 
Carolina,  where  they  lived  until  the  death  of 
Mrs.  Emmett,  when  he  returned  to  Tennessee 
and  married  a  second  time. 

IV.  Thos.  J.,  married  in  Wilkes  County,  re- 
moved to  Tennessee,  where  he  lived  and  died, 
leaving  several  children. 

V.  Sarah  M.,  married  Joseph  W.  Hackett, 
who  lived  and  died  in  Wilkes  County. 

VI.  Henrj'  J.,  died  young. 

VII.  Montford  Sidney,  born  October  6,  1810, 
was  a  midshipman  in  the  United  States  Navy, 
in  which  he  served  some  five  years,  when  he 
resigned  and  returned  home.  When  the  war 
with  Mexico  began.  North  Carolina  put  a  regi- 
ment in  the  field,  of  which  Robert  T.  Paine, 
of  Chowan,  was  colonel ;  John  Fagg,  of  Bun- 
combe, lieutenant-colonel ;  Montford  S.  Stokes, 
of  Wilkes,  major.  The  conduct  of  Major 
Stokes  was  so  commendable  that  he  was  voted  a 
sword  by  his  regiment.  In  the  late  civil  war 
he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  first  regiment 


WILSON  COUNTY. 


469 


of  North  Carolina  State  troops,  with  Matt.  W. 
Ransom  as  lieutenant-colonel.  In  the  battle  of 
Chickaliominy  he  was,  on  June  26,  1862,  se- 
verely wounded,  and  died  at  Eichmond  on  July 
7  following.  He  died  like  a  hero  and  a  patriot. 
The  following  account,  written  at  the  time,  is 
given  of  the  death  of  Colonel  Stokes  : 

''After  visiting  my  fiiend,  who  had  been 
wounded  severely,  I  went  to  the  hospital  to  see 
Colonel  Stokes.  As  soon  as  I  saw  the  pro.s- 
trated  and  mutilated  form  of  poor  Stokes,  I 
felt  that  he  had  fought  his  last  battle,  and  soon 
would  join  that— 

'  Mighty  caravan 
Which  halts  at  night-time  in  the  vale  of  death.' 

His  surgeon  stood  mournfully  by.  His  cheek  had 
the  pallor  of  death  ;  his  eye  had  lost  its  luster, 
and  bis  hands  had  theclammycoldnessof  dissolu- 
tion. He  needed  stimulants,  the  doctor  sug- 
gested, and  I  asked  him  if  I  should  procure 
some  for  him.  He  replied  with  promptness, 
opening  mournfully  his  languid  eyes  :  '  Yes,  I 
should  be  glad  to  have  some,  but  the  other  boys 
here  need  it  as  much  as  I,  and  we  cannot  get 
enough  for  all.  I  am  very  thankful,  but  do  not 
wish  that  you  should  trouble  yourself  for  me.' 
These  were  the  last  words  I  ever  heard  from  the 
lips  of  M.  S.  Stokes.  How  characteristic  of 
the  man.  The  celebrated  reply  of  the  generous 
and  gallant  Sydney  on  the  fatal  field  at  Zutphcn, 
wlien  he  passed  the  cup  of  water  from  his  dying 
and  parched  lips  to  those  of  a  suffering  soldier, 
so  lauded  in  history,  does  not  excel  in  self- 
sacrifice,  philanthropy  and  moral  grandeur  this 
dying  remark  of  the  brave   Stokes.     Such  are 


the  jewels  of  North  Carolina,  and  none  more 
brilliant  than  this." 

VIII.  Catherine,  married  Dr.  Alexander,  a 
native  of  Mecklenburg,  and  moved  to  Alabama. 

IX.  Ann,  married  Hon.  Roland  Jones,  a  na- 
tive of  Rowan  County,  but  a  resident  of  Shreve- 
port,  Louisiana.  He  was  a  judge  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  33d  Congress,  1853-55.  He  died  in  the 
midst  of  his  family  at  Shreveport. 

X.  Rachel  Adelaide,  married  Lemuel  P.  Crane, 
of  Louisiana,  a  lawyer.  He  died,  leaving  sev- 
eral children.  Mrs.  C.  still  resides  at  Shreve- 
port. She  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Jones,  are  the 
sole  survivors  of  Governor  Stokes'  family. 

General  James  B.  Gordon  was  a  native  of  this 
County,  and  was  of  the  most  accomplished  and 
of  the  most  gallant  officers.  He  was  much 
loved  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  He 
entered  tlie  service  as  a  lieutenant  in  Colonel 
Stokes'  regiment.  He  served  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, 1850,  as  a  member  from  Wilkes.  He  was 
made  major  of  the  1st  North  Carolina  regiment 
and  afterward  transferred  to  1st  regiment  of 
cavalry — tlie  crack  regiment  in  the  service  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Robert  Ransom.  He  so 
distinguished  himself  in  many  battles  tliat  he 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general 
on  May  11,  1864;  at  Yellow  Stone  Tavern,  near 
Richmond,  in  a  raid  of  General  Sheridan,  lie 
was  killed;  with  him  fell  at  the  same  time  the 
lamented  and  daring  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart, 
of  Virginia.  Of  so  elegant  a  gentleman,  so 
gallant  a  soldier,  Aristo  might  well  have  said  : 
"  Natura  il  fece  epoi  ruppe  la  stampa  1"  Nature 
having  formed  him,  then  broke  the  mould  in 
which  he  was  cast. 


WILSON    COUNTY. 


Richard  W.  Singletary  resides  in  Wilson,  but 
is  a  native  of  Beaufort  County,  born  February 
10,  1837  ;  educated  at  Lovejoy's  Academy,  and 
the  University  where  he  graduated  in  1858,  in 
same  class  with  Wni.  M.  Coleman,  John  A. 
Gilmer,  James  T.  Morehead,  James  T.  Scales 
and  others.  He  read  law,  but  never  practiced 
the  profession^  owing  to  his  ill  health.  He  en- 
tered the  army  as  a  volunteer  in  Comjjany  H, 
27th  North  Carolina  troops,  and  rose  rapidly  to 
the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  and  was  wounded 
at  Sharpsburg  September   17,  1862,  where  his 


regiment  lost  two-thirds  of  its  number  in  killed 
and  wounded.  In  consequence  of  his  wound. 
Colonel  S.  resigned,  but  in  a  few  months  after 
he  accepted  a  captaincy  in  the  44th  regiment, 
and  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  which  caused  him  to  retire  from 
the  service.  After  the  war  he  moved  (in  1868) 
to  Wilson  and  became  engaged  in  editing  the 
Plain  Dealer. 

He  was  elected  in  1875  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention,  and  in  1876  a  member 
of  the  House. 


470 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


FINALE. 


We  have  now  finished  our  book  of  Reminis- 
cences of  the  Men  of  North  Carolina,  which  we 
trust  will  prove  acceptable  to  the  kind  people 
of  whom,  and  for  whom,  it  has  been  compiled. 

Doubtless,  as  we  anticipated  in  the  beginning, 
some  worthy  names  have  escaped  mention,  and 
others  have  been  recorded  that  might  as  well, 
perhaps,  have  been  omitted.  However  that 
may  be,  it  has  been  a  labor  of  love  and  the 
study  of  a  lifetime. 

We  do  not  believe  that  genealogical  trees  or 
doomsday  books  are  the  essentials  of  human 
happiness,  yet  we  do  believe  in  "pride  of 
family  "  to  a  certain  extent.  Tliere  was  a  time 
once,  in  this  republican  land  of  ours,  when 
many  glorified  themselves  in  ignoring  the  fact 
that  they  came  from  a  distinguished  ancestry, 
as  if  tlie  spirit  of  our  democratic  institutions 
opposed  any  reference  to  family  histories.  That 
we  were  born  of  an  honest  and  industrious  race 
for  several  generations  backwas  quite  sufficient, 
and  so  it  may  be.  And  yet  if  a  man  were 
asked  if  he  had  a  grandfather,  we  would  logi- 
cally infer  that  he  must  have  had  one,  but  this 
he  could  not  assert  as  a  historical  or  legal  fact, 
unless  there  was  some  record  of  that  fact. 

This  indifference  to  family  records  is  passing 
away,  and  now  our  people  are  taking  more  in- 
terest in  such  researches.  These  annals  of  our 
venerated  ancestry  certainly  are  not — 

"  Airy  tongues,  that  syllable  men's  names, 
On  sands  and  shore." 


We  trust  they  have  answered  the  question  so 
forcibly  put  by  one  of  the  distinguished  sons  of 
the  State:  "Who  are  the  peoj^le  of  North 
Carolina,  and  what  was  their  origin  and  career?'' 
And  so  remind  their  descendants  of  those  noble 
men  who  lived  and  died  for  their  country — 

"  In  ourselves  their  souls  exist 
A  part  of  ours." 

The  only  merit  claimed  by  us  is  the  patient 
and  painstaking  labor,  which  has  cheerfully 
been  bestowed  in  collecting  them  together,  and 
so  presenting  them  to  my  countrymen  as  a  gar- 
land of  glorious  memories  to  refresh  and  regale 
the  senses  of  our  kind  readers.  And  so  we  close 
with  the  sentiment  so  beautifully  expressed  by 
Judge  Whiting,  already  alluded  to  :  "  Let  it 
not  be  thought  that  we  are  working  for  our- 
selves alone,  or  for  tliose  now  living.  Let  us 
hope  that  thousands  yet  unborn  will  bless  the 
patient  and  pious  hands  that  have  rescued  from 
oblivion  these  precious  memorials  of  men — 

"  Whose  tongues  are  silent  quite  ; 
Whose  bodily  forms  are  reminiscences 
Fading." 

"All  these  were  honored  in  their  generations  and  were 
the  glory  of  their. times.  There  be  of  them  that  have 
left  a  name  behind  them  that  their  praises  niiglit  be  re- 
ported. *  *  *  Their  bodies  are  buried  in  peace,  but 
their  name  liveth  forevermore." — Ecclesiasticus,  xliv, 
7-14. 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Abbot,  Gen.  Joseph 319 

Adams,  John,  on  Caswell.  105 

Aiken,  Gen 61 

Alamance,  battle  of 

1,  103,  381 

Albertson,  J.  W 369 

Alexander,  Abram 

263,  266,  277 

Alexander,  Adam 263 

Alexander,  R 263 

Alexander,  Ezra 263 

Alexander,  genealogy 268 

Alexander,  George 97 

Alexander,  George  A 271 

Alexander,  Hezekiah 264 

Alexander,  JohnMcKnitt. 

264,  268,  269 
Alexander,    M.     W.,    ad- 
dress  on    Mecklenburg 
Declaration 265 

Alexander,  Natlianiel 97 

Alexander,    William   Ju- 
lius   289 

Allen,  William 126 

Alston,  Philip 112 

Alston,  Willis 204 

Amidas,  Philip 101 

Anderson,  Geo.  B 335 

Anderson,  Robert  W 336 

Annandale 121 

Armfield,  Robert  F 225 

Armistead,  Walker  K 136 

Armstrong,  William  J.  A.  220 

Ashe,  genealogy 8,  300 

Ashe,  John  Baptista 

7,  204,  299,  305 
Ashe,  Gen.    John,  resist- 
ance to  stamp  act 

40,  298,  300 

Ashe,  Samuel 301,  305 

Ashe,  Samuel  Porter 301 

Ashe,  Gov.  Samuel 305 


PAGE 

Ashe,  Samuel  Acourt 306 

Ashe,  Thomas  S 6 

Ashe,  Williams 306 

Atkinson,  Gen.  Henry 370 

Atkinson,  Bishop  Thomas.  313 
"Atticus"    attacks     Gov. 

Tryon 51 

"Atticus  letters"  of  Mau- 
rice Moore 51 

Avery,  Alphonso  C 81 

Avery,  genealogy 76 

Avery,  Waightstill  ....76,  270 

Avery,  Waightstill  W.  ...  81 

Badger,  Geo.  E 18,  142 

Bagley,  William  H 369 

Baker,  Gen.  Lawrence  S..   126 

Baker,  Blake 456 

Bailey,  John  L 365 

(Not  Baily,  as  spelletl  in  text.) 

Bain,  Donald  W 449 

Balburnie,  William 64 

Balch,  Rev.  Hezekiah  J... 

95,  270,  277 

Balfour,  Andrew 380 

Barlow,  Arthur 101 

Barnes,  David  A 221 

Barnett  family 371 

Barringers Ixi,  96 

Battle  family 160 

Battle,  Elisha 160 

Battle,  Kemp  P 162,  449 

Battle,  William  H 160 

Baxter,  John 410 

Beard,  John 466 

Beard,  Maj 172 

Beck  with,  John  W 442 

Benton,  Thomas  H 335 

Bennet,  Risden  Tyler 8 

(Not  Richard,  as  printed.) 

Bibb,  William  W 108 

Biffle,  Paul 395 


PAGE 

Biggs,  Asa 253 

Bingham  Academy 336 

Bingham,  William 336 

Bi.shops  from  North  Caro- 
lina to  other  States 284 

"Black  Beard" 116 

Blackledge,  Wm.  S...137,  464 
Blakely,  Johnson, U.  S.  N.  307 

Blake,  James 396 

Bloodworth,  Timothy 307 

Blount  femily..lvii,  11, 12,  130 

Blount,  Willie 32 

Blount,  Simon 223 

Blount,  Thomas 158 

"Bon  Homme  Richard"..   198 

Boone,  Daniel 461 

Borland,  Solon 22 

Boydeu,  Nathaniel 406 

Bragg  fomily 456 

Branch,  John 208 

Branch,  L.O'B 211 

Brandon ,  Matthew 97 

Brevard  family 237,  243 

Brickell  family 216,  218 

Bridgers,  Robert  R 166 

Brehon,  Dr.  James  G 452 

Brooks,  Judge  George  W. 

111,  235,  365 

Briar  Creek 303 

Brogden,  Curtis  H 466 

Brown,  John 218 

Brown,  Bedford. .107, 109,  111 

Bryan,  Francis 140 

Bryan,  John  H 140 

Bryan,  Nathan 226 

Brunswick  County,  resist- 
ance to  the  stamp  act, 
1766 39 

"Buffaloes" 127 

Buford's  defeat 279,  285 

Burke,  Gov.  Thomas, 

112,  188,  325 


472 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


PAGE 

Buncombe,  Col.  Edward... 

56,  240,  421 

Burgess,  Dempsey 99 

Burgess,  Thomas 157 

,    Burrington,  Gov.  George.  300 
Burrington,  Gov.  George, 

on  the  Moores 50 

Burrow,  George 129 

Burgwyn,  Henry  K 319 

Burns,  Otway 102 

Burr,  Theodosia 303 

Burton,  Hutchins  G 200 

Burton,  Eobert 179 

Burton,  Eobert  H 179,  249 

Bynum,  John  Gray 410 

Cabarrus,  Stephen 122 

Caldwell,  Andrew 224 

Caldwell,  Dr.  Charles.. 97,   225 
Caldwell,  David,  D.  D.... 

187    278 
Caldwell,  Judge  David  f'.   225 

Caldwell,  Dr.'Elam 225 

Caldwell,  Greene  V/ 289 

Caldwell,  Joseph  P 225 

Caldwell,  Todd  E 94 

Calhoun,  John  C..65,  129,  279 

Cambreling,  C.  C 12,  13 

Camden,  battle  of 105,  175 

Cameron,  Eev.  John 430 

Cameron,  Duncan 267,  431 

Cameron,  Paul :...  355 

Campbell,  Farq uard 145 

Campbell,  David 396 

Cane  Creek,  battle  of. 84 

Cannon,  Newton 189 

"Cape  Fear  Mercury"..... 

132,  262,  279 
Capitol  of  North  Carolina. 
(See  State  House.) 

Capehavt,  Tristram 220 

Capehart,  Cullen 220 

Capehart,  Arcldbald  A....   221 

Carr,  Julian  S 357 

Carson  family 88 

Carson,  Samuel  P 65 

Carrington,  Paul 431 

V  Caswell,  Gov.  Eichard  ....   103 

'  Carter,  David  M 223 

Catawba  Eiver,  passage  of, 

by  Lord  Cornwallis 228 

Chalmers,  Dr.  Charles....  297 
Chalmers,  Hamilton  Hen- 
derson.   393 

Chapel  Hill 58,  337 


PAGE 

Charleston,  siege  of... 240,  286 
Charlotte  occupied  by  the 

British 230 

Charlotte,  memories  of 255 

Charlotte,    U.    S.    branch 

mintat 289 

Cherry,  William 342 

Chowan  favors  indepen- 
dence   117 

Chowan     Baptist    Female 

Institute 222 

Chronicle,  William 176 

Churton,    agent    of    Lord 

Granville 171 

Cilly,  Clinton  A 99 

Civil     War     began     and 

closed,  when  ? 274 

Clark,  James  W 34 

Clark,  Gov.  Henry T.,lxii,  158 

Clark,  William  J 143 

Clay's  debts  paid  by  James 

C.  Johnson 120 

Cleveland,  Benj 416 

Clinch,  Gen.  Duncan  L...  165 

Clingman,  Thomas  L 72 

Clinton,  Sir  Henry 46 

Cogdell,  Richard 129 

Cochran,  James 372 

Coke,.  Octavius 449 

Coleman,  Daniel 98 

Compton,  Sir  Spencer 298 

Conigland,, Edward 296 

Cook,  James,  Capt.   C.   S. 

N 19,  20 

Congresses,  provincial 6 

Congresses,  Confederate, 
North  Carolina  delega- 
tion    407 

Constitutions     of    States, 

when  framed 41,  42 

Conventions,  State,  on 
North  Carolina  Consti- 
tution       42 

Constitution      of     United 

States  rejected 133 

Corbyn,  Francis 309 

Core  Indians 101 

Cornwallis,  Lord 186 

Cotten,  Arthur 217 

Cotten,  Godwin 43 

Cotten,  James 5 

Cotten,  John 217 

Cotten,  Henry  E 324 

Courts,  Judges  of  LI.  S.,  in 
North  Carolina 139 


PAGE 

Court  House   of  Hertford 

burned 217 

Cowan,  John 311 

Cowan  Ford  battle,  Feb.  1, 

1781, 228 

Cowles,  Calvin  J 289 

Cox,  William  R 449 

Craige,  Burton 407 

Craige,  Major  James,  Brit- 
ish service 52 

Craighead,  Alexander 

275,  276 

Craighead,  Thomas  B 279 

Crane,  Lemuel  P 469 

Croom,  Hardy  B 226 

Croom,  Major 129 

Cunningham,  John  W....  373 

Crowell  family 203 

Cross  Creek,  memories  of..  35 

"Dalton"  on  Gaston  138 

Daniel,  Judge  J.  J 206 

Daniel,  J.  E.J 206 

Daniel,  Gen.  Junius 206 

Davidson,  John 271 

Davidson,  Gen.  William.. 

228,  238,  240 

Davie,  William  R 199 

214,  255, 267, 269,  277,  278 

Davis,  Bishop 309,  310 

Davis,  Charles 310 

Davis,  George 310 

Davis,  Joseph  J 173 

Daves,  John  P 128,  215 

Dawson,  William  John- 
ston    118 

Declarations  of  Indepen- 
dence, May  20,  1775, 
and  July  4,  1776,  their 
construction  and  destruc- 
tion  238,  241 

262,  269,  270,  275,  277,  278 

DeGraafifenreidt ...  128 

Deems,  Charles  Force 354 

Dewes,  Thomas 342 

Devereux,  Thomas  P 319 

Dickens,  Samuel 372 

Dickerson,  James  P.  ..238,  288 

Dick,  John  M 192 

Dick,  Robert  P 192 

"Diligence,"  the  sloop  of 
war,    brings    the   royal 

stamps  to  Wilmington..  39 

Dillard,  John  H 194,  392 

Dixon,  Joseiih 185 


INDEX. 


473 


Dobbin,  James  0 107,  149 

Dockery,  Alfred 382 

Dockery,  Oliver  A 384 

Dobbs,Gov 128 

Dodge,  James  R 393 

Douglas,  Stephen  A.. 389,  391 

Dowd,  Clement 67 

Donnel,  John  R 139 

Donnel,  Richai'd  S 19 

Downs,  Henrj'' 273 

Dortch,  William  T 467 

Dortch,  Isaac  F 467 

Drake,  John  H 172 

Dudley,  Edward  B.... 311,  312 
Duels — 

Baxter  and  Erwin 135 

Branch  and  Forsyth....     90 

Bynum  and  Jennifer 135 

Cameron  and  Duffy 90 

•'Carson  and  Vance 

90,  93,  135 
■Clingman  and  Yancey.. 

75,  135 

Cilly  and  Graves 99 

Planner  and  Walker....   135 

Henry  and  Stanley 

135,  148 
Harris  and  Yellowly....  135 
Howe  and  Gadsden.. 44,   135 

Jones  and  Johnson 135 

I^aw  and  Blanchard 135 

Stanley  and  Spaight....   134 

Stanley  and  Inge 135 

Stokes  and  Pearson 401 

Simpson     and     White- 
hurst 135 

Dunn,  John 395,  398 

Durham  tobacco  interests.  363 

Early  on  Ramseur 248 

Easton,  John 129 

Eaton,  John  H 205 

Eaton,    Mrs.,    and   Jack- 
son's Cabinet.. 206,  208,  288 

Edenton 116 

Eden,  Gov.  Charles 116 

Edwards,  Weldon  N 456 

Edwards  on  D.  L.  Swain..     62 
Education  in  North  Caro- 
lina  256,  257,  258,  259 

Ellis,  Hon.  John  W 405 

Embargo  opposed  by  Gov. 

Stone 32 

Empie,  Rev.  Adam 312 

Engelhard  J  Joseph  A 166 


PAGE 

English  statutes  in  force..  147 
Epidemic,  1816,  in  Bertie 

County 35 

Episcopal  Church 

117,  313,  316,  317 

Eppes,  John  W 200 

Erwin,  W.  W 224 

Etheridge,  Emerson 154 

Eutaw   Springs,    Sept.   8, 

1781 36,  450 

Eve,  0.  B.,  life  saved  in 

battle  by  Masonry 11 

Everett,  Edward,  on  Gas- 
ton   139 

Ewell,  Gen. J  comjiliments 
the  troops  of  North  Car- 
olina    207 

Fanning,  David^  Tory 

112,  381 

Fanning,  Edmund 51,  324 

Felton,  Boone 106 

Fisher,  Charles 403 

Fisher,  Charles  F 404 

Fisher,  Frances  C 405 

Flenniken,  John 273 

Flag,  first  of  U.S 198 

Folk,  George  N 99 

Forney  family 244 

Forsythe,  Col.  Benjamin  ..  107 

Forsythe,  James  N 107 

Fowle,  Daniel  G 442 

Franklin,  State  of. 463 

Franklin,  Jesse 420 

Franklin,  Meshack 421 

Frazer,  James 214 

Freeman,  Edmund  B 432 

Freeman,  Jonathan  Otis..  432 

Furches,  David  M 225 

Furman,  Robert  M 75 

Gale,  Christopher,  of  Eden- 
ton   114 

Gales,  Joseph,  sr 428 

Gales,  Weston  R 430 

Garret,  Thomas  M 33 

Gaston,  Dr.  Alexander....  129 
Gaston,  William.. 33, 137,  171 
Gatliug,  Dr.  Richard  Jor- 
dan  106,  221 

Gatling,  Dr.  John 106 

Genealogy  of— 

Alexander 268  " 

Ashe 8,  300 

Avery 76 


PAGE 

Genealogy  of — (continued.) 

■•Barringer Ixi,     96 

Barnett 371 

Battle 163 

Blount Ivii,  130 

Bragg  456 

Brevard 237,  243 

Brickell 218 

Carson 88 

Caswell,  Gov.  Richard  .   106 

Clarlv Ixii,  158 

Clinch,  Gen.  Duncan  L.   1G5 

Gotten 217 

Craighead,     Rev.      Dr. 

Alexander 278 

Crowell  203 

Davidson 271 

Davis 309 

Donnel,  Richard  S 139 

Dudley,  Gov.  Edward  B.  312 

Forney 244 

■  Gaston 139 

Graham .-. 229 

Hawkins 451 

Haywood Ixii,  158 

Henderson 179,  183 

Hill 303 

Iredell 124 

Johnston,  Chowan 120 

Jones 202 

Lillington 48 

Locke 400 

Lowrie  287 

McDowell 82 

Mebane 330 

Montgomery,  Rowan....  396 

Moore 51,  52 

Morehcad 192 

Morrison,    Rev.    Robert 

H 177 

Nash 332 

Osborne 291 

Pearson 401 

Pettigrew 423 

Phifer Ixvi,  96 

Polk 260,  285 

Ruffin 465 

Saunders 448 

Settle 391 

Sheppard 365 

Shepperd 329 

Shipp 249 

Slocumb 464 

Spaight 135 

Stanley 136 


474 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENGES. 


PAGE 

Genealogy  of — (continuea.) 

Steele 398 

Stokes 468 

Strange 320 

Taylor 147 

Turner 455 

Williamson 371 

Williams    418 

'    Wright 304 

Wynns 216 

Yancey 106 

Germantown  battle,   Oct. 

4,  1777.... 157,  240 

Germans      in      Cabarrus 

Coun  ty XX  xix 

Gettysburg  battle 165,  426 

Gillaspie,  James 156 

Gilliam,  Henry  H 117 

Gilliam,  Robert  B Ill,  182 

Gilmer,  John  A 192 

Glasgow,  James 129,  205 

Glasscock,  Dr.  George 298 

Goelet,  Dr 423 

Goldsboro' 464 

Gordon,  James  B 469 

Graaffenreidt      and      the 

Swiss  palatines 128,  129 

Graham,    Gen.    Joseph... 

227,  231 

Graham,  George 231,  237 

Graham,  Edward 140 

Graham,  William 273 

Graham,  William  A. .231,  232 

Graham,  William  A.  jr...  237 

Graham,  John  W 237 

Grant,  James,  of  Iowa 208 

Granbury,  Josiah  T 369 

Graves,  Calvin 108 

Greene,  Rt.  Rev.  William 

M 312 

Greene,  Gen.  Nathaniel... 

397,  453 

Green,  Gen.  Thomas  J....  459 

Green,  Col.  Wharton  J...  459 

Gregoiy,  Isaac 99 

Gregory,  William 99 

Grimes,  Gen.  Bryan 373 

Griswold,  Conn.,  massacre 
at  fort,  in  Revolutionary 

Wt.r 79 

Grove,  William  Barry 146 

Grundy,  Felix 56,  463 

Gudger,  J.  C.  L 75 

Guilford  Court  House,  bat- 
tle of. 185,  186 


PAGE 

Guilford  Court  House  bat- 
tle described  by  James 

Martin,  sr 413 

Guiou,  Dr.  Isaac 136 

Guion,  Haywood  W 250 

Guthrie,  John  J 14 

Habeas  Corpus  ..110,  111,  235 

Hale,  Edward  J 154 

Hager,  the  tory,  kills  Gen. 

Davidson 241 

Hall,  Edward 456 

Hall,  Judge  John 455,  457 

Hambright,  Frederick 176 

Hanging  Rock,  battle  of..  271 
Hamilton,  Col.  John,  loy- 
alist    214 

Hancock,  Susan  J 287 

Hardy,  Washington  M....  88 

Harnett,  Cornelius 46,  299 

Harris,  Dr.  Charles 97 

Harris,  Maj.  Thomas 97 

Harris,  William  S 97 

Harris,  Robert  and  James  273 

Harper,  James  C 13,  98 

Harper,  Robert  Goodloe...  175 

'  "Hatteias,"  a  poem ....  16 

Harvey,  John 367 

Hanghton,  Jolm  H 427 

Hawkins  iamily 451 

Hawks,  Francis  L 140 

Hawks,  John 128,  263 

Hawley,  Joseph  R 385 

Haywood  i'aiuily.lxiii, 114,  158 

Haywood,  John 113,  204 

Henderson,  Pleasant 

113,  180,  461 

Henderson,  Richard. ...51,  179 

Henderson  on  Person 17i5; 

Henderson,  Arcliibaid 181. 

Henderson,  Leonard 1 82  ■ 

Henderson,  John  Lawson.  183 

Henderson,  James  P 248 

Henderson,  John  S 398 

Henry,  James  L 69 

Henry,  Louis  D 148 

Hewes,  Joseph 122 

Hicks  family 178 

Highlanders 145 

Hill,  Gen.  A.  P.,  eulogy 

on  Gen.  Pender 165 

Hill,  Gen.  Daniel  Harvey  290 

Hill,  Whitmill 30,  253 

Hill,  William 303,  432 

Hill,  Dr.  William  G 434 


PAGE 

Hill,  William  H 303 

Hilliard,  Henry  W 153 

Hillsboro',  Henry  E.  Cot- 
ten's  sketch  of 324 

Hines,  Richard 158 

Hogg,  Gavin 124 

Hoke,  John  F 246 

Hoke,  Michael 245 

Hoke,  Robert  F 245 

Holden,  William  W 110 

220,  297,367,379,  441,  458 

Holmes,  Gabriel 411 

Holmes,   Gen.  Theophilus 

H 411 

Holmes,  Owen 311 

Holt,  Thomas  M 4 

Hooks,  Charles 156 

Hooper,  William 306 

Horse-shoeor  To-ho-pe-ka, 

battle  of,  1814 229,  419 

Howe,  Robert 42,  46 

Howard,  Martin 51 

Houston,  William,  put  un- 
der pledge  not  to  exe- 
cute the  stamp  act... 40,  302 

Houston,  James 246 

Huguenots 238 

Hunt,  Memucan 184 

Plunt,  William 184 

Hunter,  Dr.  C.  L 176 

Hunter,  Humphrey 175 

Husband^  Herman 

174,  179,  381 
Hussey,  John  B 156 

Impeachment  and  trial  of 
Gov.  Holden 220,  441 

Indians — Tnscaroras,  Nat- 
chez and  Chickasaws 

101,  196,  224 

Independence — 

In  Chowan  County 117 

In  Craven  County 129 

In  Duj)lin  County 155 

In  Mecklenburg  County  269 

Ingram,  Edwin 396 

Inues,  Col.  James 308 

Insurrection  among  slaves 

127,  222,  449 

Iredell,  James,  Judge 

120,   123 

Iredell,  Gov.  James,  jr.... 

120,  123 

Irwin,  Henry 157,  468 

Irwin,  Robert 274 


INDEX. 


475 


PAGE 

Ives,  L.  Silliinan,  bishop 

of  N.  Carolina.  143,  313,  445 

Jack,  James 266,  286 

Jackson,  Andrew 

90,  205,  224,  287 
Jackson    connected     with 

Vance  family 64 

Jackson  and  Carson 92 

Jackson  and  the  Mecklen- 
burg Declaration 268 

Jackson   and    the    Craig- 

heads 279 

Jarvis,  Thomas  J 125 

Jefferson,  Thomas,    diary 

of 278 

Jeflerson,  Thomas,  on  the 
effects  of  the   battle  at 

King's  Mountain 169 

Jefferson,       Thomas,      on 

Washington 9 

Jeflerson  and  the  Meck- 
lenburg Declaration 

262,  277,  278 

Johnson,  Andrew 434 

Johnson,  Charles 122,  123 

Johnson,  Jonas 157 

Johnson,  Thomas  D 76 

Johnson,   Fort,   destroyed 

by  Gen.  John  Ashe 302 

Johnstone  family  a!id  the 
marquisate  of  Annan- 
dale  121 

Johnstone,  Gov.  Samuel.. 

118,  123 

Johnstone,  Gabriel  ...118,  300 

Johnstone,  John 120 

Johnstone,  James  C 120 

Johnstone,  Dr.  Samuel.... 

118,  119 

Johnstone,  Rev.  Samuel  J.  120 

Jones,  Allen :...196,  321 

Jones,  Cadwallader 196 

Jones,  Edward 307 

Jones,  Ilamilton^C. .  407 

Jones,  James 217 

Jones,  John  Paul 198 

Jones,  Pride 201 

Jones,  Robert  H 461 

Jones,  Edward 461 

Jones,  Willie 196 

Joyner,  Andrew 200 

Judd,  Rev.  Bethel 313 

Judiciary,  U.  S.,  in  North 

Carolina 139,  253 


PAGE 

Judiciary  system  of  North 

Carolina 147,  160,  182 

Judiciary,  qualifications  of  181 

Keerl,  Thomas  M 139 

Kendrick,  J.  G 27 

Keenan,  Owen  R 156 

Keenan,  Thomas 156 

Kennon,  William 274,  398 

Kerr,  John 110 

King,  William  R 411 

King's  Mountain 64 

84,  1G9,  176,  246,  418,  463 

Kirk,  Col.  George^W...'..  110 
Kirkland,  Ann,  at  Salem 

Academy  172 

Ku-Klux-Clan...llO,  235,  458 

Lafayette,      Gen.,     visits 

North  Carolina 222 

Lane,    Joseph,    Joel   and 

Jesse 436 

Lanier,  Robert 169 

Law,  Israel  G 170 

Lawson,  John 50,  101 

Leach,  James  M 155 

Lee,    Gen.  Robert   E.,  on 

Pender 165 

Lee,    Gen.  Robert  E.,  on 

Branch 213 

Lee,    Gen.    Robert  E.,  on 

North  Carolina  troops..  374 
Lee,  Gen.  Henry,  on  Da- 
vidson . . ; 241 

Lenoir,  William.  352,  353,  417 

Lewis,  William  B 468 

Lewis,  Dr.  Richard  II 376 

Liberty  Hall,  or  Queen's 

Museum 230,  255,  263 

Lillington,  Gen 47 

Lincoln's  surrender,  (1780)  240 

Lisle,  Lady  Alice 217 

Little,  William,  chief  jus- 
tice     115 

Locke  family 400,  453 

Long,  John 382 

Long,  Henry  W 216 

Love,  Robert 69 

Lord     Proprietors     relin- 
quish their  jiatent 171 

Lowrie,  Samuel 287 

Lynch  law,  origin  of  the 
name 172 

MacAdeu,  Rufus  Y 3 


PAOlS 

MacBryde,  Archibald 297 

MacCay,  Hon.  Spruce 400 

MacClure,  Matthew 274 

MacCuUock,  H.  Eustace...  208 
MacCuUock,  Benjamin  ....  208 

MacDonald,  Flora 145 

MacDowell,  Thomas  D....     38 

MacDowell,  Silas 252 

McDowells 82 

McFadden,  Fort 273 

McGehee,  Thomas 372 

McGehee,  Montford 372 

Mclntire's  Creek  skirmish  231 

McKay,  James  J 37 

McKnitts. 238 

McLean,  Dr.  William. 246,  272 

McNeil,  Archibald 297 

McRae,  Duncan  K  I53 

McRee 123,  318 

Macon,  Nathaniel 453 

Macon  on  secession 454 

Macon  on  Caswell 105 

Manly,  Basil 112 

Manly  Charles 113 

Manly,  Matthias  E 143 

Maun,  N 2ii9 

Manuey,  Thomas 217 

Manning,  John 216 

Mangum,  Willie  P  ...124,  334 

Marsteller,  Lewis  H 319 

Marshall  on  Iredell 123 

Martin,  Alexander 1S8 

Martin,  Francois  X 129 

Martin,  Gen.  James  G....  368 

Martin,  Judge  James 400 

Martin,  James,  sr 412 

Martin,  Joseph  John 254 

Martin,  Josiah,  last  royal 
governor  of  North  Caro- 
lina  _. 41,  132 

Martin,  Josiah,  his  account 
of  the  battle  of  Moore's 

Creek 104 

Mason,  Rev.  Richard  S....  445 
Masonry,  Free. ..9,  10,  11,  120 
Matthews,  Massendine  ....  64 
Maynard,     Lieut.,      kills 

Blackbeard , 116 

Meade,  Bishop  of  Va 174 

Meares,  William  B 318 

Mebane  family 330 

Mecklenburg  County,  Dec- 
laration    of      Indepen- 
dence, 1775. .41,  95,  201,  227 
228,  241,  260  to  275,  281 


476 


WHEELER'S  EEMINISCENCES. 


PAGE 

Mecklenburg  and  the  Reg- 
ulators    259 

Mendenhall,  George  0 192 

Merrimon,  Hon.  Augustus 

S 69 

Meredith,  Lewis 216 

Mexican  War 437,  459 

Michal,  Dr.  G.  W 93 

Micklejohn,  Rev.  John....  174 
Miller,  Mrs.  Mary  Ayer...  153 
Mint,  U.  H.,  at  Charlotte..  289 

Mitchell,  Elisha 63 

Montrose,    a    Graham    le- 
gend   229 

Moore's  Creek  battle^  Feb. 

27,  1776 

48,  61,  52,  104,  298 

Moore,  Alft'ed 48,52,  102 

Moore,  Bishop  Richard  C.  313 

^  Moore,  Augustus 126 

Moore,  Bartholoznew  F....  209 

Moore,  Charles 230 

Moore,  Dr.  Godwin  C 217 

Moore,  Maurice 50,  300 

Moore,  Dr.  Thomas  J 292 

Moore,  William  Armistead  125 

Moravians 2,  170 

Mordecai,  George  W 432 

Mordecai,  Moses 431 

Morehead,  John  M...  189,   192 

Moring,  J.  M 115 

Mosely,  Edward... 48,  227,  306 

Mosely,  W.  Di 227 

Morrison,  Neil 274 

Morrison,  Rev.  Dr.  Robert 

Hall 177,  231 

Montgomery,  Col.  Lem.  P.  396 

Montgomery,  Hugh 396 

Mumford,  George 400 

Murfree  family 215 

Murfreesboro' 215 

Murphey,  A.  D 333 

Nash,  Abner 132 

Nash,  Francis.:.... 52,  133,  332 

Nash,  Frederick 133,  332 

Negroes,    admirable    con- 
duct in  Civil  War 127 

New  Berne 128 

New  Berne  Council  of  Safe- 
ty   129 

Newland,  David 93 

Newman,  Dr.  Anthony....  396 

Newton,  George 396 

Nicaragua , 20 


PAGE 

"Ninety-six" 261 

Norcum,  Dr.  James 124 

North  Carolina  and  South 

Carolina  separated 50 

North  Carolina  men  who 
have  hecouie  distin- 
guished abroad 12 

North  Carolina   kind  and 

generous  to  settlers....  13,  99 
North  Carolina,  education 

in 256 

North  Carolina,  presiding 
officers  of  both  Houses  of 

Congress  from 122,  453 

North  Carolina  in  Cabinet  151 
North  Carolina  Provincial 

Congresses 6 

North  Carolina  restored  to 

the  Union _ 210 

Norwood,  Benjamin 179 

Nullification 91 

Oath,    Regulators'    as    to 

crown  officers 4 

Odem,  John  B.,  person- 
ates  Gen.   Win  field   S. 

Scott 126 

Ogden,  Aaron ii 

Ogilvy,  Lady 121 

Orangeburg,  S.  C,  siege  of  201 

Osborne,  Alexander 291 

Osborne,  Adlai.. 291 

Osborne,  Edward  Jay 291 

Osborne,  Judge  James  W. 

292,  296 

Osborne,  Spruce  McKay..  293 

Outlaw,  David 33 

Outlaw,  George 32 

Owen,  John 37 

Owen,  James 37 

Palace,  Royal,  New  Berne.  128 

Palatines 128 

Patterson,  Samuel  F 98 

Patterson,  Rufus  L 98 

Patton,  Benjamin 274 

Patton,  John 14,  188 

Patton,  Montraville 86 

Pattillo,  Rev.  H 182 

Paxton,  Judge  John 408 

Pearson  family 401 

PeargoUj  R.  C 

94,  110,  367,  403 

Pender,  William  D 165 

Pender,  Lee's  eulogy  on..  165 


PAGE 

Penn,  John 178 

Person,  Thomas 174 

Pettigrew,  Charles.... 313,  423 

Pettigrew,  Ebenezer 424 

Pettigrew,  Gen.  J.  John- 
ston  343,  424 

Phifer  family Ixvi,  96,  275 

Phillips,  Charles 63 

Phillips,  Rev.  James 62 

Phillips,  Samuel  F 63 

Phillips,  Mary 172 

Pickens,  Israel 93 

Plummer,  Kemp 455 

Polk,  Charley 284 

Polk,  Ezekiel 260 

Polk,  James  K 260 

Polk,  Leonidas 284 

Polk,  Lucius  J 202 

Polk,  Robert 260 

Polk,  Thomas 

261,  281,  282,  283 

Polk,  William  H 201 

Polk,  William,  son  of  John  285 

Pollock,  Gov.  Thomas 

129,  319 

Pool,  John 368 

Porter,  Alexander,  on  the 

birthplace  of  Jackson...  287 

Potter,  Henry 148 

Potter,'  Robert 184 

Porterfield,  Denny 35 

Porterfield,  James 35 

Price,  Charles! 156 

Pultuey,  name  assumed  by 

Johnstone  121 

Query,  John 275 

Queen's  Museum 

230,  243,  255,  263 

Raft  Swamp  battle 228 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter 101 

Eamseur's  Mill,  battle  of..  84 
Ramseur,  Gen.  Stephen  D.  246 
Ramsay,  Dr.  J.  G.  M.,  on 
Jackson's    copy   of  the 
Mecklenburg     Declara- 
tion   268 

Ramsay,  Dr.  J.  G.  M.,  on 
Jackson's  love  for  Craig- 
head    279 

Ransom,  Edward 428 

Ransom,  Matt.  W 321 

Ravenscroft,  Bishop  John 

Starke 171,313,  442 


INDEX. 


477 


PAGE 

Rayner,  Kenneth 219 

Eeade,  Edwin  G 370 

Eeesj,  David 275 

Rees3,  George 275 

E:;gulators,  tlieir  oath 4 

Eegulators,  their  iDunish- 

ment  1,  259 

E.'id,  Davids 390 

Ecicher,  Abram 115 

Etbertson,  James 462 

Etjerts,  William  P 177 

E  'jinson,  Eev.  John 95 

E(  jinsou,  James  Lowrie..  251 
Ec  .ky  Moimt,  battle  at....  271 

Eocman.  William  B 19 

Eo  ;ers,  Dr.  John,  his  fam- 

i'/ 330 

Eufin,  Thomas 2,  465 

Emsell,  Daniel  L 319 

Eu:herford,  Griffith. ...37,  399 
E;i  herford,  John,  a  tory..     37 


Salem  Academy 

Salter,  Edward 

Sai.nde/'s,  Eev.  Joseph  H. 

Sai  ndeis,  Eomulus  M 

Saunders,  William  L 

Sa  7yer,  Lemuel 

Su'tyer,  Samuel  T 

Scales,  Gov.  Alfred  M 

Scf'iles,  James  I 

ScUnck,  David 249, 

ScliofFoldites,  tory 

Sw.tt,  Gen.  V/iniield 

Scf.bury,  Bishop  Samuel, 
|;utor  of  Waightstill  Av- 
i?ry 

Seliton,  William  W...i 70, 

Sea  well,  Henry 

Seoession 406,  441, 

Settle,  Thornae,  sr 

Settle,  Thomas,  jr 

Seven     Pines,    battle    of, 

May  31,  1862 

Sevier,  John 

Sharpe,  William 

Shaw,  Henry  M 

Sheering,  Charles,  killed.. 

Sheppard  family  

Shcppard,  Willian.  B 

JShepperd,  William 

Shijjp,  Bartlett 

Shi))p,  William  M 

Shober,  Francis  E 

Shofcwell,  Eandolph  A 


172 
129 
446 
106 
448 
99 
100 
386 
195 
250 
273 
126 


428 
430 
454 
389 
389 

223 
462 
224 
154 
112 
139 
365 
326 
249 
249 
407 
296 


PAGE 

Singletary,  George  E.  B..     14 
Singletary,  Eichard  W....  469 

Sitgreaves,  John 139,  199 

Skinner,  Joseph  B 125 

Skinner,  Eev.  Thomas  E.   125 
Slaves,  insurrection  of.....  222 

Slocumb,  Ezekiel  464 

Slocumb  family 464 

Smart,  Susan 285 

Smith, Gov.  Benjamin,  aide 
to  Washington..  53,  54,  352 

Smith,  William  H 219 

Smith,  William  A 226 

Snap  Dragon 102 

Simight,  Eichard  D.- 133 

Speight,  Jesse 185 

Spencer,  Samuel 5 

Spottsylvania  C.  H.,  bat- 
tle of. 207 

Springs  family 263,  272 

Stanford,  Eichard 372 

Stamp  Act  in  North  Caro- 
lina  39^     40 

Stanley  family 17,  135 

Staples,  John  N 195 

Starke,  Lucien 8,  368 

State  House  location 436 

State  House  burned,  June, 

1831 456 

Stedman,  Elisha 57 

Steele,  John,  Gov.  of  New 

Hampshire 399 

Steele,  John,  Salisbury....   397 

Steele,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 397 

Steele,  Walter  L 385 

Stephens,  John  W.,  killed  111 
Stevenson,     Andrew    W., 
borrowed     the     "  Cape 

Fear  Mercury  " 262,  279 

Stokes,  Montford 468 

Stokes  family 4G8 

Stone,  David 30,  si,     32 

Stone,  Zedekiah 30 

Stony  Point 215 

Strange,  Eobert 149 

Strange,  Eobert 320 

.Strudwick,  Elizabeth 172 

Stuart,  Lady  Anne 216 

Sugar  Creek  Church 277 

Sumner,  Gen.  Jethro  .131,  450 

Swain,  David  L 56 

Swain,  George 57 

Swan,  Samuel 300,  306 

Swan,  William 306 

Tobacco  at  Durham 363 


PAGE 

Tarleton,  Banastre 

186,  197,  286 

Tayloe,  Charles  F 20 

Tayloe,  Jonathan 30 

Taylor,  James  F 450 

Taylor,  John  Louis 146 

Tea,  resolutions  against...  118 
Teach  (see  Blackbeard)....   116 

Thermal  Belt 252 

Thomas,  Charles  E 143^ 

Thompson,  Jacob 109 

Thompson,  Eichard 189 

Thurman,  Allen  G 126 

Toole,  Henry  1 157 

Toomer,  John  D 148 

Tourgee,  Albion  W... Ill,  194 
Troops   in    Eevolutionary 

War 186 

Troops  in  late  Civil  War.  234 

Tran.sylvania  Land  Co 180 

Troy,  Wesley  C 153 

Tryon,  Gov  ...A,  40,  128,  226 

Tryon  Palace 128 

Tryon,    destroyers   of  his 

ammunition  traiji 95 

Turner,  James 454 

Turner,  Daniel 455 

Tuscaroras 196,  200 

"The  University;"  its 
sketch  l)y  Hon.  Wil- 
liam H.  Battle. .58, 163,  337 
"The  University;"  its 
buildings, by  Hon. Kemp 
P.  Battle 344 

Unitas  Fratrum 171 

Vance  i^xmily 64 

Vance,  David 65 

Vance,  Dr.  Eobert 64,  97 

Vance,  Gen.  Eobert  B 68 

Vance,  Zebulon  B 60,  65 

Venable,  Abram  W 183 

Van  I-Iook,  Eobert 372 

Wachovia    Tract,    Wash- 
ington's visit  to 171 

Wachovia   Tract,   Bishop 
Eaveuscroft's  visit  to....   171 

Waddell,  Alfred  M 311 

Waddell,  Hugh. ..39,  310,  311 

Waddell,  Maurice  Q 311 

Walker,  Felix 408 

Walker,  Gen.  William,  in 
Nicaragua 24 


in 


WHEELER'S  REMINISCENCES. 


PAGE 

Waring,  Robert  Payne....  296 

Warren,  Dr.  Edward, 
(Bey) xlix,  127 

Warren,  Judge  Edward  J .     19 

Washington  as  described 
by  Jefferson 9 

Washington  desjoairs  in 
1779 215 

Washington  city  attacked 
by  Early,  July,  1864...  248 

"Wasp,"  under  Blakely 
takes  the  "Reindeer," 
"Avon,"  and  the  "Ata- 
lanta" 308 

Waxhaw  settlement 

279,  286,  287 

Webster,  Col.  Wilson,  let- 
ter to,  by  Lord  Cornwal- 
lis 187 

Webster,  Daniel  and  Car- 
son      92 

Welling,  Dr.  J.  C,  quoted 

269,  276 

Wellborn,  Gen.  James.... 

189,  397 

Wilson,  Joseph  Harvey...  289 

Wilson,  Zaccheus 275 

Winston,  Joseph 168 


PAGE 

Wiley,  J.  McC 98 

Wiley,  Patrick  H 34 

Wheeler  family i 

Wheeler,  Dr.  John i 

Wheeler,  John,  jr ii 

Wheeler,  John  H ii,  289 

Wheeler,  Junius,  U.  S.  A. .  ii 

Wheeler, Samuel  Jordan...  ii 

Whitesides,  John 395 

Whitson,Dr.  J.McD 93 

White,  Hugh  L 223 

White,  lost  colony  of 101 

White,  William 106 

Wiley,  Rev.  Calvin  H 194 

Wiley,  J.  McGaleb 98 

Williams',  Gov.  Benjamin. 

203,  297 

Williams,  James 178 

Williams,  John 178 

Williams,  Lewis 419 

Williams,  Nicholas  L 420 

Williams,  Joseph 113''' 

Williams,  Marmaduke 108 

Williams,  Robert 108 

Williams,  Dr.  Robert^  of 

Pitt ...^373 

Williams,  Samuel 5 

Wilmington 298 


Williamson,   James ^11 

Williamson,  Dr.  Hugh.  L 

122.  267 

Wilson,  Thomas  J 172 

Wilson,  Louis  D '164 

Wilson,  Joseph 289 

Winchester    battle,   Sept. 

1864 'J48 

Winslow,  Warren. \32 

Winston,  Joseph 108 

Winston,  Patrick  H 34 

"Wingfield" 27 

Worth,  Gov.  Jonathan .'.77 

Wright,  Joshua  Granger.   ■  04 

Wright,  William  A 304 

Wright,  William  H ^04 

Wynns,  James  D 120,  216 

Wynns,  Gen.  Thomas il6 

"Wyoming"     letters     of 

Eaton 205 

Yancey,  Bartlett [OQ- 

Yancey,  William  L 73 

Yeates,  Jesse  J .'21 

Young,  Robert  S 79 

Zimmerman, Mrs.  Betty  M.  434 
Zinzindorff,  Count 171 


0-' 


h 


